TThe Shelbourne Hotel was a hive of activity at a glittering awards ceremony for the Published Accounts Awards on Thursday, November 7. MC and special guest, acclaimed comedian Risteárd Cooper, entertained attendees who congratulated the 14 winners of the different categories, which saw Glanbia take home both the Euronext Dublin (Large Cap > €1bn) Award and the gong for Overall Winner.
“We are honoured to win this award,” said Marian Ryan, head of group financial reporting, Glanbia.
“We put a lot of time, effort and resourcing into it [the annual report] and are very proud of the output, so to get an acknowledgement like this is very rewarding.”
Kenmare won the Euronext Dublin (SME < €1bn) Award and managing director Tom Hickey said its annual report was a “huge team effort and the results of months of planning and hard work”.
“We are proud of how we communicate the Kenmare story, particularly in terms of underlining our commitment to being a trusted corporate citizen,” he said. “Sustainability has always been at the heart of our business and this is reflected throughout our reporting, with sustainability-focused case studies and facts interwoven throughout.
“Our 2023 Annual Report also set the scene for a year ahead of transition, as during 2024 our long-serving managing director, Michael Carvill, stepped down after 38 years and work got fully under way on one of the largest capital projects in the company’s history.
“During 2024 people at all levels within the company participated in developing our new purpose statement, which will be unveiled in the coming weeks, and we’re looking forward to using that as a focal point for our 2024 Annual Report.”
Other winners included DCC plc, who won the award for Company Listed on a Foreign Market, Origin was honoured with the Euronext Growth Award, ESB won the Statutory or Unlisted Entity (IFRS) Award and daa won the Statutory or Unlisted Entity (Non-IFRS) Award.
The Arachas Large Not for Profit Award was won by Jigsaw, the Small/Medium Not for Profit Award by Barretstown and the Arachas Sustainability & ESG Reporting Award (Listed Entity) by Bank of Ireland.
Equality, inclusion and the environment are always important factors in any awards ceremony and the Published Accounts Awards was no different with CIÉ Group winning the Sustainability & ESG Reporting Award (Unlisted Entity), Bank of Ireland being awarded the Diversity & Inclusion Award (Listed or Unlisted Entity), Jigsaw receiving a second accolade with the Diversity & Inclusion Award (Not for Profit) and Barnardos taking home the Branding, Communication & Digital Award.
Sustainability has always been at the heart of our business and this is reflected throughout our reporting
According to the judges, standards were very high and they had some tough decisions to make, but certain factors made the winners stand out.
Sandra Healy, CEO and founder of inclusio, a Diversity and Inclusion judge of the PAA said that while choosing the winner was difficult, the winner in this category was very deserving.
“As a Published Accounts Award judge for many years, I look for tangible evidence and data to back up the commitments made and I’m impressed with the rise in standards year on year,” she said. “There is a clear shift in the non-financial aspects of the reports, in particular, activities related to people and culture.
“It was a difficult decision, however there was a clear winner. It’s a sign of real progress when an organisation can focus on other demographics in addition to gender representation. Some organisations really struggled to evidence progress as they lack data — and we know, what gets measured gets done.
“What stood out about this year’s submissions as a whole was that the visual aspects of the reports have come a long way — and this makes them more interesting to engage with.”
Michael Wickham Moriarty, director of strategic finance, in Plan International, and PAA Charity judge agreed.
“I think the standard of the not-for-profit annual reports was really high, as they have improved significantly in recent years,” he said. “Some annual reports were mixed-media and included links to websites and videos, but the best reports combined hard data on performance against key performance indicators with emotional case study stories of the impact of the not-for-profits.
“The high standard made the judging process difficult — however, even the strongest performing not-for-profits need to improve their annual reports each year in order to stay in contention for the awards.”
Mike Mansfield, director of communications and fundraising, Jigsaw, said that the two awards received by the organisation were “hugely significant”.
“Both accolades speak to the quality of our annual report, but they also recognise our work,” he said. “The awards acknowledge the impact of Jigsaw across the country, the robustness of our governance and the honesty of those young people brave enough to share their story. We are particularly proud of the Diversity and Inclusion award — external validation of this kind is hugely encouraging and reminds us the journey we are on is being recognised by some of the leading experts in our country.
Lorraine Cody, financial accountant, ESB said the award “validates the work” its staff has done.
“It is well deserved recognition for all those who work so hard to produce an Annual Report which is accurate, comprehensive and useful for our stakeholders.”
Full list of winners
• Euronext Growth Award: Origin Enterprises
• Euronext Dublin (SME <€1bn): Kenmare Resources
• Euronext Dublin (Large Cap >€1bn): Glanbia
• Company Listed on a Foreign Market: DCC
• Statutory or Unlisted Entity (IFRS): ESB
• Statutory or Unlisted Entity (Non-IFRS): daa
• Arachas Not for Profit – Large: Jigsaw
• Not for Profit - Small / Medium: Barretstown
• Arachas Sustainability and ESG Reporting Award Listed entities: Bank of Ireland
• Sustainability and ESG Reporting Award Unlisted entities: CIÉ Group
• Branding, Communication and Digital Award: Barnardos
• Diversity and Inclusion Award - Not for Profit: Jigsaw
• Diversity and Inclusion Award - Listed and Unlisted entities: Bank of Ireland
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