The most recent Features from Incisive Media

Employee benefits - merger ahead

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Roger Cook, Accountancy Age, Thursday 19 November 2009 at 13:00:00

Don't take a wrong turn on your employee benefit cover when going through a merger or acquisition

Over the past 18 months there have been fewer corporate finance transactions than for years and fewer MBOs than at anytime since 1984....

Local government - avoid the snip

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:37:00 GMT

Paul Bettison, Accountancy Age, Thursday 19 November 2009 at 12:37:00

There is still a place for shared services in helping local government avoid having to make swingeing cuts to both staff and services

When Gordon Brown announced to the TUC conference in September that he would have to make cuts to public spending, there was an air of inevitability about it....

Local government - the big squeeze

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:31:00 GMT

Carolyn Low, Accountancy Age, Thursday 19 November 2009 at 12:31:00

Finances in local government are going to be squeezed over the next few years and resourceful FDs will have to find ways to cut costs while keeping core services functioning

It is budget-setting time again for finance directors across local government, with many a late night meeting being held, all with a single objective to bridge the gap between...

Profile - Ed McNally, FD of Canon UK

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:15:00 GMT

David Jetuah, Accountancy Age, Thursday 19 November 2009 at 12:15:00

Canon has to comply with a myriad of rules and regulations in many territories, but UK and Ireland FD Ed McNally makes sure the company has not been overexposed

Just a few months in the job, you’d be forgiven for thinking Canon UK and Ireland’s new FD Ed McNally is a greenhorn but this provides a false image....

Job hunting using your PC and the internet

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Andrea-Marie Petrou, Computeractive, Thursday 19 November 2009 at 10:00:00

Looking for a new job? Give yourself the edge over others with our guide to researching and applying for jobs using a computer

Job hunting has moved on from the days when you had to trawl through a newspaper, circle the vacancies you wanted to apply for and post your CV to a...

Public sector FD of the year: Stuart McCreadie

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:29:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:29:00

McCreadie had his work cut out for him after every member of the executive team left the company

Stuart McCreadie beat a tough crowd to win the award for Finance Director of the Year in the public sector....

Medium firm of the year: Sobell Rhodes

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:28:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:28:00

Pride in its people helped Sobell Rhodes pick up the medium firm award

Each week the staff and partners of Sobell Rhodes assemble for what has come to be known as their “Awesome Monday”....

Business recovery project of the year: KPMG

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:27:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:27:00

KPMG's work on the JJB Sport CVA bagged them the award

High street brand JJB was facing the possibility of going under when the KPMG team came along. A CVA, a delicate balancing act at the best of times, was complicated...

AAT accounting technician of the year: Sonya Ashbarry

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:26:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:26:00

Ashbarry's rags-to-riches tale impressed the judges

To scoop the AAT Technician of the Year 2009 judges looked for entrants to demonstrate the professionalism, imagination and innovation that has led to organizational success and has made a...

Young accountant of the year: Jess McDarren & Sarah Restall

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:25:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:25:00

This year's contest was so close, there turned out to be two winners

On rare occasions it happens that two people competing for the same prize cannot be separated. So it is in this year’s Young Accountant of the Year award which is...

Tax team of the year: BDO Transfer Pricing

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:25:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:25:00

BDO's tailored pricing service and strong results created an award-winning submission

Corporate revenues have been rocked by the turbulent economic conditions and companies have rushed to ensure their tax arrangements are as streamlined as possible....

Sole practitioner of the year: Michael Dunkley of Dunkley's

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:24:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:24:00

Dunkley's award winning entry showed a "sexy" approach to accounting

Dunkley’s award-winning submission for the new sole practitioner award began with the following description: “passion, stamina, sexy”. Not exactly the words most outside the profession would associate with accountancy, but...

Small software package of the year: Mamut

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:23:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:23:00

Mamut picks up the prize for the fourth time in five years

After a year’s hiatus, when PKF’s P11D software scooped this prize, Mamut has picked up the award for an incredible fourth time out of five....

Small firm of the year: Inspire Professional Services

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:23:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:23:00

Inspire lives up to its name both with clients and the awards judges

This year’s winner of the Small Firm of the Year award is the aptly named Inspire Professional Services. Not only is this firm completely committed to inspiring clients, it has...

Personality of the year: Tony Lomas

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:22:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:22:00

PwC's chairman of business recovery wins out for his work on the Lehman Brothers administration

Accountancy Age will never forget the hastily arranged press conference last September when the national media descended on Canary Wharf as Lehman Brothers imploded....

Outstanding industry achievement: Douglas Flint

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:21:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:21:00

Flint has always stood out and his work always gone well beyond his day job at HSBC

Douglas Flint, group finance director of HSBC bank, receives this year’s Outstanding Industry Achievement award. In what has been a difficult year for anyone working in finance, it is those...

Mid-tier software of the year: Access

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:20:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:20:00

Improved flexibility and a focus on meeting the challenges of the recession saw Access one again pick up the award in this category

Access has once again picked up the mid-tier software category winner’s award. Following last year’s innovative launch of a carbon accounting tool for its software, Access again won over our...

Large firm of the year: Reeves + Neylan

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:20:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:20:00

Sucessful alliances allowed Reeves + Neylan to add clout to their client proposition

When you’re a firm that has been around for a century, it would be easy to be labelled “long in the tooth”....

Global firm of the year: Deloitte

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:19:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:19:00

Deloitte won the award "by a mile"

The accolade for Global Firm of the Year has always been one of the most prestigious. Setting yourself apart from the competition at this end of the market is no...

Finance team of the year - public sector: Ealing Council

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:18:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:18:00

Tight financial management is part of the council's DNA and overspends are simply not tolerated

You might think Ealing Council has gone from strength to strength but it wasn’t always this way. The council might boast cash reserves of £15m and four years of...

Finance team of the year - business: Innocent Ltd

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:18:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:18:00

Innocent’s finance team has put in place a strategy to ensure what it is doing is in line with overall strategy

When you have multinational heavyweights Nestlé and PepsiCo muscling in on your turf, you had better hope you have a finance team up to the challenge....

Growing business FD of the year: Melissa Foux

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:17:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:17:00

Gü's FD is everything a modern FD should be

Strolling down the aisles of your local supermarket, you couldn’t have failed at some point to have noticed the inviting treats that make up the Gü range....

Enterprise software of the year: COA Solutions

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:17:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:17:00

COA knocks CODA off its perch to claim top prize

COA Solutions has picked up the top accounting software award, after several attempts to pick up the first prize knocking CODA off its perch....

Employer of the year: Deloitte

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:16:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:16:00

Deloitte saw profits fall but still managed to look after its staff

In practices across the UK, everyone from senior partner to Mrs Mop has one thing in common: the environment in which they work....

Blue chip FD of the year: Richard Meddings

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:16:00 GMT

Accountancy Age, Accountancy Age, Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 23:16:00

Standard Chartered Bank's FD put his personal reputation on the line advising on the crisis

There was tough competition for the role of Blue Chip Finance Director of the Year, but after much deliberation and against a group of the UK’s most highly respected financial...