Caroline McCloskey FCCA, a finance business partner in the Department for the Economy (DfE) in the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS), has won this year’s ACCA Public Sector Advocate of the Year award in Ireland.
In her day-to-day role, McCloskey works with Tourism Ireland, a North South Body created under the Good Friday Agreement, providing a link between DfE and Tourism Ireland around governance, budget and funding issues. It is a role that calls for strong stakeholder management and engagement – qualities that she also puts to good use in her ACCA advocacy work.
‘Putting someone on this track in line with their capabilities is very satisfying’
McCloskey joined ACCA Ireland’s Ulster Member Network Panel in 2019 soon after qualification, and has since gone on to serve on the Ulster Panel as vice-chair, then as chair in 2024-25, and now, as the inaugural chair of ACCA Ireland’s new Public Sector panel.
Joining the local member panel network soon after qualification was, she says, the best possible move for her early involvement with ACCA. ‘I look back now and I am glad that I went to the New Members Celebration in Dublin when I first qualified. There I met my mentor, Anthony, who directed me on this path. This was just one benefit of being an ACCA member.’
School engagement
With her experience at the Ulster Panel’s events spurring her on, McCloskey contacted her local secondary school, St Patrick’s College, Dungiven, to deliver a presentation on why students should study accountancy. Sharing her story meant she could speak to students about opportunities within the profession and especially within the public sector. Her talk also served to promote the ACCA qualification and debunk myths about the role of the accountant and traditional routes into the profession.
McCloskey has also played an active role mentoring individuals in the early stages of their accountancy career. In a previous job, for example, she identified a colleague who showed the potential to develop a career in accountancy, and subsequently supported her both through her studies and examinations. ‘Putting someone on this track in line with their capabilities is very satisfying – I could just see the potential in her. She had the key ingredients to be a success in the accounting world.’
‘I get a lot of satisfaction from knowing that I’ve helped two organisations come together’
McCloskey regularly makes a point of sharing ACCA Professional Insights through her employer’s internal newsletter, and ACCA events via her own social media feeds. She has also played a key role promoting ACCA Ireland within the NICS, making connections between the two bodies that resulted in former global ACCA president Ronnie Patton speaking at two NICS finance conferences.
The speaking engagements enabled ACCA to share thought leadership at key events in the region for finance professionals and strengthen its brand within an organisation where it previously lacked a foothold. McCloskey made a point of contacting the organisers to offer ACCA’s services and to emphasise its willingness to provide speakers. ‘I get a lot of satisfaction from knowing that I’ve helped two organisations come together,’ she says.
Personal development
Her commitment to attending and participating at ACCA Ireland events has strengthened her own capabilities too. In May, she attended the ACCA conference in Dublin where she participated in a roundtable discussion, and she has represented ACCA at events across Ireland, including the ACCA Ireland 2020 Chair Event at Ulster University in Derry.
She consistently encourages others to get involved, from urging colleagues to participate in ACCA Council elections to supporting regional finance events, such as the Future of Finance conference in Belfast. The development opportunities these activities provide her with are their own reward, she says. ‘I’m glad that I have an opportunity to develop outside of my role,’ she says.
More information
Find out about ACCA Ireland’s Public Sector Panel
Find out more about becoming an ACCA advocate
