1. Alex Horne, group finance director, FA
Alex Horne’s appointment as the FA’s finance boss was seen as a bold stroke two years ago. His ability to seek out such challenges hasn’t diminished. He has been entrusted with the ultimate responsibility – getting Wembley finished. Horne was appointed as managing director of the Wembley Stadium project at the end of 2006.His objective is now to get Wembley through the vital final stages so that it can open later this year.

2. Sean McCallion, partner, KPMG
Sean McCallion was working on secondment at the CBI as an executive assistant to Sir Digby Jones when we profiled him two years ago. And just as Sir Digby has returned to practice at Deloitte, so McCallion is back at KPMG. Then a director, he has since moved up to partner working in the infrastructure and government department at the firm.

3. Laura Hinton (nee Frazer), partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Now married Laura Hinton, 34, has moved from BDO to PwC, where she heads up the HR effectiveness practice. ‘I was ready for a new challenge and wanted to push myself to work with larger clients on more challenging projects in a rapidly growing team,’ she says.

4. Penny Avis, corporate finance partner, Deloitte
A self-confessed deal junkie and one of the youngest Deloitte partners to lead a FTSE 100 client relationship, Penny Avis, now 37, has continued in her role as corporate finance partner. Avis has become a leading spokesperson on corporate finance at the firm since then and has developed a specialty in advising companies facing hostile takeovers.

5. Adrian Colman, group financial controller and head of investor relations, Qinetiq
In September 2004 Adrian Colman, then just 34,was working as the FD of listed accounting firm Numerica. Colman’s career has been completely transformed since then. In 2005 a struggling Numerica was sold off but the sale hasn’t stopped Colman. He has since landed a plum role at FTSE 250 defence company Qinetiq as financial controller and head of IR.

6. Helen Verney, finance director, Jewish Care
Back in 2004,Helen Verney said that she much preferred the cut and thrust of the charity sector compared to a profit-orientated world of the private, and she has stuck to her guns. Verney is currently heading up the finance department at Jewish Care the UK’s largest healthcare and social charity, caring directly for nearly 7,000 people a week.

7. Chris Robertson, partner, Deloitte
Robertson has continued to impress those around him following his swift rise to become partner in 2001. Robertson sits on Deloitte’s CEO advisory group, with other young partners, who work as a sounding board for chief executive John Connolly to think about the firm’s current and future strategies. ‘It’s a hugely prestigious opportunity to have been asked to join,’ Robertson says with pride.

8. Helen Jackson, partner, Jackson Stephen
Helen Jackson joined Jackson Stephen at the age of 32 after having spent three years in corporate finance at Deloitte. In the last three years she has been instrumental in the building of a new corporate finance team in the Manchester office. She’s also worked to help grow the outsourcing department. As she has developed skills over the years her role has expanded to include marketing, PR and business strategy.

9. James Hender, tax director, Smith & Williamson
Since we last saw James Hender, he has moved back into the world of private clients. ‘I wanted to move to what I thought, and still believe, is the pre-eminent private client firm. Hender was recently promoted to director level. ‘I think this has been due to a combination of hard work and delivering value for clients. My specialty is in dealing with financial services for hedge fund clients’ private equity banking.’

10. Joanne Wright, Kroll
A partner at the age of 30, Wright is focused on finding alternatives to formal insolvency for businesses. Since Accountancy Age last got in touch with her she has worked on some major cases, including setting up a company voluntary arrangement for a packaging business and saving them from financial disaster.