Meet the Top 50 Women in Accounting for 2026
Today, we are proud to announce the Top 50 Women in Accounting for 2026, celebrating the women igniting change across the profession.
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The day has finally arrived! We are proud to unveil the Top 50 Women in Accounting for 2026!
We are thrilled to celebrate the women in accounting and bookkeeping who are making a meaningful impact across the profession. This year was record-breaking, with 1,265 nominations representing 835 unique nominees. From this outstanding group, our judging panel selected 50 women who exemplify leadership, innovation, and what it means to Ignite Change in accounting.
These remarkable women are leading with purpose, challenging convention, and creating meaningful change across accounting and bookkeeping. From innovation and advocacy to mentorship and community-building, each honouree demonstrates the impact that strong, inclusive leadership can have on the future of our industry.
This year’s honorees demonstrate that there is no single path to leadership in accounting. Some are transforming established firms, while others are building new ones. Some are using AI and automation to redesign how work gets done, while others are shifting from solely compliance based work to higher-value advice.
Together, they are helping move the profession forward.
The Top 50 Women in Accounting program is about more than recognising individual success. It celebrates the women who are moving the profession forward: opening doors for others, embracing new ideas, and helping create a more connected, dynamic, and equitable profession.
We extend our sincere thanks to every nominee, nominator, and member of our judging panel. The calibre of nominations is a powerful reflection of the talent, generosity, and ambition within our global accounting community.
To our 2026 honourees: congratulations. Your achievements inspire us, your leadership strengthens our profession, and your work is helping pave the way for the next generation of women in accounting.
Please join us in celebrating the Top 50 Women in Accounting for 2026 — 50 exceptional leaders who are breaking barriers, creating opportunity, and shaping what comes next.
As part of this year’s awards, we asked the Top 50 to share advice for other women building careers, firms, and leadership roles in accounting.
Their responses highlight the ideas shaping the profession today: knowing your value, embracing technology, building strong communities, questioning traditional models, continuing to learn, and taking opportunities before you feel completely ready.
“You hold the same qualifications, you have been through the same exams and the same scrutiny, and you have earned your position on exactly the same terms as everyone else in the room.”
“My advice to any woman building her career or firm in accounting is to imagine her future self, proud, confident and congratulating her on all the amazing things she has achieved.”
“Build your career around curiosity, not someone else’s definition of success. Accounting rewards precision, but growth requires experimentation: learn new tools, ask uncomfortable questions, and reinvent yourself as needed.”
“Believe that you belong, even if you cannot yet see many women around the leadership table.”
“Set boundaries early. I never set one until my body forced me to, and by then I had built a business that gave me burnout.”
“The industry needs you. Accounting has been shaped for too long by a single way of thinking, and your perspective isn't a liability to minimize, it's the contribution.”
“Get involved in the community early, and not just by showing up. The relationships I've built through speaking, podcasts, and just being in the room have opened more doors than any credential.”
“Do it before you feel ready. The version of you who feels ready is not coming.”
“Invest in people, not just processes. It's tempting to chase efficiency, pricing models, or the next tool, but the practices that last are built on genuine capacity-building.”
“Don't wait to feel ready. The best growth has come from saying yes to work I wasn't fully prepared for and figuring it out along the way.”
“Spend less time worrying about whether you fit the mould and more time focusing on the value you can bring.”
“Back yourself before you feel ready. I built Brigade around the way I believed accounting should work long before the industry agreed with me, and waiting for permission would have cost me years.”
“Find your voice. Step into strategy conversations, board discussions, and leadership roles with confidence. Your voice strengthens every table you join.”
“Do not wait for permission. The accounting profession has a long history of defined paths and established hierarchies, and it can feel like you need to earn the right to do something different before you actually do it. You do not.”
“Do not make yourself smaller to make other people feel more comfortable. You can be ambitious, capable, kind and commercially strong at the same time.”
“Invest in yourself, build your expertise, and never stop learning. The accounting profession is evolving rapidly with artificial intelligence, data analytics, and emerging technologies.”
“Don't feel you have to build your career by following someone else's career path!”
“My biggest piece of advice would be not to worry if your career doesn't follow the path you expected.”
“Don't wait until you feel like you've mastered new technology. Start with one problem you're trying to solve and let curiosity lead the way.”
“Don't underestimate what is possible. Invest in yourself, embrace technology, and never stop learning. AI and automation are not replacing accountants, they are removing barriers that once limited how much we could accomplish.”
“You are not behind.”
“Keep on innovating!”
“Do not wait until you feel completely ready before backing yourself. I spent many years in finance before I trusted myself to build something of my own, and looking back, I was ready long before I believed I was.”
“Don't wait for permission to change your role. I spent many years in bookkeeping before I decided we didn't have to just be data processors, we could be genuine profit partners to our clients.”
“Go for it. Trust your instincts, back yourself and do not wait until you feel completely ready, because you may never feel ready.”
“Don't wait for permission to build something meaningful. As technology continues to transform our profession, the accountants who thrive will combine technical excellence with curiosity, ethical leadership, and the courage to innovate.”
“Don’t wait for someone else to tell you that you’re ready. Keep educating yourself, trust your instincts, and take the next step even if you do not feel 100% prepared.”
“Believe you can do it, even when you're not sure you're ready. Some of the best opportunities in my career came from saying yes before I felt completely comfortable.”
“Don't build your career alone. Find your people. I've learned that the greatest opportunities in my career didn't come from having all the answers, they came from the relationships I built along the way.”
“Build a niche, continue learning and embrace new technology as AI will change how we work, but it won't replace trusted advisers who combine technical expertise with commercial judgement and empathy.”
“Say yes to the thing that stretches you before you’re totally ready; pitch the idea before it's exactly perfect. The willingness to act before you feel 110% certain is what separates the women who shape the profession from the ones who watch it happen.”
“The accounting profession is evolving rapidly, and the CPAs who will have the greatest impact are those who combine rigor, curiosity, innovation, and relentless hard work.”
“The future of accounting is not just about compliance and technical knowledge; it is about helping people make better decisions and creating meaningful impact.”
“Get comfortable with technology now. You do not need to master every tool or choose the perfect one. Start testing, learn how to work with AI, and keep experimenting.”
“Do not spend your career becoming a smaller version of what the room already has. Accounting is ready for reinvention, and the women who see it differently should be the ones leading it.”
“Charge what your expertise is worth, not what you think YOU are worth! Set boundaries without guilt. Find mentors who celebrate your growth instead of competing with it.”
“Get comfortable with an ever-changing tech stack early. The tools we use today won't be the tools we use in three years. Stay as curious about your software as you are about your clients' businesses.”
“Don't wait until you feel completely ready. Confidence usually follows action, not the other way around.”
“Know your worth. Understand your value, what you need to live, and where you want to be in five years, then advocate for it with confidence, whether you are setting your prices or negotiating your salary.”
“Build strong systems, surround yourself with capable people, delegate and create a business that can succeed without everything depending on you.”
“The real unlock is leverage: use AI to absorb the busywork so your time goes toward the work only you can do, strategy, judgment, relationships.”
“Charge for the thinking. I gave away the assessment for years because it felt generous, and it took me too long to see what free work teaches a client: that the thinking is the free part and the deliverables are what they're paying for.”
“You don't need permission from the profession to change it. You need people around you who can see what you're building before it exists.”
“Seek a wide experience, volunteer on other boards and get involved in the profession. Every day is a learning day so share your knowledge and learn from others.”
“Some of the most meaningful innovations come from challenging long-held assumptions rather than buying new technology.”
“Price your worth. Women consistently undercharge. Fixed-price models force you to value your own expertise before you put it in front of a client. Know what you are worth and charge it with confidence.”
“Price yourself properly. Women in this profession routinely undercharge for judgement they have spent decades acquiring, and the market reads price as a signal of value.”
“Being ready is not a feeling, it is an action. The opportunities that shape your career often arrive before you feel prepared for them.”
“Give clients your best thinking, not the fastest version of it. Then admit when you need help.”
“Build a career that is expansive, not simply linear. Develop strong technical foundations, but do not stop there. Build your commercial judgement, technology fluency, communication skills and ability to influence.”
Over to you
As we celebrate the 2026 Women in Accounting honorees, we hope their stories spark new conversations about what meaningful change looks like across the profession.
From redefining value and embracing new technology to building modern firms and strengthening the accounting community, these women are helping shape what comes next. Their impact is a reminder that progress in accounting is being driven every day by leaders willing to rethink how firms work, grow, and serve their clients.
We also want to extend our sincere thanks to this year’s judging panel.
Selecting the 2026 honorees was no small task. Our judges brought their time, expertise, and thoughtful perspective to reviewing an outstanding group of submissions from across the profession. Their commitment to recognizing women creating meaningful impact through leadership, innovation, business transformation, and community made this year’s awards possible.
But the conversation does not end with this announcement.
Women in Accounting is continuing throughout the year as a platform for recognition, connection, practical insight, and discussion about the future of the profession. We look forward to sharing more from this year’s honorees, alumni, and wider community as we continue to spotlight the women igniting change in accounting.
