The Bookkeepers’ Awards 2025 winners recognise six standout bookkeepers for measurable client impact, sustainable growth, leadership, and community contribution. The winners were announced on 19 December 2025, and each story shows what “award-worthy” looks like at different stages of a bookkeeping business.
The 6FB Bookkeepers’ Awards are run by The 6 Figure Bookkeeper, founded by Zoe Whitman and Jo Wood, and are open exclusively to members of The Bookkeepers’ Collective (a 12-month membership programme).
The themes behind the winning entries are universal: clear boundaries, consistent implementation, great systems, and the confidence to be visible. By the end of this article, readers will be able to understand what the judges rewarded in 2025 and what to build to be a success at future Bookkeepers’ Awards.
Bookkeepers’ Awards 2025 winners at a glance
Client Impact Award (sponsored by Dext by IRIS): Hannah Chivrall
Growth Champion (sponsored by GoProposal by Sage): Marlene Mans
Leader of the Year (sponsored by Apron): Kathryn Frimond
New Startup of the Year (sponsored by Hey Monika): Jo Black
Bookkeepers’ Hero (sponsored by The Bookkeepers’ Collective): Helen Jones
Bookkeeper of the Year (sponsored by Xero): Trudie Howman
The Winners
Four bookkeepers were shortlisted in each category earlier in December 2025. Entries this year were incredibly strong and the judges had a difficult choice in deciding on the winners.
The Bookkeepers’ Awards are judged by the 6FB team, with each judge reviewing entries independently first, before the team came together to agree the shortlist and winners. That independent scoring stage matters: it helps ensure entries are assessed on their own merits, not influenced by group discussion or “loudest voice in the room” dynamics. It also reflects the reality that great bookkeeping comes in different styles — from technical problem-solvers to community leaders, and the process is designed to spot excellence across those different strengths.
After independent judging, the 6FB team met to compare notes and debate the strongest entries category by category, using the award criteria as the anchor. Each judge brings a slightly different lens to the discussion — some naturally focus on measurable outcomes and clarity of results, others on systems, boundaries, leadership, or the depth of client transformation. That mix of approaches is intentional, because it creates a richer, fairer decision-making process and produces a shortlist that reflects the breadth of what “award-worthy” looks like in modern bookkeeping.
In a winning entry, the judges were looking for a clear, credible before-and-after story that made the impact unmistakable. The strongest submissions showed what changed, why it mattered, and how the bookkeeper made it happen, ideally with specific figures (money saved or reclaimed, penalties avoided, time reduced, cashflow improved).
Judges were also looking for proof that the results came from a practice built to last: systems, boundaries, ethics, and leadership. High-scoring entries demonstrated repeatable processes, scope control, and the courage to do the right thing even when it cost short-term revenue. Just as importantly, winners stood out when they contributed beyond their own client list — raising standards, mentoring others, sharing learning, and using their voice to strengthen the profession and community.
Winner: Leader of the Year (sponsored by Apron) — Kathryn Frimond
Kathryn Frimond won Leader of the Year for leading the bookkeeping profession, not just a team, by consistently using her platform to drive change.
She was recognised as a sustainability champion who has been vocal about the issues she cares about, and who has created a ripple effect by training others and influencing conversations beyond her own practice. Importantly, her entry demonstrated values-led leadership, courage, and real industry influence — the kind that improves standards for everyone.
What the judges rewarded:
- Visible leadership: speaking up, even when it would be easier to stay quiet
- Professional influence: training others and shifting how bookkeepers think and act
- Values and courage: consistency over performative posts
Leader of the Year isn’t about managing a bigger team — it’s about changing what’s possible for the profession. Congratulations to Kathryn Frimond, Bookkeepers’ Awards 2025 winner, for sustainability leadership that creates real ripple effects.
Winner: Growth Champion (sponsored by GoProposal by Sage) — Marlene Mans
Marlene Mans won Growth Champion for achieving exceptional growth from a standing start: scaling from £0 to over six figures of turnover in just eight months.
Her entry stood out because the growth wasn’t described hustle. Instead, it was built through consistent implementation, strong client value, and firm ethical boundaries, including disengaging from misaligned clients even when that meant turning down revenue.
What the judges rewarded:
- Speed and sustainability: six-figure turnover in 8 months, with foundations intact
- Consistency: doing the basics well, repeatedly
- Boundaries: values-led decisions that protect long-term growth
Growth that lasts is built on implementation and boundaries. Huge congratulations to Marlene Mans, Growth Champion winner, for scaling from zero to six figures in just eight months, without compromising on ethics.
Winner: Client Impact Award (sponsored by Dext by IRIS) — Hannah Chivrall
Hannah Chivrall won Client Impact because her work delivered measurable, life-changing outcomes.
Her entry included multiple major client wins, including recovering around £15,000, reducing a VAT bill to £0, and resolving a complex software integration fault that created hundreds of false credit notes. The technical skill mattered; however, what set this apart was the real-world impact on clients’ stress and cashflow.
What the judges rewarded:
- High-stakes problem-solving: tax and systems issues handled thoroughly
- Measurable outcomes: £15,000 recovered
- Client transformation: stability restored, not just compliance
Client impact isn’t a ‘nice to have’ — it’s the point. Congratulations to Hannah Chivrall, Client Impact winner, for outcomes including ~£15,000 recovered, a VAT bill reduced to nil, and a complex Xero integration fixed.
Winner: New Startup of the Year (sponsored by Hey Monika) — Jo Black
Jo Black won New Startup of the Year for building life-changing momentum quickly, turning a very small base into meaningful recurring revenue.
Her entry showed what sustainable early growth can look like when it’s built around real life constraints. As a solo parent, Jo created a business model that delivers security through recurring income. We see her results as a testament to determination and consistent action.
What the judges rewarded:
- Fast traction: meaningful recurring revenue built early
- Real-life business design: growth that fits the owner’s life
- Consistency: steady action over dramatic reinvention
New startups don’t need perfect circumstances — they need consistent action. Congratulations to Jo Black, New Startup winner, for building recurring revenue and real security while running a business as a solo parent.
Winner: Bookkeepers’ Hero (sponsored by The Bookkeepers’ Collective) — Helen Jones
Helen Jones won Bookkeepers’ Hero for the generous, often unseen ways she supports clients and fellow bookkeepers.
Her entry highlighted a track record of quietly stepping into complex situations (including preventing a client from overpaying thousands in VAT), while also educating and encouraging other bookkeepers and local business owners — even while pushing through impostor syndrome. She is trusted, kind, and deeply committed to raising the profile of good bookkeeping.
What the judges rewarded:
- Behind-the-scenes excellence: solving problems before they become crises
- Community contribution: lifting others up consistently
- Integrity and care: “hero work” that rarely makes a website case study
Bookkeepers’ heroes rarely shout the loudest — they show up the most. Congratulations to Helen Jones for the unseen support, client protection, and community encouragement that defines this award.
Winner: Bookkeeper of the Year (sponsored by Xero) — Trudie Howman
Trudie Howman won Bookkeeper of the Year for combining impressive business performance with outstanding client value and robust systems.
Her entry described significant revenue growth and a doubling of operating profit, alongside investment in scalable systems and hiring preparation. She also delivered standout client wins, including a £49,000 VAT reclaim. The judges saw a fully-rounded, future-focused practice: profitable, structured, and deeply client-centric.
What the judges rewarded:
- Profitability and structure: operating profit doubled with systems investment
- Scalability: preparing to hire, not just “doing more”
- Client wins: £49,000 VAT reclaim as proof of impact
Bookkeeper of the Year is the full package: profit, systems, and client value. Congratulations to Trudie Howman — winner — for doubling operating profit, building scalable systems, and delivering a £49,000 VAT reclaim.
What stood out most in this year’s entries was how powerfully bookkeepers are shaping the businesses and lives around them. Sometimes that looked like measurable financial wins, VAT reclaimed, bills reduced, penalties avoided, software problems solved. Other times it looked like something harder to quantify but just as valuable: a business owner finally feeling in control, a bookkeeper taking steps to change their own life.
The 2025 winners represent six different “flavours” of excellence, and that’s exactly the point of the Bookkeepers’ Awards. We design these awards to recognise a broad range of definitions of success. This is about a celebration of sustainable growth built on repeatable processes, leadership that creates ripple effects beyond one firm, and client impact that genuinely changes outcomes for small businesses.
We know that award-worthy stories usually start small. They begin with one client transformation, one process documented, one brave decision, or one choice. Every year, the Bookkeepers’ Awards are a snapshot of what’s possible when bookkeepers allow others to see the value they create.
Congratulations to everybody who took part by entering the awards, all of those who made the shortlist and of course to our amazing 2025 winners.
