THERE was no need to ask for help totting up the drinks bill when the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales held its annual West Midlands Chartered Accountant of the Year Awards.

Hosted by the institute’s West Midlands president Celia Adams and the ICAEW’s national president Arthur Bailey, more than 170 guests attended the lunch at Edgbaston Cricket Club in Birmingham, where firms including Crowe Clark Whitehill, Mitten Clarke and Bloomer Heaven were recognised for their excellence across seven categories.

Mrs Adams said: "Our awards are now in their 13th year and once again have shown the talent, commitment and professionalism we have across the region’s accountancy, finance and business sectors. To be able to showcase the quality of so many successful firms and individuals is fantastic and every single one of our finalists stood out. I would like to congratulate our winners. They all fully deserve the spotlight shining on them.”

The winner of one of the event’s showpiece awards, large accountancy firm of the year, was tax and advisory specialist Crowe Clark Whitehill, which has its Midland base in Oldbury. Meanwhile, the lifetime achievement award, which recognises a significant contribution to the region’s accountancy profession, was presented to PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ Ian Powell. During his near 40-year career Mr Powell has advised on the administration of MG Rover and Lehman Brothers and stands out for his commitment to sustainability and concern about climate change.

Following the event Mrs Adams stood down from her successful year as president and handed over the Birmingham and West Midlands presidency to Jas Khela, a director at the Birmingham office of PriceWaterhouseCoopers.