North East Accountancy Awards 2017 - Winners Guide

North East

Accountancy Awards 2017

Main Partner:

Winners Guide Thursday 29th June 2017 Hilton Newcastle Gateshead

Contents 2

Introduction

3

Judges

4

Judging Process

5

Results at a glance

6

Winners

19

Sponsors

20

2018 Awards

Introduction

Congratulations to all the winners of the North East Accountancy Awards 2017 On 29th June 2017 the North East finance sector came together to celebrate the achievements and successes of hard working teams and individuals from across our region.

The pride and enthusiasm shown throughout the night and in the nominations received was inspiring.

Judges had a very difficult job selecting only one winner in each category, with an exceptionally high calibre of nominees across all categories. All the entrants should be very proud of the impressive work they have achieved over the last 12 months - all of which was very clearly reflected in the high quailty of the submissions.

The evening was hosted by journalist, presenter and author Nadine Dereza who delivered a thought provoking speech before launching into the awards ceremony to reveal the winners. This following pages outline the winners, along with an explanation of the award categories and why, in the opinion of the judges, each of the winners was chosen.

These awards could not take place without the support of our fantastic sponsors, so thank you to: Nigel Wright Recruitment • AAT • ACCA • ATT • Broad Chare Partners • CIOT CIPFA • ICAEW • MyFirmsApp • ProForecast • Rathbone Investment Management

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2017 Judges Stephen Adair

Broad Chare Partners

Mauricio Armellini

Bank of England, Agent for the North East

Lucy Armstrong The Alchemists

David Balme

University of Sunderland

Jodie Barwick Bell

Former Chair of the North East CIOT and ATT

Chris Blaxall

Performance Horizon Group

David Bradshaw ATT

Alison Charlton

Nissan Motor Manufacturing

David Coppock

Department for International Trade

Richard Dale

Executive Director of Finance, Newcastle University

Gavin Disney-May

Chairman, MyFirmsApp

Angela Dragone

Newcastle NHS Foundation Trust

Alan Fletcher

Chairman, Square One Law LLP

Wendy Halsall Sage

Clive Johnson

NHS Business Services Authority

James Kyle

Richard Morgan

Nigel Wright Recruitment

Paul Newton Leaf.fm

Robert Phillips Bond Dickinson

Mike Robson

Northumberland CCG

Gillian Sayburn

ACCA Northern Counties Network

Prof Richard Slack

Durham University Business School

David R Smith

Ernst & Young LLP

Jeremy Smith

Bond Dickinson

FW Capital

Rathbone Investment Management

Fiona Standfield

Paul Christian

David Langley

Tracey Wilson

Keith Charlton

Ward Hadaway

Philip Clare Muckle LLP

George Clark

Retired Performance Specialist with the Audit Commission

Deborah Collins

AAT Tyne and Wear Branch

Witton House Associates

North East England Chamber of Northumbria University Commerce

Stephen Lightley

North East Access to Finance Limited

Tim Mallon Leathers LLP

John McGee

Grainger Management Ltd

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Paul Woods

North East Combined Authority

Judging Process Each nomination submitted to the North East Accountancy Awards was judged against the following: • the merit of the nomination • the extent to which the nomination met the awards criteria This judging took place in two stages: STAGE ONE Following the nomination deadline, all the entries for each category were reviewed on the basis of the award criteria for the respective category and a list of finalists was selected. The finalists in each category were then invited to attend a judging day to meet with a panel of judges.

STAGE TWO The judging day took place on Thursday 27th April at the offices of Barclays Wealth, Newcastle. Each finalist met with a panel of judges to discuss the submitted nomination and provide further insight into their entry. Following the interviews, the judging panels debated the merits of the finalists for their category until a decision was reached.

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Results at a Glance ACCOUNTING TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR WINNER: Ashlee Richardson, Welwyn Components Finalists: • Catherine Taylor – National Audit Office • Andrew Heppell – Graeme Tennick & Co • Tom Hudson – Deloitte • Billy Mack – National Audit Office • Debra Charlton – HM Revenue and Customs

RISING STAR ACCOUNTANT OF THE YEAR WINNER: Katharine Lowdon, EY Finalists: • Sam Oliver – Graeme Tennick & Co • Andy Morris – Onbone • Liam Ford – National Audit Office • Sean Hemsley – Welwyn Components • Jordan Jewitt – The Bailey Group

RISING STAR TAX ADVISER OF THE YEAR WINNER: Mo Malhotra, Deloitte Finalists: • David Baggaley – Ernst & Young • Sanjay Pugal – Tait Walker • Sarah Fish – Deloitte

ACCOUNTANT OF THE YEAR WINNER: Christopher Vaulks, KPMG Finalists: • Barry Gill – TIG Corporate Finance • Natalie Healey – Deloitte

FINANCE DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR WINNER: Chris Blaxall, Performance Horizon

PUBLIC SERVICES FINANCE TEAM OF THE YEAR WINNER: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Finalists: • The NAO - Agricultural Funds Financial Audit Team • NHS Business Services Authority Financial Control Team

TAX TEAM OF THE YEAR WINNER: KPMG, Innovation reliefs & incentives team Finalists: • Tait Walker • Deloitte Tax Team

CORPORATE FINANCE DEAL OF THE YEAR WINNER: KPMG – Investment in Zyro by LDC and simultaneous acquisition of Fisher Outdoor Leisure

Finalists: • KPMG – Sale of NECS • Cavu CF – £25m Private Equity Investment in Fairstone Group by Synova • Ryecroft Glenton Corporate Finance – Acquisition of MTrec by Trust Tech • Deloitte – Onyx company’s sale to Pulsant

NEW FIRM OF THE YEAR WINNER: BW Medical Accountants Finalists: • Graeme Tennick & Co • Francis Bookkeeping Solutions

INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANCY FIRM OF THE YEAR WINNER: Blu Sky Tax

Finalists: • Gillian Pigott – Tudhoe Learning Trust • Manprit Randhawa – Onbone

Finalists: • The Bailey Group • BW Medical Accountants • TyneRede Accountancy • Tait Walker

BUSINESS FINANCE TEAM OF THE YEAR WINNER: Mayborn Group

NATIONAL ACCOUNTANCY FIRM OF THE YEAR WINNER: KPMG

Finalists: • Welwyn Components Finance Team • Performance Horizon Finance Team

Finalists: • Deloitte • Haines Watts North East • EY

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT WINNER: Iain Wright

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Sponsored by:

Accounting Technician of the Year

WINNER: Ashlee Richardson, Welwyn Components Ltd The nominees in this category all excelled in their roles. However one candidate stood out to the judges.

Ashlee Richardson has become a ‘go to’ person worldwide within her department and has shown a growing confidence in her abilities with a desire to continue to grow through studies and development.

Her confidence has improved through her studies and job, having a positive impact on the business. She hopes to leave a legacy that will improve the business and future proof the department.

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Sponsored by:

Rising Star Accountant of the Year

WINNER: Katharine Lowdon, EY The judges were very impressed with the calibre of nominees in this category. The candidates showed an extensive array of skills and are all ‘Rising Stars’.

However there was one candidate who stood out: Katharine Lowdon demonstrated high standards and developed skills across all measures, with her performance recognised by colleagues and clients alike as being first rate and clearly adding value to the organisation.

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Sponsored by:

Rising Star Tax Adviser of the Year

WINNER: Mo Malhotra, Deloitte It was difficult to choose just one person from this list of nominees who all showed great knowledge and skills in their field, which is highly complex. These rising stars are certainly ones to watch and the judges look forward to seeing their careers progress.

The winner of this category was described as ‘a clear leader in his field’ and is recognised nationally from his North East base. Mo Malhotra has built a national team of his own and has shown time and time again to be hugely committed to the business and clients – all before hitting 30!

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Accountant

Sponsored by:

of the Year

WINNER: Christopher Vaulks, KPMG The judging panel were highly impressed by the standard of entrants resulting in lengthy discussions before an eventual winner was agreed.

Christopher Vaulks impressed the judges with his overall vision of what an accountant can be and his proactive approach to putting this into practice. This included having the ability to quickly understand a business and identify issues, to communicate effectively and provide additional support to clients, acknowledging the importance of developing and mentoring staff within the organisation. Chris was also awarded the role of people leader within the Audit department as well as taking on Champion roles for key initiatives.

Over the last year Christopher has not only assisted in winning and retaining key clients but has embraced a number of new roles to support both clients and development of his own staff.

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Sponsored by:

Finance Director

of the Year

WINNER: Chris Blaxall, Performance Horizon The candidates for this category were of a very high standard and all have very different roles. The diversity shown in their positions demonstrates the broad scope of the role of Financial Director and the impact on the wider business.

Chris Blaxall joined the business in difficult circumstances for the financial function and the scale of the business and its profile means that success has a significant external impact on the North East. He showed significant interaction between Finance and Sales and so directly contributed to 100% year on year growth in 2016. He delivered the largest fund raising by a North East company from Silicon Valley investors and led refinance of ÂŁ10m facility from US bank.

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Sponsored by:

Business Finance Team of the Year

WINNER: Mayborn Group The judges wanted to thank all the nominees for the impressive work they do regionally, nationally and internationally.

The team at Mayborn Group have massively improved the cash position of the business, working across times zones from Australia, UK, Europe and the US have reduced the outstanding debt and changed working practices.

The team worked collaboratively together; reorganising in a highly pressurised environment, working as a team to identify issues, devising solutions and implementing them.

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Public Services Finance Team

of the Year

Sponsored by:

WINNER: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums This has been another busy year for Public Service Finance Teams – challenged to be resilient and creative by funding pressures. All nominees showed that they embraced that challenge.

The Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums team have worked hard to transform their organisation by reducing reliance on public funding to create a more commercially viable organisation. They showed an impressive awareness of the environment in which they are operating and offered great examples of innovative ways of working, leading to national and international recognition. The team show dedication and commitment which has cemented them as an integral part of the organisation.

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Tax Team

Sponsored by:

of the Year

WINNER: KPMG Innovation Reliefs & Incentives Team KPMG’s Innovation Reliefs & Incentives Team are a fast growing specialist team, who apply their insight and experience into the many fantastic development opportunities being undertaken by businesses of all shapes and sizes across this region.

They stood out as a very strong team, providing innovative tax advice to their clients. The team demonstrated excellent staff development, technical skills and experience as well as a team spirit that shone through.

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Sponsored by:

Corporate Finance Deal of the Year

Investment in Zyro by LDC and simultaneous

WINNER: KPMG - acquisition of Fisher Outdoor Leisure

The KPMG deal scored highly on all of our judging criteria, including innovation in originating the deal and the benefit to the local economy. The deal was particularly complex involving effectively 2 simultaneous transactions :- the acquisition of a similarly sized competitor and investment from a national private equity house.

The transaction was a significant event for the region. The combined business is now one of the largest cycling parts and clothing distribution companies in Europe. All the operations for the two businesses have been consolidated into a base in Darlington, helping create 80 new staff.

It has also created significant value for shareholders and allowed the next generation of management to come through and be incentivised for the future. And with the backing of LDC, the company has the firepower for further growth.

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New Firm

Sponsored by:

of the Year

WINNER: BW Medical Accountants This is the first year this category has been run and the finalists were diverse, representing the adaptability of new business structures.

BW Medical are the only niche medical accountancy firm in the North East, providing specialist accountancy, tax and financial planning services to healthcare professionals.

They demonstrated impressive growth on the back of reputation and real specialist knowledge, attracting work regionally and nationally. They demonstrated a clear business model and delivery of their strategy along with added value services for clients.

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Independent Accountancy Firm of the Year

Sponsored by:

WINNER: Blu Sky Tax This was a highly competitive category, with five nominees who presented outstanding achievements in very different business sectors. The judges commended BW Medical for their impressive social responsibility activities and high quality magazine they produce for healthcare clients.

However, the winning firm Blu Sky Tax demonstrated an extraordinary level of technical innovation in the services provided to their clients and received top marks for their positive working environment.

They have developed an attractive computerised reporting tool and are making extremely effective use of on-line communications to provide information to clients. Impressive office facilities and a high level of employee engagement scored top marks.

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Sponsored by:

National Accountancy Firm of the Year

WINNER: KPMG The judges wanted to give a big thank you to the four finalists for all the good work they do and for making it such a hard job for the judges to choose a winner!

Deloitte, Haines Watts, EY and KPMG all showed tremendous knowledge, capability and strengths in their work regionally and nationally. It was a very tight decision.

However KPMG stood out for their clear evidence of teamwork and positive working environment where staff are recognised and encouraged to think innovatively and grow from within, resulting in excellent metrics on client service and satisfaction.

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Sponsored by:

John Wall Award for

Outstanding Achievement

WINNER: Iain Wright Iain Wright graduated in 1995 from UCL with a degree in history and trained at Deloitte in Newcastle. In 2003 he became a chartered accountant – the “best business qualification in the world”. He left Deloitte and worked at the Regional Development Agency One North East for six months before being elected.

As a Labour MP he took on roles in a variety of departments, working his way up from parliamentary undersecretary in the Department for Communities and Local Government and later the Department for Children, Schools and Families, to shadow minister for apprenticeships, then education and finally business, serving as Shadow Minister for Industry between 2011 and 2015.

His most prominent and influential role has been since 2015, as Chairman of Business, Innovation and Skills Committee and then Chairman of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee which he brought out from under the shadow of the Treasury Select and Public Accounts Committees. After taking up the post, the work of the Committee regularly hit the headlines, in particular with its investigations into the Sports Direct and BHS sale scandals.

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Thank you to our Sponsors!

Main Partner:

Category Sponsors:

Northern Society of Chartered Accountants

Supporting Sponsors:

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North East Accountancy Awards 2018 It is not too early to start thinking about which North East Accountancy Awards categories your firm or organisation would like to enter in 2018.

Have you got the best finance team in the region?

Do you have a colleague who is exceeding expectations?

Have you gone above and beyond to ensure client satisfaction?

Have you started to see your business progress and grow over the year?

If the answer is “yes” to any of the above, then why not submit an entry into next year’s awards!

Benefits of Entering

Benchmark yourself against other firms & organisations Sharpen the focus of your business and its activities Increase your level of coverage and attract new business Motivate and reward staff Entries will be accepted from November 2017, so keep your eyes peeled for announcements!

Interested in becoming a sponsor?

Many of our sponsors are returning year on year to ensure they are positioned directly in front of their target audience at such a prestigious event. If you would like to join them in 2018 then call Jo Sloan on 0191 244 2834 or email jo@echoevents.org to discuss the packages available.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the North East Accountancy Awards Team - 0191 241 4523 or info@accountancyawards.co.uk The North East Accountancy Awards are proudly organised by: Echo Events & Association Management www.echoevents.org

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