Selmeston accountancy business wins prestigious award

The awards evening, which took place at Ministry Venues, Elephant & Castle, showcased the achievements of those supporting small businesses to navigate current and future challenges.

Small businesses will be at the heart of economic recovery, and the role of accountants, bookkeepers and apps is more important than ever, as economic pressures affect small businesses’ ability to plan ahead and manage costs.

Many accountants and bookkeepers have been facing challenges of their own, such as attracting and retaining talent, and navigating regulatory change. With the support of Xero and others in the industry, many firms have been able to turn these changes into opportunities.

There were 16 trophies up for grabs for UK-based accountants, bookkeepers and apps, including three new awards introduced this year – National Firm of the Year, Bookkeeping Partner of the Year and Innovative Partner of the Year.

Fresh Financials are a 100% digital bookkeeping practice, making physical receipts and invoices a thing of the past. By taking a cloud-based approach they effectively remove manual tasks so they can add more value to their clients' businesses. They’ve shown huge commitment to leading the way, with a comprehensive application demonstrating their passion for helping the next generation understand the numbers. Their depth of Xero knowledge and the marketplace, their commitment to supporting their team, and helping clients sleep at night with accurate, up to date figures is inspiring. Finalists: LJM Bookkeeping, Normans Bookkeeping & Payroll, Accountability Edinburgh.

Alex von Schirmeister, UK & EMEA Managing Director at Xero, said: “I see first hand the positive impact that our accounting, bookkeeping and app partners have on the small business community, and I’m always thrilled to celebrate their incredible work at the Xero Awards. This community continues to innovate and evolve to meet the changing nature of UK business, and play an important role in economic recovery.

Emma Fox, Founder of Fresh Financials, commented on the win: “Having been fortunate enough to have won this award back in 2016 we did not think we would win it again - but we did! Everything we do revolves around our 4 core values - Balance, Trust, Expertise and Agility. Everything starts with a work life balance - to our team and our clients. This recognition means so much to us all. It just goes to show that a small rural business can win a national award!”

This year’s judging panel was made up of Xero leadership, along with guest judges from the Xero community, including previous Xero Award-winners and industry leaders.

Find more information on all the UK and Irish accounting and bookkeeping and app partner winners and why they are being recognised at this year’s awards here.

Full list of Xero UK & Ireland Award Winners for 2023

UK Partner AwardsSole Practitioner of the Year - Adams O'Rourke AccountantsSmall Firm of the Year - Tennick AccountantsMid-size Firm of the Year - Sempar Accountancy and TaxLarge Firm of the Year - Accounts and LegalNational Firm - AzetsBookkeeping Partner of the Year - Fresh FinancialsTotal Xero Award - Thorne WidgeryCommunity Impact Award - FD WorksInnovative Partner of the Year - LJM Bookkeeping LtdMost Valued Professional - Lauren Harvey, Full Stop Accounts & Georgi Rollings, Starfish Accounting

UK App AwardsUK Small Business App Partner of the Year - ChaserUK Practice App of the Year - SyftUK Emerging App Partner of the Year - MaydayUK Financial Services Partner of the Year - iwoca

Ireland Partner AwardsIreland Xero Partner of the Year - Accountant OnlineIreland Emerging Firm of the Year - Fluent Virtual Accounting