AuthorSeptember 4, 2026Categories
The UK accounting profession continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, driven by rapid technological advances, shifting regulatory frameworks, and higher client demand for strategic advisory services. In Wave 2 of the Accountancy Age 35 Under 35 for 2026, we highlight nine outstanding individuals who are not merely responding to these changes, but actively shaping the future of the sector.
These leaders represent the full spectrum of modern accountancy, spanning audit transformation, medical practice advisory, cloud accounting, higher education, and boutique practice development. Their achievements demonstrate how technical expertise, combined with commercial mindset and human-centric leadership, produces tangible commercial results and elevates standards across the profession.
Partner, Saffery LLP
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Rapid Audit Leadership & RI Status: Promoted to Partner in April 2026 and appointed Responsible Individual (RI) in July 2025, Harry reached both milestones just 9.5 years after joining Saffery as a graduate trainee. He manages complex audit engagements spanning corporates, landed estates, charities, pensions, and FCA-regulated entities across both FRS 102 and IFRS.
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Audit Methodology & Tech Standardization: Harry leads Saffery’s national Audit Efficiency Group, where he designed standardized planning workbooks, audit summary templates, and training resources now deployed firm-wide. He also sits at the forefront of the firm’s software and AI integration initiatives.
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External Advocacy & Talent Cultivation: Externally recognized for his technical command, Harry regularly presents at corporate and charity seminars on FRS 102 and Charities SORP updates. Internally, he runs technical lunch-and-learns, mentors junior auditors into senior roles, and organizes community networking events with the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce.
Senior Lecturer & Programme Leader, University of Chichester
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Academic Excellence & Award-Winning Leadership: James spearheaded the strategy that earned the University of Chichester the 2025 PQ Magazine Public Sector College of the Year award, while guiding the student Business Society to secure the 2025 PQ Student Body of the Year title.
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Democratizing Financial Education at Scale: Operating independently as @James_Wright_ACCA, James built an organic digital learning platform with nearly 100,000 followers, delivering free CPD masterclasses, technical guides, and career resources that reach millions of aspiring finance professionals globally without marketing spend.
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AI Integration & Professional Recognition: Named one of the Vevox Top 50 Voices in Higher Education for 2026, James actively pilots AI workflows to scale student mentoring and administrative efficiency. He also works directly with bodies like ACCA and software vendors like QuickBooks to bridge higher education with industry practice.
Director, Gerald Edelman
Resources & Whitepapers
APThe importance of UX in accounts payable: Often overlooked, always essential
Accounting SoftwareThe power of customisation in accounting systems
Accounting FirmsTurn Accounts Payable into a value-engine
AP8 Key metrics to measure to optimise accounts payable efficiency
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Commercial Ledger Growth: Jointly managing a major business services portfolio alongside CEO Carl Lundberg with minimal partner intervention, Jamie grew fee revenues by 14% year-on-year to £1.932m in 2025/26, with May 2026 billings running 18% ahead of the previous year.
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High-Growth Portfolio & Entrepreneurial Advisory: Jamie acts as quasi-FD for complex clients, including property funds, family offices, acquisitive Search Fund groups, and Flight Story, one of the UK’s fastest-growing media groups. He maintains an exceptional client retention record, losing only two clients since 2023.
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Digital Workflows & ESG Alignment: Jamie led the firm’s Dext implementation, project-managed the trial of Glide workflow systems, and is piloting AI financial close agents like Mimo. As an official “Bkeeper,” he actively drives B Corp compliance, resulting in record employee charity day utilization.
Janice Tang
Associate Director, Wilson Partners
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M&A Integration & Change Management: Following Wilson Partners’ acquisition of Max Accountants, Janice managed the operational integration for over 20 staff members, leading IT software migrations and establishing unified reporting standards during a major director transition.
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Senior Portfolio Transition & Revenue Scaling: Janice took full commercial ownership of a £700,000 annual recurring fee portfolio from a retiring founding director. Her strategic oversight helped scale team revenue from £1.3m to £1.9m over 18 months without increasing headcount, achieved through pricing reviews and process optimization.
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Executive Planning & Team Stewardship: Promoted to Associate Director, Janice directly manages nine accountants while overseeing a wider department of 20+ professionals. She works alongside executive leadership on budgeting, financial forecasting, and embedding AI automation into routine workflow processes.
Director & Head of Medical, Fortus
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Specialist Healthcare Advisory: Operating exclusively within the primary care sector, Joanna advises GP practices on complex NHS pension arrangements, partnership agreements, property financing, and practice mergers amid shrinking operational margins.
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Complex Dispute Resolution & Pension Audits: Joanna spent six months untangling and correcting historic NHS pension records for a senior GP, securing their retirement and creating a preventative pension audit protocol now applied across her entire client base.
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Digital Migration & Regional Leadership: She led hesitant medical practices through cloud transitions to Xero ahead of Making Tax Digital, turning compliance into real-time reporting. A former President of the York Society of Chartered Accountants, Joanna sits on the ICAEW West and North Yorkshire Network Board and mentors ICAEW trainees.
Director, Fortus
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Advisory Model Transformation: Laura systematically replaced traditional year-end account reviews with recurring, live-data strategic planning sessions. This shift grew her recurring advisory portfolio by 130% and increased her annual recurring fee income by 195% since 2023, while keeping client retention above 95%.
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Commercial Restructuring & MBO Delivery: Laura restructured a founder-led business exit following failed external sales, structuring a management buyout (MBO) that paid out exiting shareholders a full year ahead of schedule. She also established a fixed-fee advisory model that increased recurring monthly/quarterly fees across her portfolio by 267% since 2021.
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Governance & Digital Transformation: Appointed as the youngest member of the Fortus Client Advisory Board, Laura has directed over 30 cloud accounting software migrations and serves as an ICAEW student counselor mentoring six trainees.
Director & Founder, Elevate Accountancy
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Greenfield Practice Scaling: Liam built Elevate Accountancy from zero clients to a team of eight supporting over 560 clients in under three years, generating £548,866 in year-two revenue and tracking past £700,000 in year three.
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Systematized Operations & SLA Benchmarks: Liam implemented automation that reduced administrative tasks by over 50%. He enforced strict operational standards, including a mandatory four-hour client response time and treating any client chase as a formal complaint, maintaining a Net Promoter Score above 99 and 97 five-star Google reviews.
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Proactive Client Interventions: Moving away from standard compliance, Liam’s structured advisory model has turned loss-making client businesses profitable within months through strategic repricing and cash flow restructuring.
Group Managing Partner, TC Group
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Executive Group Leadership: Martyn is Partner at TC Group Portsmouth and the youngest Group Managing Partner in TC Group’s history, influencing strategic performance and cross-office collaboration across partner firms nationwide.
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Talent Development Architecture: Martyn co-designed and launched TC Group’s inaugural Leadership Development Programme, created to train rising professionals in commercial, interpersonal, and operational skills alongside technical compliance.
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Tech Governance & Automation Sponsorship: Serving as Board Sponsor for TC Digital LABS, Martyn oversees group-wide technology, practice administration workflows, and AI adoption, ensuring innovation directly translates into capacity creation and improved client delivery.
Audit Partner, Moore Kingston Smith
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Multi-Office Cloud Audit Rollout: Made Partner at age 30, Matthew led the deployment of Caseware Cloud Audit across five regional offices following the merger of Moore South with Moore Kingston Smith in April 2026, redesigning audit files to align with global methodologies.
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Complex Group Audit Oversight: Matthew maintains partner-led oversight on major engagements, including guiding the audit structure of a rapidly growing business as it expanded from a £170m turnover owner-managed firm into a private equity-backed group exceeding £750m in revenue.
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National Quality Governance & Mentorship: Matthew serves on the Moore South Audit Committee, Moore Kingston Smith Audit Quality Board, and Moore UK Audit Technical Group. He trains a regional team of 50 audit professionals and organized team charity initiatives raising approximately £9,000 for local causes.
The Changing Face of Accountancy Leadership
The accomplishments of the Wave 2 cohort illustrate clear structural shifts within the UK accountancy market. Strategic advisory is no longer an optional add-on; it is the primary engine of practice growth. Leaders who shift clients toward structured, recurring advice are achieving multi-fold fee expansion and near-perfect retention rates.
Simultaneously, technological adaptability has become non-negotiable. Whether through leading firm-wide AI innovation boards, implementing workflow software, or automating practice administration, these professionals prove that technology frees up capacity for higher-value advisory work.
Accountancy Age congratulates all Wave 2 winners for setting exemplary standards for the profession.
