About the award
This year, the judges wanted to recognise an individual whose excellence stood out across the board. This is a special award for someone whose achievements fit into more than one single category, demonstrating consistent strength across leadership, innovation and professional impact. In a field of exceptional nominees, this person showed remarkable breadth, and a standard of delivery that impressed the judges in every respect.
Highly Commended 2026: Stephen Mahon CA
Stephen Mahon CA, Accounting Manager, Zoom, believes a CA Rising Star is someone who applies technical expertise and strong ethics to drive meaningful organisational impact. Since qualifying in 2018, he has gained experience as far apart as Edinburgh, Melbourne and Cork, leading finance transformation through automation and standardisation. He played a key role in building a high-performing finance function at Workvivo, contributing to its successful acquisition by Zoom, where he is now an Accounting Manager, overseeing UK and Ireland entities, delivering operational improvements and strong governance. He is also active in global finance development initiatives and focused on advancing teams through AI and innovation.
