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FRS 102 Revised Seminar Brings South Yorkshire Finance Leaders Together

​In collaboration with Shorts Chartered Accountants, we recently hosted a seminar for senior finance professionals from across the region.The event brought together a number of Finance Directors, Financial Controllers and senior leaders from across the region for a morning of insight, discussion and networking over breakfast. It was a pleasure to welcome so many familiar faces, alongside new contacts, reflecting the strength and depth of the Yorkshire finance community. The seminar was presented by Howard Freeman, Audit & Accounts Partner, and Andy Ryder, Corporate Finance Partner at Shorts. We are extremely grateful to both speakers for sharing their time and expertise, and for delivering a clear, practical overview of the forthcoming changes to FRS 102, which came into effect on 1 January 2026 and are expected to impact a significant number of UK businesses. The session explored what is changing and why, particularly in relation to lease accounting and revenue recognition, and considered what the updates mean in practice for finance teams and business leaders. The speakers also addressed the new reporting requirements under FRS 102, the potential impact on EBITDA and valuation methodologies, and the key considerations for organisations as they prepare for implementation. Rather than focusing purely on technical detail, the seminar encouraged broader discussion around readiness, communication with stakeholders and the commercial implications of the changes. This led to a highly engaged Q&A session, with attendees sharing perspectives and experiences from their own organisations. At Sharp Consultancy, we are committed to supporting the finance community beyond recruitment alone. Events such as this form part of our ongoing effort to create opportunities for connection, knowledge-sharing and professional development among senior finance professionals. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Shorts for partnering with us on this event, and in particular to Howard and Andy for delivering such an informative and thought-provoking session. We are also grateful to everyone who attended and contributed to the discussion. We look forward to hosting further events in the coming months and continuing to work closely with our network of finance leaders across the region.If you would like to discuss how these changes may impact your finance team, or if you are considering strengthening your leadership function, please contact us for a confidential conversation. ​

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Get to know our guest judges for the 2025 Young Accountant of the Year..

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As we look ahead to the LCASS Young Accountant of the Year Awards 2025, we’re excited to introduce two of this year’s judges — Bex Scarfe and Lucy Mason. Both bring a wealth of experience, perspective, and passion for supporting the next generation of finance professionals. In this short Q&A, we get to know more about their career journeys, what they value in the profession, and their advice for this year’s nominees.

​Bex Scarfe

I started my career in finance 4 years ago after graduating Newcastle University and taking a year out to travel around Australia and New Zealand. I joined KPMG Leeds in 2020 on their audit graduate training scheme where I worked on a number of large listed audits. I was lucky enough to visit Montreal as part of one of them! After qualifying I started to look at wider opportunities the firm had to offer and in May 2024 seconded to the KPMG Leeds Transaction Services team where I now have a permanent role. Although I am still at the start of my career I am very grateful for all the support and knowledge I have received so far and excited of what more is to come!

Bex Scarfe, one of our guest judges for the YAOTY Awards in April 2025.

How long have you been in the finance sector?

I have been in the finance sector for just over 4 years, 3 and a half of which were spent in audit and the last 6 months in Transaction Services. I also worked briefly for a private equity firm in London before I moved to Leeds to pursue my ACA Qualification in audit.

What’s been your biggest career highlight to date?

My career highlight so far has to be becoming ACA qualified in August 2023 after all of the exams and many hours of studying it was all worth it in the end!

What advice would you give to the nominees?

My advice would be to be yourself and remember that the awards are for the Young Accountant of the Year, and that this is all encompassing, not just about doing your day to day job well but what other wider aspects of your career that you have been getting involved with.

What are you most excited about for the upcoming awards?

I’m really excited to meet this year’s fantastic nominees and to hear about the things they are passionate about!

Lucy Mason

I am the Finance Director for Global Business Services at Turner & Townsend. I started my journey in Finance 14 years ago, after lamenting my lack of career progression with my best friend, who had qualified at PwC a couple of years before. She suggested I apply, I was successful, and I ended up loving it! It’s been a whirlwind ever since and it continues to challenge, stimulate and provide development opportunities.

Lucy Mason, one of our guest judges for the YAOTY Awards in April 2025.

How long have you been in the finance sector?

I was a late joiner to the Finance profession (after having a career in the Welfare to Work Sector for five years before I joined the PwC Assurance graduate programme in Leeds in 2011) and have had a very rewarding career in Practice until 2021, and then in Industry - first in Retail and now in Professional Services.

What’s been your biggest career highlight to date?

Apart from winning YAOTY of course(!), my highlight is not a one-off event or a piece of work that I am particularly proud of, it’s not compromising on my stance on family time over the weekend. My weekends are sacred and my two young boys come first - this is a non-negotiable for me. Finding an employer that is supportive of this, and who normalises working parenthood is a game-changer.

What advice would you give to the nominees?

Just be yourself. What you have done on paper will undoubtedly be impressive, and that’s why you have been nominated – but behind all of your success will be a lot of hard work and probably some failure, so bring that out in the interview! We don’t want to see perfect, we want to see self-aware individuals who are ‘real’ and ‘human’.

What are you most excited about for the upcoming awards?

I can’t wait to meet all of the talented nominees and listen to their points of view and hear their different experiences. I’m also looking forward to attending another LCASS ball – I think the last one I attended was in 2015!

It’s clear that both Bex and Lucy bring not only technical expertise but also a deep understanding of the personal and professional qualities that shape outstanding young accountants. We’re thrilled to have them on the judging panel and look forward to seeing how their insights help shine a light on the future leaders of our industry at the Young Accountant of the Year Awards in April 2025.