Judges

Bev Flanagan is an accountant with a passion for nurturing growth in the accounting profession and is just coming up to 30 years in the field.

As the visionary founder of a 100% cloud based accountancy practice, she not only steered it into success but also orchestrated it’s seamless sale in the summer of 2022, marking a remarkable 17 year legacy.

Today, Bev channels her profound expertise into her consultancy business, dedicated to empowering accountants and bookkeepers to unlock the full potential of their practices. She thrives on fostering growth and prosperity within the accounting community.

In addition to her consultancy endeavours, Bev stands as a respected and engaged council member, director and trustee of the AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians), a role that underscores her commitment to elevating the accounting profession.

For Bev, the accounting profession isn’t just a career – it’s a lifelong passion, and she’s on a mission to help accountants and bookkeepers alike thrive and excel.

David Potts is director of operations at the AIA and is responsible for maintaining the professional body’s international recognition and regulatory strategies.

David works with regulatory bodies across the world to ensure AIA members meet the appropriate standards of competence and professionalism.

David is a Professional Member of the International Compliance Association.

Emma Rawson is a technical officer with the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT). She initially trained with a Big 4 Firm but also spent a short time working in a specialist consultancy firm where she provided advice to other practitioners before joining the ATT in 2017.

Emma has contributed articles on topical tax issues to several leading tax and accountancy publications. She has presented talks and webinars around the country, appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC News to discuss tax issues, and provided oral evidence to both the Treasury Committee and House of Lords Finance Bill Committee.

In addition to being a member of the ATT, Emma is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). She is currently the chair of the ATT/CIOT Leeds branch.

Glenn Collins is responsible for engagement, advice and support to ACCA members on a range of business and policy issues, including financial reporting, business and credit advice, taxation, company and business law, ethics, export and access to finance. Glenn also liaises closely with UK government departments and agencies.

Jodie Barwick-Bell is a Tax Partner at Evelyn Partners in Yorkshire and the North East. She is Chair of STEP Yorkshire as well as being a Chartered Tax Adviser and a Fellow of the ATT. 

Jodie has over 25 years experience advising private clients, business owners, trustees and family offices. This includes 6 years spent in-house running family offices for two entrepreneurial families. Jodie is a Trustee of two charities, the Manny Cussins Foundation and a community regeneration charity she co-founded. 

Jodie’s experience as a private client adviser, as well as in running family offices and being a trustee, has given her deep insight into many issues wealthy families and family businesses face and also ideas and strategies for dealing with challenges that can arise. 

At Evelyn Partners, Jodie leads the national family office team who provide virtual family office services to families with complex affairs, as well as support to in-house family office teams. Jodie also provides tax advice to a broad range of private clients, trustees and business owners across the region. 

Born and raised in East Yorkshire, Martin Petch works as an Account Manager for AAT, the Association of Accounting Technicians, covering Yorkshire & Humber. AAT are the world’s leading professional body for accounting technicians and develop a range of finance qualifications, designed to give learners real world skills and knowledge valued by organisations.

Martin’s role involves meeting with approved training providers in the region, along with national providers based in the north of England & Scotland. Ensuring they are fully supported to deliver our qualifications and engaged with businesses and employers in the region. This role has given him a unique insight into the world of accountancy; the demands of the workplace and the skills needed by our members to strive in an everchanging sector.

In his past-time, Martin makes the most of all that Yorkshire has to offer; water sports in the North Sea, cycling in the Wolds and enjoying weekends with the family in the Moors & Dales. 

Sam Tasker-Grindley is the Head of Advisor Channel at Swoop Funding, supporting accountants and SMEs in getting access to funding across the market.

He spent 8 years working in Accountancy Practice before moving into the fintech industry 3 years ago to help accounting firms build their business advisory offering.

He is a chartered accountant, NED and the Chairman of the North and West Yorkshire ICAEW Regional Network.

Sarah Palmer achieved a 1st class honours degree in Business Management from Greenwich University and was awarded a prestigious scholarship to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, USA in 2006.

Sarah has a successful career in business and management across different business sectors including retail, recreation and financial services. She qualified as a bookkeeper and established her own practice, ‘Women Who Count Ltd’ in 2009. She has developed that business into a successful enterprise employing a team of eight staff and managing over ninety clients.

Her recent business awards include, runner-up in the Kent Women in Business awards for Leadership and finalist in The Business of the Year & Employer of the Year at the Independent Business Awards Kent.

She supports nurturing bookkeepers and their business and holds the UK licence for the global organisation, ‘Pure Bookkeeping’. She has contributed to industry leading publications and is a regular columnist in the bookkeeping press.

Complementing IAB’s worldwide reach Sarah has established her own effective networks within the bookkeeping industry which extend to Australia and Canada. She has also built relationships with UK corporates including Barclays.

Recognised as an industry leader within bookkeeping Sarah was invited to become a director of the IAB in 2017 and took on the role of Chief Operations Officer in August 2019. At IAB, her aim is to raise the bar in bookkeeping; changing the mindset to challenge and build standards for professional practice amongst bookkeepers.

Alongside the CEO she has been the driving force at IAB instigating modernisation; completely restructuring the organisation and re-defining its focus on integrity in process, practice and performance.