ESB crowned the Overall Winner of the 48th Published Accounts Awards

ESB took the top prize at the 48th Published Accounts Awards which attracted 36 entries this year across 12 categories

ESB was announced as the Overall Winner of this year’s Chartered Accountants Leinster Society Published Accounts Awards (PAA) at a special awards ceremony at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin on 6 November.

ESB also topped the award category for Statutory or Unlisted Entity (IFRS) at this year’s awards, sponsored by Euronext and Arachas and hosted by Leinster Society Chair Sarah Murphy.

The Published Accounts Awards honour outstanding achievement in corporate reporting, celebrating companies across the island of Ireland demonstrating excellence, transparency and innovation in financial communication.

Recognition of hard work and high standards

Commenting on ESB’s win, Group Financial Performance Manager Stephen Walsh noted the State energy company’s collaborative approach to financial reporting. “ESB’s finance team works closely with colleagues across the organisation to produce an Annual Report which provides our stakeholders with the financial and non-financial information they need to understand ESB’s performance, business model, net zero strategy and contribution to Irish society,” Walsh said.

“This award is testimony to the hard work of our people over many years to continuously raise the standards of our Annual Report year-on-year.

“The theme of our Annual Report this year was ‘empowering the sustainable energy transition’, and we put a particular focus on our disclosures around ‘planet, place and people’ in advance of the implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, which ESB will be voluntarily applying.”

Rigorous judging rewards excellence

A total of 27 public and private companies, and nine not-for-profit organisations, competed this year.

Winners were selected across 12 categories by a judging panel chaired by Leinster Society committee member Michaela Synnott.

Commenting on this year’s awards, Synnott noted the exhaustive judging process involved in selecting the most deserving winners.

“To determine the finalists in each category, technical experts reviewed the annual reports submitted for adherence to relevant accountancy standards and principles,” Synnott said.

“A judging panel reviewed the finalists’ annual reports to determine the winners in each category. The judges are all experts in their fields, and they noted how difficult the decision was this year given the high standard of submissions received.

“The use of fantastic visuals as well as detailed reporting to highlight their results and key areas to their stakeholders was a common theme in the winners’ annual reports. The annual reports also included clear financial and non-financial key performance indicators going from the macro to the micro level.”

Maeve O’Connor, a member of this year’s judging panel and Group Financial Controller at Hostelworld, said the high quality of each report submitted by this year’s entrants had impressed the judges.

Winners exemplify high standards

“The responsible teams should be immensely proud of their talent and dedication,” O’Connor said.

“The ultimate winner in each category stood out by exemplifying the high standards of quality that we were looking for and have set a standard that other plcs, unlisted companies and charities can aspire to.”

Judge Gavin O’Flaherty, a corporate partner with William Fry, added that the standard of accounts submitted to the awards continued to improve year-on-year with a noticeable effort for accounts to refer to risk factors and strategy achievements.

“The leading accounts all have unique and helpful aspects such as informative graphs and five-year comparison tables,” O’Flaherty said.

“It was encouraging to see sustainability approached more holistically this year. The best reports moved beyond environmental checklists and spoke about people, community and purpose. When brands align sustainability with authentic human connection, that’s when it becomes a meaningful part of their identity.”

Awards legacy: 48 years of excellence

The Leinster Society has been hosting the Published Accounts Awards for 48 years.

Since 1977, the awards have been honouring small, medium and large entities—both listed and unlisted—alongside charities and not-for-profits.

In more recent years, the categories have expanded to include awards for diversity and inclusion, branding and communication, and sustainability.

In providing transparent and accurate financial metrics to all stakeholders, an Annual Report is a key element of trust in business, and the Leinster Society is proud to support and showcase the rigour and professionalism shown in the preparation of these reports.

To make these awards as accessible as possible for all companies regardless of size, entrants submit their Annual Report for technical review and then on to a team of external judges for the final decisions in each category.

A lot of hard work goes into producing the Annual Reports, and The Published Accounts Awards highlight excellence in corporate reporting, celebrating companies across the island demonstrating excellence, transparency and innovation in financial communication.

Chartered Accountants Ireland and the Leinster Society congratulate all this year’s winners.