AICPA & CIMA recently unveiled the winners of the fourth edition of their ENGAGE UK & Ireland Finance Awards at a ceremony at Hilton Tower Bridge in London.
Sponsored by Kainos, the ENGAGE Finance Awards 2024 celebrated the accomplishments of CGMA candidates, CIMA members, and partners, recognising individuals and teams who have done outstanding work to advance the finance profession and shape its future.
Simon Bittlestone, FCMA, CGMA, CIMA President and Chair of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, representing AICPA & CIMA, said: “The ENGAGE UK & Ireland Finance Awards celebrate excellence within the accounting and finance profession. They are also a testament to the dedication, hard work, and passion that drives our nominees and winners to achieve greatness, inspire others, and shape the future of our profession. I’d like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all our winners, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.”
This year’s winners are:
- Rising Star of the Year: Donal Murphy, Group Financial Controller at MCS Group, who was praised for being a great team player with strong people and leadership skills, and his unwavering commitment to helping his team, business partners, organisation, and community succeed.
- Finance Business Leader of the Year: Huiming Chen, Chief Financial Officer – Europe Commercial at Illumina,an American biotechnology company, was commended for successfully driving organisation-wide change in just under two years. This includes revamping the company’s incentive scheme to foster accountability and drive better employee performance, while effectively leading its people through this change.
- Responsible Finance Team of the Year: TheFinance and Systems Team at Ramboll UK & Ireland, a globally leading engineering and consultancy company, was celebrated for their widespread ESG and corporate sustainability experience, and proactive approach to embedding ESG and sustainability-related goals, including gender equality, quality education, and good health and wellbeing, into all aspects of the business.
- Digital Innovation Project of the Year: Balfour Beatty, a leading international infrastructure group, was recognised for its PANDA project, a data visualisation platform, to improve existing reporting processes, improve integrated thinking, and enhance decision-making within the organisation. The team was praised for demonstrating an entrepreneurial spirit and positive, growth mindset.
- Small, Medium Enterprise (SME) of the Year: Rare Tea Company, a sustainable loose-leaf tea company, was commended for its uncompromising approach to product quality and ethics, as well as the positive impact they have made working directly with tea farmers around the world.
- Student of the Year: Gavin Simpson, Finance Business Partner – Senior Analyst at Jaguar Land Rover, a British multinational automobile manufacturer, was celebrated for his perseverance and resilience throughout his journey towards becoming a Chartered Global Management Accountant, overcoming the class ceiling and breaking down barriers for neurodivergent individuals along the way.
- Mentor of the Year: Julie Bickerdyke, Managing Director at Moonstone FD, a finance strategy consultancy for small businesses, was recognised for her exceptional coaching skills and dedication to helping her mentees gain confidence, grow their skillsets, and achieve their goals.
A photograph of the winners taken at the ceremony
Back row, from left to right: Axl Lopez (Balfour Beatty), Gavin Simpson (Jaguar Land Rover), Louise Wilson (Rare Tea Company), and Ben Hanlin (Event Host).
Front row, from left to right: Donal Murphy (MCS Group), Julie Bickerdyke (Moonstone FD), Simon Bittlestone (CIMA President and Association Chair), Huiming Chen (Illumina), and Rob Sherrington (Ramboll UK & Ireland).
