Seventeen Australian women who are helping empower the next group of leaders in the accounting and bookkeeping industry have been recognised as part of the 2021 Top 50 Women in Accounting Awards, presented by professional services platform Ignition.
The annual awards, which have been running for five years, are designed to highlight 50 women from around the world who are “driving meaningful change and leading the way for the next generation” in the industry.
While some estimates suggest more than 50% of accountants across Australia are women, the sector has been shown to have a significant gender pay gap and some former members have spoken out about the sexism and racism they experienced in their career.
Among the Australians included in this year list are Karla Hourigan from MAD Wealth, Sarah Lawrance from Hot Toast, and Kristen Buik from Altitude Advisory.
The list also features leading practitioners from New Zealand, the US, UK, Canada, South Africa, the Cayman Islands and Nigeria.
Ignition said in a statement that close to 1000 accountants and bookkeepers were nominated for this year’s list, which represents a 27% jump in submissions from the year before.
The winners were selected based on their industry contributions in 2021, with the criteria taking into account their professional experience, how they have encouraged future female leaders in the industry and how they have empowered others.
“While the representation of women in accounting, bookkeeping and professional services is increasing, many women still face obstacles when it comes to pay and opportunity parity,” said Francesca Deery, vice president of people and culture at Ignition and one of the judges for this year’s awards.
“This year’s award honorees are paving the way for a more equitable future, by uplifting more women into senior roles, driving culture change in their workplace and organisation, and inspiring the next generation of future leaders.”
Karla Hourigan, MAD Wealth
Sarah Lawrance, Hot Toast
Kristen Buik, Altitude Advisory
Michelle Kvello, Lantern Partners
Angela Kenny, Heal.Thy Money Co
Heather Kennedy, K.I.S. Accounting & Bookkeeping Professionals
Kelly Eke, Precision Taxation Accounting & Management Australia
Vanessa Bosnich, Spotlight Reporting
Martine Hoosen Bookwiz
Katie Bryan, Propeller Advisory
Alice Ruhe, SMB Advisory
Kyelie Baxter, IQ Accountants
Lielette Calleja All That Counts/IPA
Tam Daniel, PTP
Mailene Wheeler, Vincents
Amanda Gascoigne, Amanda Gascoigne Consulting & The Balanced Firm
Petrina Stamos, McConachie Stedman
Stephanie Crawford, Stephanie Crawford
Di Crawford-Errington, Ontrack Bookkeeping
More information about the awards, including recipients from other countries, is available here.
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Eloise is an experienced business journalist and editor, who has held senior editorial roles at SmartCompany since 2014. Prior to joining SmartCompany, Eloise was news editor at Books+Publishing, the trade press for the Australian book industry. Eloise has degrees in media and communications, marketing and business management, and political science. You can follow her on LinkedIn, and Twitter at @ellykeating.
