ACCA’s advocacy awards celebrate members who make a difference in their communities and workplaces, and whose commitment to ACCA and its core principles benefits the general membership and the public good.
Reaching out to others is a way of life for Olivia Smith FCCA, this year’s ACCA Ireland Advocate of the Year. After working in a range of roles in different industries, and in practice, she’s struck out on her own and built a successful career as a sustainability business partner, using her professional skills to support organisations in embedding sustainability values into their corporate culture.
Smith says: ‘The ACCA qualification opened the door for me to build a varied and rewarding career in accountancy and business – from financial control to CFO roles, and later, a position at Grant Thornton as part of the Quinn Insurance Limited (Under Administration) management team. This journey laid the foundation for my transition into the world of corporate sustainability.
‘I knew I wanted to work with businesses to help them define their sustainability strategies, take meaningful action, and communicate their progress — ultimately helping them become a force for public good. Corporate sustainability is fundamentally about evolving business practices so that companies act responsibly and have a net positive impact on society, the environment and the economy – in every market they operate in.
‘ACCA’s own purpose captures this perfectly: to be a force for public good, leading the global accountancy profession by removing artificial barriers and creating opportunity.’
Progress-driven
Keen to share her knowledge as widely as possible, Smith has been a member of both the ACCA Ulster and ACCA Ireland panels for many years, and is now a member of the newly formed SME panel. More recently, she’s also been instrumental in driving progress on ACCA Ireland’s Schools Initiative programme.
‘Her dedication and passion shine through every time you hear her talk’
‘Her dedication and passion shine through every time you hear her talk about her experiences in the numerous schools she has visited both alone and helping other ACCA advocates in delivering the Schools Initiative material,’ says Laura Ward FCCA, last year’s ACCA Ireland Advocate of the Year, who nominated Smith.
As Smith explains, her aim is to inspire the next generation. ‘At school, I enjoyed both accountancy and science – a fitting combination in hindsight, given that sustainability lies at the intersection of the two. Coming from a family business background, I recognised early on that accountancy could offer real career opportunities.
‘Now, when I visit schools as part of the ACCA Schools Initiative, I often reflect on how lucky I was to be introduced to ACCA at the right time. I want to make sure fewer students rely on luck to find out about it. I want to raise awareness and inspire as many young people as possible to consider the fantastic career opportunities that an ACCA qualification can offer.’
A typical school visit will see Smith speaking to dozens of students about the diverse opportunities for modern-day accountants and the various pathways to achieving the ACCA qualification, as well as guiding them through the ACCA Entrepreneurial Challenge, a business game designed to simulate the experience of running a startup and give young people a taste of the problem-solving skills and other capabilities accountants constantly use in their working lives.
Breaking down barriers
As well as encouraging school students to reflect on what a career in accountancy could be like, Ward says Smith has offered coaching and support for members and ‘broken down barriers which may have been preventing certain member advocates from visiting schools’.
One of Smith’s other strengths is spreading the word about what ACCA does, making good use of social media to promote the ACCA brand. She has volunteered her time to create smart posts with promotional ACCA content, tagging relevant organisations and as many ACCA members as she can to ensure the message reaches as wide an audience as possible.
‘This recognition is not just for me but for everyone striving to elevate our profession’
‘I am truly honoured to be named ACCA Advocate of the Year,’ Smith says. ‘Advocacy has always been about championing the values of integrity, inclusion and opportunity that ACCA stands for. This recognition is not just for me but for everyone striving to elevate our profession and support the next generation of accountants.
‘If I can help increase awareness of the qualification, inspire more responsible business professionals, and contribute positively to a better environment, society, and economy, then perhaps I too can be considered a force for public good.’
More information
Check out ACCA’s sustainability resources hub
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