A4G’s Emma White named as one of Top 50 Women in Accounting

Emma White FCA, Co Managing Partner at A4G, has been named one of the Top 50 Women in Accounting 2026 – a global award by Ignition recognising 50 women across the world who are helping shape the future of the accounting profession.

For Emma, the recognition marks an incredible 27-year journey. She joined A4G in 1999 as an 18-year-old school leaver keen to develop herself and continue studying but couldn’t face the idea of sharing a bathroom at university! Seven years of studying later, Emma qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Just two years after that, she became a Partner, and in 2025, she took on the role of Co-Managing Partner at A4G.

“I owe a lot of that to Malcolm, who took a chance on me when I was young and probably didn’t have the confidence to see my own potential,” says Emma. “He pushed me to think bigger, believe in myself and get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable – something I’ve learnt is an essential part of growth.

“I hope my story resonates not just with women, but with anyone starting out in their career who might lack confidence or wonder whether they have what it takes. You don’t need to have it all figured out when you’re young. Sometimes you just need someone to see the potential in you, and then the courage to keep pushing yourself.”

Today, alongside leading the firm and its Sales, Marketing and Business Advisory departments, Emma continues to work closely with business owners, helping them make better decisions about growth, tax, wealth, succession and the future of their businesses.

Often described as the ‘problem solver’, Emma genuinely cares about the people she works with. For her, great advice isn’t simply about making a business work today. It is about helping owners build businesses that work for their future, build the wealth they need for them and their families to live the life they dream of.

But perhaps what makes Emma’s story particularly inspiring is that her career hasn’t simply been about progressing through the ranks. It has been about continually questioning what accounting should look like, and most importantly, where the real value of an accountant lies.

Leading with value

The theme of Emma’s award entry was Leading with Value.

For her, that means moving beyond the traditional idea of an accountant as someone who produces accounts and submits tax returns, towards being an adviser who helps business owners understand what their numbers actually mean for their future.

“Clients don’t just need someone to tell them what happened,” says Emma. “They need someone who can help them understand what it means, what their options are and what they should do next.”

That philosophy has shaped much of the change Emma has led at A4G.

One example was Making Tax Digital. Emma championed the opportunity to treat the transition not simply as a compliance exercise or software switch, but as an opportunity to fundamentally improve how clients engage with their numbers.

She led the project to move more than 300 clients onto Xero. But the technology itself was only part of the story.

The transition created an opportunity to introduce more personalised charts of accounts, better management information and more meaningful conversations with business owners. The question became less “what are the numbers?” and more “what do these numbers mean for your future?”

This year’s awards drew a record 1,265 nominations from 835 individuals. The 50 women chosen come from six countries and include firm founders, partners, accountants, finance leaders, educators and technology innovators. Emma is delighted to be counted among them.

“It means a huge amount to be recognised alongside so many brilliant women who are pushing this profession forward,” says Emma. “None of us do this on our own, the best ideas come from teams who feel safe to ask questions and challenge how things have always been done.”

The stories behind this year’s Top 50 are varied, but they share a common thread: a willingness to challenge how things have always been done.

Billie McLoughlin, of AI Accountancy, put it plainly:

“Do it before you feel ready. The version of you who feels ready is not coming.”

Danielle Smith, of ICS Learn, echoed a similar idea:

“Spend less time worrying about whether you fit the mould and more time focusing on the value you can bring.”

Both sentiments sit close to how Emma approaches her own career and leadership. She believes women shouldn’t shrink themselves to make others comfortable, that ambition and commercial strength can sit alongside kindness, and that building a career doesn’t mean following someone else’s blueprint for what it should look like.

Her advice to other women is straightforward: be ambitious, stay curious, don’t be afraid to show your personality, and don’t wait until you feel completely ready.

From an 18-year-old school leaver joining an accountancy firm in 1999, to Co-Managing Partner 27 years later, Emma’s career shows what can happen when you keep growing, keep questioning yourself, push through growth phases which feel comfortable and stay focused on the people around you.

Now she gets to celebrate that journey alongside 49 other women helping shape what comes next for accounting.

Congratulations, Emma. A very well-deserved place in the Top 50.