In this series of ‘Emma Meets', Emma Peterson, Director of Recruit 121 Finance & Accounting Solutions, finds out more about the sponsors of the Finance Awards Wales 2026.
Finance Awards Wales is designed to recognise, attract and invest in the talented finance professionals working in Wales, showcasing the best of the best in the finance industry. In this edition, Emma Meets Tom Bowring President, CIPFA Cymru Wales and Director of Corporate Resources, Vale of Glamorgan Council.
CIPFA has been a long-standing supporter of Finance Awards Wales. From your perspective, what makes being part of the awards so important for both the profession and the wider Welsh finance community?
A key strand of CIPFA Cymru’s strategic plan is to champion the work our members do and the impact the Institute has across public services in Wales. There’s never been a more challenging time to work in public finance in Wales, and these awards importantly recognise and celebrate the contribution our members make. It also gives us the really important opportunity to share the work of CIPFA across a much wider audience.
Having supported the awards for years, is there a particular moment, winner, or story that has stayed with you over time?
The stand-out moment from each year’s awards is the genuine pride the winning team show when collecting their award. Public sector finance professionals are often the ones head down, getting the job done, so seeing them celebrate their successes and being a part of such a fantastic and uplifting event is always completely joyous!
Sponsoring the awards allows CIPFA to engage with finance professionals across Wales. Behind the scenes, what experiences or conversations have been most meaningful for your team?
There are so many opportunities that being involved with the awards has offered us. These have included networking opportunities with other finance institutes to forge closer alignment and leverage our joint capacity to support the profession more widely, as well as a CIPFA team where we’ve reflected on our experience of being involved and how this has really helped raise our profile in Wales.
From your experience, what qualities or achievements make a finalist or winner stand out in public finance or accountancy today?
All of the nominations for Public Sector Finance Team of the Year always demonstrate the sheer dedication and determination of colleagues in pursuing excellence in the profession. The absolute stand out quality is when the team shows the impact their work has directly on the communities of Wales.
Looking ahead, what trends or developments in Welsh finance are you most excited to see recognised at this year’s awards?
We’re super excited to see the range of categories that the public sector may be recognised in this year, as well as the impact that emerging technologies are having in the finance space.
On a personal note, what makes you proud to see CIPFA associated with Finance Awards Wales — both for the organisation and for individuals in the profession?
For me personally, representing the finance institute that is dedicated to the public sector accountant and celebrating and raising the profile of public sector finance makes me really proud. Doing it at such a prestigious event surrounded by the very best in the profession is an amazing opportunity for the CIPFA team.
