Feature / HFMA heroes

Members are the lifeblood of the HFMA and the association enjoys a far higher level of active member participation than most professional associations.

Hundreds of volunteers make a contribution to the association, be it through their membership of one of the HFMA’s committees or special interest groups or by taking a hands-on role in the running of a branch or branch event.

But among this army of professional volunteers, there are a number that have made and continue to make a sustained contribution to the association’s activities. Until now there has been no way to recognise this contribution until the member retires or steps back from the HFMA, when honorary fellowships have often been awarded.

That has now changed with the new Key Contributor Award, targeted at members continuing to make substantial contributions – the ‘absolute deliverers’ as association chief executive Mark Knight calls them (see page 30).

Twenty such awards were announced at a key contributors dinner in London last month. As well as attending the awards dinner, which was held at the Cabinet War Rooms in London’s Whitehall, the key contributors will all receive five years’ free membership of the association in recognition of their significant and sustained work on behalf of the association and members.

Key contributors

Presentations were made on the night to the following members:

David Bacon (Accounting and Standards Committee and pre-accounts planning conferences)

John Yarnold (Governance and Audit Committee)

Kevin Green (Kent, Surrey and Sussex Branch)

Carol Potter (Scotland Branch)

Gill Jacobs (Kent, Surrey and Sussex Branch)

Chris Lewis (Welsh Branch)

Paul Briddock (FT Technical Issues Group)

Kim Ferguson (Northern Ireland Branch)

Michael Munt (Kent, Surrey and Sussex Branch)

Ros Francké (Mental Health Finance Faculty)

Rob Pickup (West Midlands Branch)

Rod Smith (Kent, Surrey and Sussex Branch)

Mal Turner (Welsh Branch)

Richard Sharp (Charitable Funds Special Interest Group)

Kim McNaught (North West Branch)

The following members were also awarded but were unable to attend the ceremony:

Ray Thomas (FT Technical Issues Group)

Clare Brown (Governance and Audit Committee)

Keith Wood (Financial Management and Research Committee)

John Flint (FT Technical Issues Group)

Ian Hanley (HFMA/CIPFA VAT Committee)