The first judge to be interviewed on behalf of the awards is Alex Falcon Huerta – with more to follow. Alex is an ACCA-qualified accountant who runs the award-winning practice Soaring Falcon Accountancy. She is a well-known commentator on practice matters, and is a member of the ACCA’s international assembly.

Claire Bennison is the head of the ACCA UK, and a judge for the Women in Accountancy and Finance Awards. Claire held roles at Whitbread and Ericsson before moving into professional bodies with eight years at the CIPD before joining the ACCA. She discusses diversity, inclusivity and meritocracy – and how the association embeds these into its core values.

Grant Thornton International global leader (network capabilities) Francesca Lagerberg took some time out of her busy schedule to talk to the Women in Accountancy and Finance Awards about her career, and thoughts on gender diversity. CIOT and ICAEW-qualified, Francesca is one of the UK’s most senior and high-profile accountants. She has been a frequent commentator on tax issues while at Grant Thornton UK and then Grant Thornton International, which she has been with since 2013.

In the latest in our series of interviews with judges of the Women in Accountancy and Finance Awards, we speak to chartered accountant and experienced board member David Tilston. David has spent more than eight years as an audit committee chairman and has held several CFO roles at listed companies.

Jonathan Ashong-Lamptey is MD of Resource Groups Company, working with companies to create an inclusive workplace where everyone belongs and everyone performs. ICAEW-qualified, Jonathan is experienced in working in the corporate world and has a PhD from the London School of Economics based on his current offering. As a judge for the Women in Accountancy and Finance Awards, we asked him about his views on the profession and corporate world.

Talita Ferreira is an experienced finance professional, executive, non-executive director, author and consultant. Her 22 years of experience include roles at KPMG, Investec Bank and BMW.

Heather Self is a tax adviser, accountant and partner at Blick Rothenberg. She is one of the most experienced tax people in the UK, having been a partner at law firm Pinsent Masons and head of tax at a FTSE 100 organisation. She has also held senior roles at HMRC and a Big Four firm.