CIPFA was named Accountancy Body of the Year at the 2023 PQ Awards in London on 24 April.
Proud to be CIPFA
Winning this award is testament to the hard work and dedication of CIPFA employees, members and students alike, and we are incredibly grateful for the honour and for PQ Editor Graham Hambly’s recognition.
“It was a hard choice again this year. But I have gone for a body that makes sure it always puts its students first. This body has a thriving student network and district societies. To show how seriously they take their student members, they even put one on their Council. The current President Jayne Owen is a product of this student network – and as a student, she was a driving force in creating the national student group that today supports students, giving them a real voice. Well done team CIPFA.”
—Graham Hambly, PQ
Our amazing nominees
We were incredibly proud to share this night – and our award – with our wonderful shortlisted nominees.
PQ (Part Qualified) of the Year – Charlie Lowe, Sefton Council
Charlie is undertaking the CIPFA Level 7 Accountancy Professional Apprenticeship and is a CIPFA trainee accountant at Sefton Council. He has an exemplary exam record, having achieved first-time passes for each of his exams to date. He is very motivated and has recognised the personal study required to make sure he understands the material and has adapted his approach to learning as he has gained confidence in his ability.
Accountancy Apprentice of the Year – Jasmine Kemp, Grant Thornton
Jasmine was nominated not only for excelling in her studies but also for displaying huge technical competence in the delivery of complex audits, taking a role and level of responsibility that sets her apart from colleagues with a similar length of experience, and for enthusiastically championing public sector audit. She has also become involved in the recruitment process. In August 2022, she presented a session to new GT trainees, introducing them to local government. She is currently studying the CIPFA Level 7 Accountancy Professional Apprenticeship.
Accountancy Apprentice of the Year – Paige O’Neill, Sefton Council
Paige is a CIPFA trainee accountant and secured a place on a key project team tasked with rolling out a new budget monitoring system across Sefton Council. This has been instrumental in transforming the way the council provides financial support services, and Paige was responsible for developing the associated training material, which was critical to the rollout and adoption of the system.
Training Manager of the Year – Tabitha Appleyard, Cambridgeshire County Council
Tabitha is a fierce advocate for Cambridge’s apprentices, both with CIPFA as the qualification provider and internally within the council’s finance team. Borne of the isolation she recognised apprentices felt during their pandemic studies, she now champions their wellbeing by helping to facilitate placement days and structured learning in the office, as well as increasing their ‘wellbeing checks’ and making access to mental health first aiders at the council easier. She also introduced organised opportunities for apprentices to socialise outside of work.
Study Resource of the Year – CIPFA Learning
CIPFA’s new virtual learning platform was launched in 2022 and has transformed the learning experience for all Institute students. With a new look and better functionality compared to the previous learning portal, it offers additional support, a comprehensive ethics e-learning module, CPD Bites and a new e-assessment functionality offering an enhanced and highly intuitive online exam interface.