Young guns from PKF, RSM and Hall Chadwick receive Rising Star awards
A number of young professionals from Australia’s mid-tier accounting segment have received recognition at this year’s Rising Star Awards, including from Hall Chadwick, PKF, and RSM.
Hosted by online industry publication AccountantsDaily and now into its second edition, the Rising Star Awards honour professionals 35 years of age and under across 17 categories, with the winners announced at a recent black-tie event in Sydney.
Among them, Sarah Illarietti and Ella Skinstad of PKF won in the ‘innovator’ and ‘new accountant’ categories, RSM’s Philip Song took home the ‘multiservice’ award, and Hall Chadwick cadet Devon O’Connell was named ‘accounting student’ of the year.
“The outstanding submissions we’ve received demonstrate the exceptional talent rising through the ranks of the profession,” AccountantsDaily managing editor Jerome Doraisamy said in congratulating the winners and more than 100 finalists across categories. “Judging by the calibre of nominees at this event, the future of the profession is in safe hands.”
Some of those finalists were in the running for multiple awards, including Philip Song, an R&D tax & government incentives manager in RSM’s Sydney office, who missed out on ‘specialist consultant’ and ‘tax & compliance’ awards but took home the ‘multiservice’ one. Song joined RSM in 2020 after earlier gaining experience at Hall Chadwick and PwC.
“Being recognised across different areas is something I don’t take lightly,” Song said ahead of the ceremony. “It reflects the range of work I’ve been fortunate to be involved in, and the team I work alongside each day who make that work rewarding. Working closely with clients, solving complex problems, and seeing ideas progress from concept to impact is what I enjoy most.”
Song’s office colleague Emily Chau was also a finalist in the ‘audit’ category, while PKF had a total of four representatives, including fellow audit finalist and Melbourne-based partner Kaitlynn Brady, Alice Liang in the business advisory’ category, and respective ‘innovator’ and ‘new accountant’ winners Sarah Illarietti and Ella Skinstad of the firm’s Perth and Sydney offices.
“Since joining PKF while still a student, Ella has been an outstanding addition to the firm,” said business advisory director Nicholas Falzon. “Her intelligence, confidence, and problem-solving ability stand out, but just as importantly she brings a genuinely positive and thoughtful approach to everything she does, and it’s no surprise to see her thriving so early in her career.”
Meanwhile, also off to a flying career start is Devon O’Connell, named ‘accounting student’ of the year’, who joined Hall Chadwick as a junior auditor in Sydney at the start of last year and is currently undertaking a business and commerce degree with UNSW Business School. O’Connell gave a special shout out to Hall Chadwick director Konstantin Brechtel for his mentorship.
