WIRV Awards

What are the WIRV Awards? 

The WIRV Awards recognise outstanding women, men and organisations in the restructuring and insolvency industry, including accountants, lawyers, bankers, advisors, and consultants who are based in Victoria.

The 2025 WIRV Awards recognise achievements of all WIRV members in our industry for the following four categories as set out below:

1. Young Gun

This category is open to all practitioners with up to 5 years’ experience in the insolvency and restructuring industry who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to success in their careers.

2. Emerging Leader

This category is open to all practitioners with 6 to 11 years’ experience who have demonstrated exceptional success, leadership, and contributions to the insolvency and restructuring industry.

3. Outstanding Practitioner

This category is open to all practitioners with over 12 years’ experience who are role models and have made a significant contribution to the insolvency and restructuring industry, including by promoting the advancement of women.

4. Gender Diversity Organisation of the Year

This category is open to organisations who practise in the insolvency and restructuring industry that demonstrate a balance of gender diversity and commitment to progression of women within their business and more broadly within the industry.

Nomination process

All nominations are submitted to the WIRV Awards Committee and are strictly confidential. The WIRV Awards Committee will send the nominations to the independent panel of judges for review and scoring.

Judging panel 

The award winners are decided by an independent panel of judges, via a stringent list of judging criteria.

WIRV would like to extend our sincere thanks to the independent judges of 2025, Jennifer Reynolds (ASIC), Amanda Carruthers (Vic Bar), and Christopher Sequeira (Wexted Advisors) for donating their invaluable time to review and consider this year’s nominations.

2025 Winners!

We are pleased to announce the following winners of the 2025 WIRV Awards:

Young Gun Award – Chamudhi Nanayakkara, Rodgers Reidy

Chamudhi has practised in the insolvency industry for three years and is a Senior Accountant at Rodgers Reidy. She has already established herself as a resilient and dedicated professional with a strong commitment to both technical excellence and professional growth. Chamudhi actively supports junior staff, contributes to her firm’s culture as a member of the social committee, and is an engaged participant in industry groups including WIRV and the Female Accountants Network – all while completing her CA studies.

Emerging Leader Award – Ebony Taylor, Cor Cordis

With more than nine years in insolvency, Ebony has proven herself as a leader on complex, high-stakes engagements, managing teams across multiple locations and achieving strong outcomes in challenging circumstances. Beyond her technical expertise, she is a passionate mentor who supports junior staff and mentees through the WIRV Mentoring Program and within her firm. Ebony has also played an instrumental role in advancing diversity and inclusion, as she has held multiple leadership positions within WIRV over a number of years and contributing to initiatives such as record fundraising for social impact projects and Cor Cordis’ Women’s Forum.

Outstanding Practitioner Award – Sophie Inwood, AJ & Co Lawyers

Since joining AJ & Co Lawyers in 2025, Sophie has led the Melbourne office with vision and dedication, embedding inclusivity and gender equity into the firm’s culture. She is widely respected as both a technical practitioner and a mentor, supporting the growth and development of junior lawyers and future leaders. Sophie has been a long-standing advocate for gender equity, from championing gender-neutral parental leave to contributing to WIRV as President in 2015/2016 and supporting initiatives such as the Solicitors Advocates for Change Panel, leaving a lasting impact on the profession.

Gender Diversity Organisation Award – Cor Cordis

Cor Cordis has demonstrated a strong commitment to creating an inclusive workplace, with women representing 43% of its national workforce and 42% of senior leadership. The firm has taken meaningful steps to embed equity into its culture, establishing the National Women’s Forum, adopting the EIRA Code for equitable referral practices, and implementing progressive parental leave and flexibility policies. Cor Cordis’ flagship International Women’s Day program has become a platform for driving industry-wide conversations about gender equity, helping to shape positive cultural change across the profession.