Ballards named Audit Team of the Year at the Accounting Excellence Awards 2026

Pictured left to right: Andy Bewick, Mark Skellum, Adrian Sidaway, Ben Powell, James Syree.

We are delighted to share that Ballards has been named Audit Team of the Year at the 2026 Accounting Excellence Awards. The winners were announced on Tuesday 29 September at a ceremony at the Roundhouse in London, one of the most prestigious evenings in the UK accountancy calendar.

The Accounting Excellence Awards celebrate the firms, teams and individuals setting the standard across the profession. Ballards was proud to be among the finalists, and Audit Partner Ben Powell and Audit and Accounts Director Adrian Sidaway collected the award on stage, joined by other members of the Ballards leadership team.

What the judges said

The judges praised the audit team's commitment to continuous improvement in audit quality, singling out two initiatives in particular.

The first is our monthly fix it in 15 sessions. These are short, focused sessions where the whole audit team comes together to work through live audit challenges and points raised on recent reviews. They are practical, fast and embedded into how we work every day.

The second is the Ballards Bean, a team mascot that travels with our colleagues on client visits across the UK and internationally. It started as a bit of fun, but it has become part of the team's identity, connecting people across offices and client sites and reflecting the open, human culture we have worked hard to build.

The judges said that together, these initiatives have created a culture where problems are raised early, shared openly and acted on quickly.

Growth built on client trust

The win reflects a strong year of growth for the audit team, driven by high levels of client satisfaction and an expanding referral network.

That level of referral-driven growth is not accidental. It is the result of consistently delivering on our promise of deep understanding, delivered swiftly.

Technology at the core

Technology has played a central role in how we continue to develop our audit offering. We have migrated our accounts production to CaseWare Cloud, expanded our use of Inflo as a client portal to give clients real-time visibility of audit progress, and deployed DataSnipper to improve the accuracy and efficiency of transactional testing and financial statement reviews.

These tools do not replace the human judgement that underpins good audit work. They free up our team to spend more time understanding each client's business, identifying risks and providing meaningful insight.

People and culture

At the heart of everything is our people. We have invested significantly in training, recognition and team development. Full team training days cover both technical skills and softer skills, including client interaction scenarios that help junior members of the team build confidence in client-facing situations.

We have also embraced an integrated international model, with our South African team working as one unified team alongside our UK colleagues. This has expanded our capacity, brought fresh perspectives and improved turnaround times, without compromising on quality.

Internal progression remains a key priority. A structured succession plan is already in place to support the next generation of leaders, and multiple internal promotions across the team this year reflect the investment we make in people's careers.

What the team said

“I’m delighted for the whole team. We’ve earned this recognition through our hard work, and it shows that a responsive, agile service is still something clients value.”

Ben Powell, Audit Partner at Ballards

“This award is an amazing achievement and recognises the fantastic people across our audit team, whose commitment, professionalism and dedication to delivering exceptional service for our clients never goes unnoticed.”

Adrian Sidaway, Audit and Accounts Director at Ballards

“I’m incredibly proud of the audit team. This award reflects the quality of their work and the way they look after our clients, and it’s a great moment for the whole firm.”

James Syree, Chief Executive at Ballards

Thank you

We would like to thank our clients for the trust they place in us. This award belongs to them as much as it does to the team. We would also like to thank Accounting Excellence and the sponsors of the Audit Team of the Year category, Advancetrack, for a wonderful evening at the Roundhouse.

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