Relaunching the CIOT Institute Awards

To shine a spotlight on the work and achievements of individual tax professionals, the CIOT are relaunching the CIOT Institute Awards. A Working Party formed of Council Members, chaired by Charlotte Barbour, undertook a thorough review of our awards. Its role was to look at the current process and make recommendations on how things might be improved. We believe that the nomination process and criteria for these awards has been clarified, and those who actively contribute to our Institute and its charitable aims can be suitably and consistently recognised.

Institute Award Categories

There are four Institute Awards, which each celebrate different contributions and achievements.

1. The Council Award:

The Council Award is given exceptionally rarely. This reflects a significant and sustained contribution to the values, aims and objectives of the CIOT and to the tax profession. Only six Council Awards have been made since its inception.

2. The Honorary Fellowship:

The Rt Hon Gordon Brown collected his Honorary Fellowship from the then President Peter Rayney at a virtual ceremony. In his witty speech he described the Institute as ‘serving our country with distinction’. This was a tremendous moment for me, as a member of staff, and I felt very proud of the small part we play in Member Services. We do also award Honorary Fellowships to other people, not just ex-chancellors and prime ministers! There are over 30 honorary fellows so far, and the full list is available online.

3. Certificates of Merit:

The Membership and Branches Committee, chaired by Sarah Hewson, has given staff permission to carry out the awarding of Certificates of Merit. CIOT President Susan Ball was able to award members, some of whom had waited since 2019, with their Certificates of Merit at the National Gallery in September last year.

When I asked Susan why she felt the awards were significant, she said: ‘I think it’s really important to show gratitude and recognition to those who contribute to the Institute and its aims and objectives. This process should make it easier for us as an organisation to recognise the achievements of our volunteers and those in the tax profession, some of them unsung heroes. I look forward to us receiving many more nominations going forwards.’

Certificates of Merit are very special and are awarded in recognition of a significant contribution to the charity’s public benefit requirement and charitable aims.

Importantly, you do not have to be a member to get one! The judging panel will be looking for evidence of your nominee’s contribution by having demonstrated, amongst other things: innovation or adaptation to challenges; setting high standards; having built public trust and confidence; and having a clear impact or achievement which has taken place in the last three years. There have been 67 awards in this category, and their names are available to view online.

4. Branch Certificate of Appreciation:

We look forward to a bumper crop of Branch Certificates of Appreciation in 2023 with so many good news stories from our Network. Sarah Hewson, who has chaired Leeds and London branches, has always emphasised the importance of the regional voice and visibility. Sarah, who is a member of CIOT Council, commented that ‘members of Branch Committees volunteer their time to not only provide tax education but to create a local tax community, affording both members and non-members the opportunity to build their tax knowledge and network.

The commitment of many Branch volunteers to deliver interesting and relevant programmes is truly inspirational and, from personal experience, takes time and determination. We hope the Branch Certificate of Appreciation will afford Branches the opportunity to recognise the valuable contribution of dedicated Committee members and we look forward to liaising with Branches to help them identify nominees and navigate the nomination process.’

If you would like to learn more about how and when to nominate someone, as well as the previous winners mentioned above, visit the Institutes Award webpage: www.tax.org.uk/instituteawards