Old Mill is celebrating after Alison Smith, a Partner at Brook Financial, which is now part of Old Mill, was named in the Top 50 Women in Accounting 2026.
The prestigious global awards programme, presented by Ignition, recognises women making an impact across the accounting profession through leadership, innovation, mentorship and advocacy. This year saw a record 1,265 nominations representing 835 nominees, from which 50 women were selected for their contribution to shaping the future of the profession. 
Based in Ilminster, Alison is Head of Digital Business Services and leads Brook Financial, Old Mill’s specialist outsourced finance business, delivering bookkeeping, management accounts, payroll and digital transformation services to businesses across the South West and beyond.
She also plays a key role in helping organisations embrace technology, streamline financial processes and gain the insights they need to make informed business decisions.
Alison’s expertise spans digital transformation, cloud accounting, automation and outsourced finance functions, helping businesses modernise their finance operations and improve efficiency. Having co-founded, grown and successfully sold her own business in 2022, she brings valuable first-hand experience of the challenges and opportunities involved in building and scaling a successful company.
Alison highlighted the importance of encouraging more women into leadership positions women within the profession: “Believe that you belong, even if you cannot yet see many women around the leadership table.
“Unfortunately, there are still not enough female role models in accounting and too many times I have been the only woman in a meeting. It can be intimidating to walk into a room full of men, but as women we take that challenge on so the next generation can have the opportunities that we are helping to create. We set the foundations.”
Reflecting on the theme of this year’s awards, which focused on recognising women and igniting change across the profession, Alison emphasised that every role had value. 
“All our roles as women are important. And none of these roles should be seen to set us back – every role helps us move forward with what we want to do.
“I like to mentor and empower women to forge out their own careers in accounting. Apart from my husband, the management team in Brook Financial are all women. Strong, kind, supportive and commercial – a wonderful team,” she said.
The Top 50 Women in Accounting programme celebrates women from around the world who are transforming established firms, building innovative businesses, embracing new technologies and helping create a more connected, dynamic and inclusive profession.
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