Eight questions with… Sophie Sweeney
Sophie Sweeney, Chartered Star 2025 and Lecturer at University of Galway, reflects on leaving practice, the confidence her ACA qualification has given her and how her ADHD diagnosis reshaped her self-understanding
Q. Five years ago, where did you think you would be now? Have you lived up to your own expectations?
I’ve never been the kind of person who has a five-year plan. I really believe that life has a way of putting you exactly where you need to be, even if you didn’t see it coming.
Often, when you try to force something, you miss something better, so staying open has really led me to where I am today.
After my professional exams, I told myself I’d never go back to the books but here I am doing a PhD and absolutely loving the challenge. Looking back at where I was five years ago, I’m proud of how far I’ve come.
Q. What has been your biggest challenge as a Chartered Accountant?
Knowing when to move on. The CA qualification opens so many doors and that’s a blessing but it also means you’re constantly weighing up where you should be.
I loved my time in practice and got so much out of it, but there came a point when I had to ask myself whether staying was more comfortable than being challenged.
Making the decision to leave something you’re thriving in, without knowing for certain that you’re making the right move, is daunting. But I’ve learned that if you wait until you’re 100 percent sure, you’ll never go.
Q. What do you wish you had known earlier in life?
Honestly, I wish I had received my ADHD diagnosis earlier in life.
For years, I thought I was the problem, that I needed to try harder or fix something about the way I worked. When I was diagnosed, it reframed those challenges. I just needed to adapt and find ways of working that suited how my brain actually operates and I didn’t need to compare myself to others.
So, I really wish I knew how to be kinder and more patient with myself.
Q. Where do you see yourself this time next year?
I’ll always stay open to whatever comes my way, which has served me well so far. But honestly, I’m really happy where I am.
Q. Who inspires you, personally and professionally?
Personally, my mum is the person I’ve always looked up to, and she’s shaped so much of who I am.
Professionally, my PhD supervisor, Emer Mulligan. She has an incredible ability to see the bigger picture and constantly pushes me to think more ambitiously. She saw the potential in me before I fully believed in myself and has been a wonderful mentor in my academic career.
Q. How do you think being a Chartered Accountant changed the course of your career?
Having ACA after your name carries a level of respect and credibility that you don’t have to fight for. I don’t feel I have to prove myself in a room, the qualification does a lot of that heavy lifting.
It’s also given me the confidence to move between practice and academia, knowing that people take me seriously.
Q. If you weren’t a Chartered Accountant, what do you think you’d be doing?
I love sharing knowledge, so I think I would have found my way into education regardless.
The CA qualification shaped what I teach, but the drive to educate was always there. I love Margaret Fuller’s quote, “If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.”
Q. What advice do you have for those who are currently training as Chartered Accountants?
Don’t think of the qualification as the end goal because it is just the beginning and what you do with it is what matters.
Stay curious and open. Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo and build your network along the way.
But most importantly, be kind to yourself through the process and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
What’s your favourite
Favourite book
Impossible to pick! Misery by Stephen King; The Wedding People by Alison Espach; The Secret History by Donna Tartt; A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara; Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy.
Favourite meal
Any kind of curry! The spicier the better.
Favourite quote
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children” This is a Native American proverb that reframes how we think about responsibility.
Favourite hobby
Reading. I’ve read 12 books since the start of 2026!