On Thursday 14 October, the Institute of Financial Accountants presented its 2009 Business Media of the Year award for best website to AccountingWEB.co.uk at a high-powered ceremony at Kensington Roof Gardens in London.
Television “Dragon” Theo Paphitis was named Business Entrepreneur of the Year, while Andrew Marr (TV), the Today programme (radio) and PQ Magazine (trade publication) were honoured in the other business media categories.
The IFA awards are designed to honour achievements among institute students and lecturers as well as accountancy firms, recruitment agencies and the media. The business media prizes are put forward by IFA members and have been a happy hunting grounds in recent years with online business journalist of the year prizes in 2002 and 2008 for AccountingWEB technology editor John Stokdyk.
“Our members just love AccountingWEB and what it does for them,” said IFA marketing director Sharon Jandu.
During the past year, the IFA was confirmed as an associate member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and a roadmap is in place leading towards full membership, said CEO David Woodgate. The institute has recruited its director of education from the ACCA and its business director from the ICAEW and gone through a rebranding process to reinforce its position as the institute for financial accountants and managers working in the SME sector, he added.
The awards were presented by Julie Meyer, the founder of the First Tuesday entrepreneurial meet-up movement and now something of a dragon herself as founder of Ariadne Capital and a panellist on the BBC’s online version of Dragon’s Den.
Meyer praised the IFA and its members for supporting the small business sector. “The entrepreneur is the hero,” she said. “These are people who lead unnatural lives… we need to follow them because they’re the engine of growth.
“Today we celebrate the achievements of people who thought big, started small and grew very, very fast.”
At the end of the ceremony, Theo Paphitis confessed to being slightly surprised to receive the entrepreneur of the year prize.
“Theo, why you’re here is because the work you do is an outstanding contribution to enterprise,” said IFA president professor David Hunt. “People like you act as figureheads for entrepreneurs.”
Other winners in the awards included:
Balbir Panesar - Business Entrepreneur of the Year
Duncan Walker - Accountancy Practice of the Year
Andy Page - Social Entrepreneur of the Year
Sheila Rigg, Conisborough Community Centre – Social Enterprise of the Year
Louise Evans - Outstanding Student of the Year
Tony Surridge - Lecturer/Tutor of the Year
City College Plymouth - Top Centre of the Year
Walker Dendle - Recruitment Agent of the Year