Baker Tilly Mooney Moore: Strategic Talent Management can accelerate charity sector stability

Writes Ryan Connor, Senior Management Consultant at Baker Tilly Mooney Moore. Article first published in the Irish News, Tuesday 10 October.

Ryan Connor, Senior Management Consultant at Baker Tilly Mooney Moore

Today’s economic challenges present a different set of symptoms in the third sector.

The charity funding landscape was vastly altered in March 2023 when we transitioned from European Social Funding to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Though the UKSPF is a replacement for some organisations, further reductions in other funding streams mean the overall funding level falls well short of what was previously available.

At the same time, the cost-of-living crisis has squeezed disposable incomes to the brink, adding to demand for the services operated by local charities, while the charities themselves face significant hikes in their operating costs.

Though inflation has currently stabilised at 6.7%, demand is expected to grow at a time when charities, just like the wider business community, face significant recruitment and retention issues.

This challenging environment has forced many organisations to shelve their recruitment and growth plans, instead focusing on balancing the books, protecting the staff they do have and, in some cases, taking the redundancy route to stay afloat.

Finding a way through this situation was one of the areas of discussion at this year’s CO3 Annual Leadership Conference, where it was clear staffing pressures are among the top concerns of third sector leaders.  

To be a progressive employer with the right people to achieve success, the same principles apply no matter the structure, maturity, or scale of an organisation. Proactive workforce planning and employer branding are crucial to attracting the right people, but the work only starts there.

To retain and develop staff, charities must consider their culture, employee engagement and recognition processes, as well as salary, benefits, and work life balance.

Leadership development along with functional or technical training play a vital role in supporting talent to grow and evolve within an organisation, rather than looking outside of it.

Leaders must also consider whether employees can be developed as generalists across the organisation or in a specific area and should invest time in succession planning to ensure key roles are filled in a timely way. Behind all of this are the metrics and data that support an organisation to track performance and engagement while ensuring development initiatives, over time, are embedded and making a positive strategic impact on organisational goals.

Though the challenges and symptoms may be different, the overall principle of aligning talent management to the strategic goals of an organisation is as relevant to the public and private sectors as it is across the charity landscape. Organisations must consider their people and processes and be clear about the type and level of talent required for success if they are to adequately build their workforce for the future.

AI Con returns to explore the continued evolution of Artificial Intelligence

(L-R): Colleen Murray, Marketing Executive, Options Technology; Mark Boyle, Head of Tech, Digital Catapult NI; Ruth McGuinness, Data & AI Practice Lead, Kainos; Robert Grundy, Chair, The Matrix Panel; Cllr Clíodhna Nic Bhranair, Chair of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee, Belfast City Council, and George McKinney, Director of Technology & Services, Invest NI, pictured at the launch of AI Con Hosted by Kainos 2023.

Leading tech conference AI Con hosted by Kainos will return on Thursday 09 November, in person at Titanic Belfast with speakers from LEGO, Woebot Health & Manna Drone Delivery.

Taking a two-track approach, the conference will explore both the ethics of Artificial Intelligence and the latest technological advancements including autonomous vehicles and ChatGPT.

AI Con, the leading Artificial Intelligence conference hosted by Kainos, will return to Titanic Belfast on Thursday 9 November to lead the conversation on the responsible and sustainable implementation of AI.

Over 400 technologists and business leaders will come together to hear from global leaders in the Artificial Intelligence space, including from LEGO, Woebot Health, Tortoise Media, and Manna Drone Delivery.   

Now in its fifth year, AI Con will explore the use of AI in autonomous transportation, architectural design, and the evolution of Generative AI and services such as ChatGPT, amongst other topics. This year, the conference will explore the potential for AI to enhance creativity in areas such as film, music, and art.

Returning to its twin-track approach, the conference will feature two programmes running simultaneously on each stage, with the ‘Societal’ track focusing on the power and perils of AI’s potential to impact wider society, while the ‘Technical’ track will examine recent advancements and how these can be practically applied. Attendees can tailor their experience across both tracks.

The conference will explore the critical aspects of trust, fairness, and transparency in the AI world, and, for the first time, the agenda has been shaped by the local technology community following a public call for speakers. 

Alison Darcy, Founder and CEO of Woebot Health will deliver the keynote address, sharing her experience of bridging the gap between health and technology with the creation of an AI powered chatbot which directs individuals to accessible mental health care and support. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Woebot offered tailored psychological tools to deliver free and safe emotional support. 

Also addressing the conference will be Dr George Graham, Head of Data Science at HM Land Registry, and Jim Fleming, Co-Founder and Director of Marketing of Fusion Processing, which leads the consortium currently developing Europe’s first full-sized autonomous bus for CAVForth.

Alan Hicks, CTO of Irish drone delivery start-up Manna Drone Delivery will take part in a panel discussion on autonomous vehicle technologies, while Dr Jan Cudzik, Co-Founder of OutlineAI and Researcher at Gdańsk University of Technology, will deliver a session on the transformative potential of AI in architectural design and greenery planning.

AI Con 2023 is hosted by Kainos and supported by Matrix NI, Digital Catapult NI, Options IT, Belfast City Council, and Invest NI, and has been designed to contribute to the debate on the responsible advancement of the technology, by bringing global examples of the risks and opportunities of AI to life in Belfast.

For further information or registration details please visit: https://ai-con.ai/.

Kainos Chief Technology Officer, Tom Gray said: 

“It is great to welcome AI Con back for another year in Belfast. As AI continues to advance, the conversation has broadened from a technical standpoint to a societal debate as we consider how the technology shapes how we live and work. With this in mind, we are bringing back the twin track approach to AI Con to allow these big issues to be discussed, and a diverse range of issues to be heard.”

“The societal track will focus on the potential of AI to benefit the economy when used responsibly and sustainably, while the technical track will focus on the technical insights and accelerators that can enable AI adoption. Through our recent call for speakers, we have ensured the vibrancy of the local ecosystem is reflected and look forward to reconnecting with the technology and wider business community in Belfast next month.”  

Financial services consultancy firm fscom wins big at Compliance Register Platinum Awards

fscom Managing Director Jamie Cooke; Senior Compliance Associate Andrew Johnston; Associate Director Azariah Nukajam; Associate Director Heather O’Gorman and Director Alison Donnelly collect the ‘Best Consultancy Firm’ Award at the Compliance Register Platinum Awards. 

Governance, risk, and compliance consulting firm fscom has achieved three major industry awards at the Compliance Register Platinum Awards.

The Belfast-based firm, which specialises in GRC solutions for financial services institutions across the UK and Ireland and has virtual offices in London and Dublin, was named Best Consultancy Firm at the London awards ceremony on Thursday 28 September.

Heather O’Gorman, Associate Director at fscom, achieved the Compliance Rising Star award, while Azariah Nukajam, fscom’s Head of Investments, was named Best Compliance Consultant.

Judged by the Academy of Compliance Excellence, the Compliance Register Platinum Awards celebrate the achievements of firms and individuals who demonstrate exemplary service to Compliance and Regulation.

Now in their 20th year, the awards are based on client nominations and are voted by industry, with fierce competition across the UK and Irish financial services and compliance consultancy landscapes.

The recognition continues fscom’s success after Director Alison Donnelly was named ‘Fintech/Payments Leader of the Year’ by the European Women in Payments Network in December 2022. The company was also named Best Consultancy for Regulatory Compliance at the Compliance Register Platinum Awards (2022 and 2019), and Boutique Consultancy Firm of the Year (2021 and 2020) at the Global Advisory Experts Annual Awards.

fscom Associate Director Azariah Nukajam said:

“It was an honour to pick up the Best Compliance Consultant award last week. These awards are particularly important to us as they are client nominated, and I am thrilled to be recognised alongside some exceptional companies and consultants. Thank you to my clients, colleagues and peers across the industry for their continued support and congratulations to Heather and the wider fscom team.”

fscom Managing Director Jamie Cooke said:

“We are delighted to have secured three prestigious awards at the Compliance Register Platinum Awards in London and I am thrilled to see Azariah and Heather’s work recognised by industry. As a consultancy that operates across the UK, Ireland and European jurisdictions, the accolade of Best Consultancy is a fantastic endorsement of our compliance and regulatory expertise and would not have been possible without our remarkable team and the continued trust and support of our clients and partners.”

Labour Party Conference 2023

Buoyed by an overwhelming by-election win taking a seat from the SNP in Scotland this week, Labour will host their annual party conference in Liverpool from Sunday 08 to Wednesday 11 October.

With a General Election looming and the party ahead in the polls, Labour will begin to set out their campaign strategy this weekend with a series of speeches, training sessions and fringe events. Coming just days after Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn MP made his first official trip to Belfast, and with future EU relations remaining a key priority for the party, Northern Ireland is expected to be a key talking point in and out of the conference hall.

With many in anticipation of a new Labour government, the conference is set to attract large numbers of business leaders and campaigners. Sir Keir Starmer MP will deliver his leader’s speech at 2pm on Tuesday 10 October, while deputy leader Angela Rayner MP will address delegates on opening day. Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn MP will take part in several fringe events related to Northern Ireland.

 NI on the Conference Agenda

The conference period will feature several NI focused fringe events, including:

• Good Friday 25 Years On: An Agreement for a Shared Future, Sunday October 8 – Chaired by Sinn Féin’s John Finucane MP, this panel will feature Michelle O’Neill MLA, Hilary Benn MP and Baroness Frances O’Grady, Former General Secretary of the TUC.

• From Peace to Prosperity: How Northern Ireland Can Transform Its Economy Over the Next 25 Years, Monday 09 October – Hilary Benn MP, Simon Hamilton, Managing Director at Confluence Consulting and Kate Jennings, Policy Director at Logistics UK.

• Retail Northern Ireland Reception, Monday 09 October – Led by Retail NI, this reception will be addressed by Hilary Benn MP.  

What can we expect from a Labour Government?

• Labour currently has a healthy lead in the polls, sitting at 44.1%, compared to the Conservatives on 27.5%.

• They will hold a fringe event titled ‘Rebooting and Levelling up for the Next General Election’ on Tuesday October 10.

• Under a Labour Government, Northern Ireland and the entirety of the UK can expect to move closer to the EU in terms of reputation and alignment on post-Brexit trading processes.

• This week, the Labour leader said a border poll on Irish reunification is “not even on the horizon”, adding that he would like to achieve a better deal with the European Union if he becomes Prime Minister.

• In January, Sir Keir vowed to repeal the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill if it was on the statute book when he came to power. The bill passed into law last month, but Mr Starmer said this week that any legislation without the support of victims is “wrong in principle”.  

• There is speculation that Hilary Benn MP will move into the role of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Currently Shadow Secretary of State, Benn has demonstrated a genuine interest in Northern Irish affairs and taken a proactive approach to the region. In 2022, Mr Benn published a report entitled ‘How to Fix the NI Protocol’ in which he offered various remedies to resolve the Stormont collapse and associated issues.

Brown O’Connor bolsters senior team with new Head of Healthcare Communications

Managing Director, Arlene O’Connor with Vicki Caddy who will be the agency’s new Head of Healthcare Communications.

Public Affairs and Strategic Communications advisory firm Brown O’Connor has bolstered its senior team with the hire of Vicki Caddy as its new Head of Healthcare Communications.

Vicki Caddy joins Brown O’Connor from a leading charity where she was previously Head of Communications.

Prior to this, Caddy also has 8 years’ experience working as a Director at another leading PR agency and an agency career spanning three decades. She is a CIPR Chartered PR Practitioner.  

Director and Founder of Brown O’Connor Communications, Arlene O’Connor said:

“Vicki is highly respected in the industry and brings extensive experience on both the agency and in-house side in senior communications roles and is the right person to lead our healthcare communications portfolio of work.”

“Our integrated public awareness campaigning, media relations and public affairs work has seen considerable year on year growth and now is the right time to add to our senior team.”

“We are excited about the development of our healthcare communications specialism and Vicki will oversee this work with some of our high-profile clients in the health and social care sector.”

“The lasting impacts of the Covid pandemic, lack of an Executive and Assembly, and the sustained pressure on health and social care sector means that getting the message right, influencing decision makers and raising awareness is now more important than ever.”

Belfast Film Festival announces opening and closing films and extends solidarity to writers

Belfast Film Festival has announced its opening and closing films for its 2023 programme in November with Andrew Haigh’s ALL OF US STRANGERS and Yorgos Lanthimos’ POOR THINGS leading the programme of events.

Both films have stormed the latest film festival circuit, garnering rave reviews and whispers of OSCAR, BAFTA and SAG nominations. 

Opening Night Film

Festival opening night will screen ALL OF US STRANGERS and boasts Irish actors Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal whose characters’ chance meeting punctures the rhythm of their daily lives. This will be the third time director Andrew Haigh has wowed Belfast after bringing his debut WEEKEND in 2011, and Oscar nominated 45 YEARS in 2015 to the festival.

Irish actors Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal star in All of Us Strangers which will open this year’s Belfast Film Festival.

Closing Night Film

Closing the festival is the outstanding, outlandish and outrageous POOR THINGS from mastermind director Yorgos Lanthimos and Irish production company Element Pictures, starring Emma Stone, Willem Defoe and Mark Ruffalo. Hotly tipped for a shower of Oscar nominations and winner of the Golden Lion at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, this is an exciting coup for Belfast and is sure to be the talk of the city for weeks to come. 

Writers’ strike

Standing in solidarity with all those writers who have just ended their strike for fair wages across the world, the festival has chosen this year to champion the recent Writer’s Guild of America strikes by screening a host of films about screenwriters and will host a talk with world-renowned screenwriter JOHN SAYLES and producer MAGGIE RENZI. The festival will also screen a selection of their work.

World renowned screenwriter John Sayles and producer Maggie Renzi will visit Belfast for this year’s Belfast Film Festival in a special tribute to their work and the work of screenwriters.

 Michele Devlin, Director of Belfast Film Festival said:  

“We are thrilled to present a fantastic line-up of new international film, an impressive selection which includes titles from every continent across the world.  In this year’s programme we are focussing on the current industrial action in the entertainment sector particularly the WGA and SAG strikes. We are so pleased to welcome Oscar nominated screenwriter and director John Sayles and producer Maggie Renzi who will be jointly presented with the festival’s prestigious Réalta award for Outstanding Contribution to Film.”

Belfast Film Festival will also partner with the new Avenue Cinema to bring the glitz of Hollywood to its Screenwriters on Screen Retrospective with screenings of BARTON FINK, SUNSET BOULEVARD and ADAPTATION remastered and returning to the big screen. 

With a nod to the season and for those who enjoy a fright, there will be a special one-off screening of the FrightFest 2023 hit HAUNTED ULSTER LIVE by Belfast filmmakers Dominic O’Neill and Will McConnell, on Halloween night.

Belfast Film Festival is funded by Northern Ireland Screen, Belfast City Council, the Department for Communities, Film Hub NI, and Arts and Business NI. And proudly sponsored by Yellowmoon, Birra Moretti and Hastings Hotels.

Tickets for the following pre-sale events went on sale on the Belfast Film Festival website on Friday 29th September:

• All of Us Strangers

• Poor Things

• Barton Fink

• Sunset Boulevard

• Adaptation

• John Sayles and Maggie Renzi in conversation

• Haunted Ulster Live

The full Festival programme will be announced on 12th October. 

Latest Fincrime Compliance Report by fscom reveals key anti-money laundering risk areas for banks and financial institutions

fscom Director Philip Creed

Financial services institutions must formalise their Anti-Money Laundering (AML) processes to remain fully compliant and stave off money laundering attempts, a report by Belfast headquartered financial services compliance company fscom has warned.

Based on audits of the AML frameworks of 60 financial services firms, fscom’s Fincrime Compliance Report 2023 examines the challenges banks and financial institutions are exposed to, outlining their compliance responsibilities on areas including Sanctions, Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), Suspicious Activity Reporting (SARs) and Customer Risk Assessments.

The report found the top five AML risk areas in the year to June 2023 to be Compliance Monitoring, Customer Risk Assessments, Transaction Monitoring, Customer Due Diligence, and Enhanced Due Diligence.

While the audits suggested that institutions have increased their vigilance and understanding of the regulatory environment, in part due to the increased scrutiny on banking sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which led to enhanced screening processes, it concluded that many AML frameworks still do not provide an adequate level of assurance.

When compared with fscom’s 2022 Fincrime Compliance Report, new and emerging concerns were identified around insufficient AML training; a lack of evidence of high-risk client sign off by senior managers; customers being permitted to make transactions before enhanced due diligence measures were applied; insufficient transaction monitoring rules and inadequate investigation of screening hits.

Another issue is a lack of robust customer risk assessments, in particular failing to treat customers or transactions with associations to high risk third countries (HR3Cs) appropriately. As regulations stand, firms must apply enhanced measures to any business relationship or transaction with a person established in a high-risk third country.

Covering the period July 2022 to June 2023, the AML audit reviewed the financial compliance processes of 60 institutions, including Electronic Money Institutions, Authorised Payment Institutions, Virtual Currency Exchanges and Bureau de Changes.

The audit process consists of four elements, starting with an internal review of policies against regulatory obligations; ‘side-by-side’ walk throughs to assess the firm’s operational efficacy; customer due diligence file testing; and staff interviews with employees to gauge their knowledge of the legislation behind their AML framework.

The majority of institutions sampled were UK based, however firms in Ireland, Switzerland, Jersey, Singapore, Lithuania and the Cayman Islands were audited in line with local legislation and regulatory guidance.

Completed annually by fscom’s team of financial crime compliance consultants and led by fscom Manager Richard Dunlop, the report provides wider industry with a series of best practice recommendations to address compliance issues and stay ahead in the ever-evolving financial services landscape. 

fscom Director Philip Creed said:

“We are pleased to share our Fincrime Compliance Report 2023 with wider industry. Though it features the most striking findings, it identifies the new and emerging risks that all financial institutions should be aware of and should serve as a valuable example of the standard required to meet the recommendations of the regulator. Financial services firms are at a constant and evolving risk of money laundering as financial crime actors grow more sophisticated; therefore, we advise them to not only meet their regulatory obligations but to strive for industry best practices.”

To download the Fincrime Compliance Report 2023, visit: https://blog.fscom.co/fincrime-compliance-report-2023.

New documentary set for World Premiere in Belfast reveals one of the darkest untold stories of the Troubles

In ‘Lost Boys: Belfast’s Missing Children’, fresh investigative journalism uncovers an extraordinary tale of child disappearances and murder, MI5 interference, witchcraft and potential cover up.

New documentary ‘Lost Boys: Belfast’s Missing Children’ will have its joint World Premiere in Belfast in partnership with Docs Ireland on Thursday 28 September at the Odeon Cinema and in Dublin on Wednesday 27 September in partnership with the Irish Film Institute (IFI).

During the winter of 1969, young boys started to disappear from the streets of Belfast, never to be seen again. By 1974, as the Troubles were reaching a bloody and vicious peak, five boys in total had vanished within a five-mile radius. The remains of only one, 11-year-old Brian McDermott, were found.

Fifty years later, as the disappearances remain unsolved and families continue to search for answers, filmmaker Des Henderson (How to Defuse A Bomb: The Project Children Story) reopens these largely forgotten cold-cases, talking to fresh witnesses, and unearthing disturbing revelations in secret state documents. Could all 5 disappearances be linked with each other?

In a real-life thriller, and with the help of criminologist Robert Giles, journalist Martin Dillon and investigative reporter Chris Moore, the film explores every lead to try and find out what may have happened to these young boys. For every stone the team turns over, it becomes clearer that dark forces are at play on an incomprehensible scale. Deep state cover-up sounds like the stuff of conspiracy theory, but this investigation poses some troubling questions. The documentary asks if the state knew more than has been revealed, or even worse, if it was complicit in some way.

Speaking ahead of the ‘Lost Boys: Belfast’s Missing Children’ premiere, Director Des Henderson said:

“When we set out to make this documentary, we knew we were dealing with a sensitive subject matter. Little did we know as we started to investigate, we would find such a sinister set of circumstances surrounding the disappearance of five young boys within the same area.”

“Due to the nature of the revelations in the documentary; there have been many twists and turns in the completion of the film.”

“It has been 50 years since the boys went missing, so we feel like it is now or never for their story to be heard. At the time there was concerningly little media coverage of what had happened, and the boys seemed to disappear from the public’s mind just as quickly as they had from the street.”

“It is unlikely that the boys will ever have justice, given how long ago these crimes took place, but the least we can do is try to expose the truth surrounding their disappearance, and who may have been involved.”

‘Lost Boys: Belfast’s Missing Children’ Producer Ed Stobart added:

“It has taken 5 years of intense investigation to get the film to screen, and along the way we have amassed a huge body of evidence around some of the Troubles’ darkest remaining secrets, many of which extend beyond the cases we set out to investigate.”

“From what we have found, especially around the Kincora Boys Home scandal, there is much more to be told about the ‘Dirty War’ than is fully in the public domain. The security services, MI5 in particular, have a lot of questions to answer.”

“The suffering experienced by the families of the missing and murdered boys, and all those who were abused on an almost industrial scale in Kincora must have been unimaginable. We hope that this film might aid any process that brings them some measure of justice.”

Cancer Focus NI unveils ambitious vision for a smokefree Northern Ireland by 2035

Paula Bradshaw MLA, Chair, All Party Group on Cancer, Dr Bernadette Cullen, Chair, ASH NI, Richard Spratt, Chief Executive, Cancer Focus NI, and Naomi Thompson, Health Improvement Manager, Cancer Focus NI.

Northern Ireland by 2035

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH NI), a subcommittee of Cancer Focus NI, has today launched their manifesto and vision for a smokefree Northern Ireland by 2035.

The ambitious manifesto advocates for a new comprehensive Tobacco Control Strategy, including smoking prevention programmes available to children and young people, more accessible Stop Smoking Services, as well as increasing the age of tobacco sales to 21 years.

Tobacco stands as the foremost contributor to preventable illnesses and untimely deaths and is inextricably linked with a number of Non-Communicable Diseases including heart disease, cancer, and lung disease. Around 2,200 people die from a smoking-related illness in Northern Ireland each year, with an additional annual 18,000 hospital admissions attributed to smoking.

With its partners, ASH NI campaigns to achieve effective and comprehensive tobacco control policies and programmes, with the primary aim of seeing Northern Ireland become a society where less than 5% of the adult population is actively smoking.

The full manifesto ‘A Vision for a Smokefree Northern Ireland’ can be viewed here: LINK.

Speaking at launch of ASH NI’s Vision for a Smokefree Northern Ireland 2035, Richard Spratt, Chief Executive, Cancer Focus, said:

“We are proud to unveil this ambitious plan for a smokefree Northern Ireland today. Our mission at Cancer Focus through ASH is to see Northern Ireland transformed into a smokefree society where people can enjoy healthier, smokefree lives. We know the devastating impact of a disease like cancer on individuals and their loved ones, so we are committed to advocating for better policies that can help eliminate all smoking related conditions. Setting 2035 as a target will no doubt be challenging, but it will help drive a focused and ambitious aim to see Northern Ireland not just become smokefree, but a healthier and happier place to live”.

Paula Bradshaw MLA, added:

“I am pleased to see this manifesto launched today; it sets out clear priorities for the Department of Health and an Executive. It also represents an opportunity for Northern Ireland to take the lead on preventative health policy and implement policies that are both progressive and achievable with the right political will. For too long, Northern Ireland has been playing catch-up with other jurisdictions, so now is the time for our political parties to come together for the benefit of the people here and deliver some real change by putting these objectives into action”.

Baker Tilly Mooney Moore celebrates promotion of three auditors to Assistant Manager level

(L-R) Baker Tilly Mooney Moore’s Head of Audit Eimear Brown; Assistant Audit Managers Ashleigh Mooney, Ciaran Hughes, and Emma George; and Audit & Assurance Partner Joanne Small.

Leading Belfast accountancy and advisory firm Baker Tilly Mooney Moore is celebrating the promotion of three former trainees from its Audit & Assurance team to Assistant Manager level.

Ashleigh Mooney and Emma George joined the practice’s Graduate Training Programme in 2019, working to deliver audit and accounting services while completing their qualifications with Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Having worked in the accounting department of a Belfast school, Ciaran Hughes joined Baker Tilly Mooney Moore in 2018. Already qualified with Accounting Technicians Ireland, he went on to achieve accreditation by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants with the support of Baker Tilly Mooney Moore.

Ashleigh, Emma, and Ciaran were promoted to Assistant Manager level in September 2023, working within the Audit & Assurance team to support clients by assessing and managing risk areas to identify areas for operational improvement.

Joanne Small, Audit & Assurance Partner at Baker Tilly Mooney Moore said:

“This group of promotions reflects the first-class service Ashleigh, Ciaran and Emma have delivered throughout their time in the Audit team at Baker Tilly Mooney Moore. From completing their qualifications to increasing their responsibilities on client assignments, all three have demonstrated a commitment to their own professional development. It gives us great pleasure to watch Ashleigh, Ciaran and Emma continue to progress within the firm as they build relationships with clients and deliver trusted business advice.”

Eimear Brown, Head of Audit at Baker Tilly Mooney Moore said:

“We are a busy Audit department providing a quality led service that involves hands-on, partnership working with clients. To continue our success, however, we know the progression and advancement of our teams is vital and so we are thrilled to see Ashleigh, Ciaran and Emma step up to Assistant Manager level.”