Rising Star Award

This award recognises an emerging compliance, risk or financial crime professional who has made an outstanding contribution within their first five years in the profession. Whether entering the profession directly or transitioning from another field, the winner will have demonstrated exceptional potential, professional growth and a commitment to excellence. 

Judges will look for evidence of meaningful impact on their team, organisation or the wider profession, together with strong stakeholder engagement, increasing influence and clear potential for future leadership. 

Eligibility

  • Open to individuals within their first five years working in compliance, risk or financial crime prevention roles. 
  • Entries for this award must be nominated by a manager, stakeholder or colleague – self-nominations will not be accepted.   
  • Entries must focus primarily on achievements, contribution and impact demonstrated within the last 12-18 months. 
  • Nominees must be based in or operating within Europe. 

Criteria

  • Your submission needs to respond to the 3 criteria sections: Spirit, Approach and Outcome.
  • You will be awarded a maximum of 10 points per section (30 points in total).
  • Questions are suggested in each criteria section. These are prompts to help you think about the evidence that will help judges to best assess your entry. You do not need to address all questions, please use them as a guide.
  • The 4th criteria section Validation is optional and is your opportunity to provide supporting documents to further demonstrate to judges why your submission should win. You can submit up to 3 supporting documents.

 

Spirit: Introduce the individual and outline their career journey to date

Please include details such as:

  • Their current role and responsibilities 
  • Their career path and progression to date 
  • Key achievements, milestones or promotions during the last 12-18 months 
  • The business, compliance or regulatory environment in which they operate 
  • Any challenges overcome or opportunities seized 
  • Why they stand out as an emerging talent within the profession

 

Approach: Describe how the individual has demonstrated exceptional promise, initiative and growth

Please address some or all of the following:

  • New skills, behaviours or competencies they’ve developed 
  • How they’ve contributed to team success or supported wider business goals 
  • Examples of initiative, problem-solving or going above and beyond 
  • How they’ve built relationships and earned trust internally 
  • Any involvement in innovation, transformation or change projects 
  • Their approach to learning, development and continuous improvement 
  • Evidence of leadership potential and increasing responsibility 

 

Outcome: Demonstrate the impact this individual has made in their role and to the wider team or business

Please support your answer with information, such as:

  • Specific achievements or contributions worth highlighting 
  • Evidence of growth, influence or recognition within the organisation 
  • Examples of how they have added value or improved compliance, governance or financial crime outcomes 
  • Feedback, performance metrics or other evidence demonstrating their impact 
  • Evidence that they are regarded as a future leader within the profession

 

Validation (Optional): Support your submission with additional evidence to help judges understand why this individual deserves recognition

  • Provide up to three short testimonials (100 words max each) from colleagues, managers, or internal stakeholders who can speak to the individual’s growth, contribution, and potential over the past 12-18 months 
  • Testimonials should reflect direct experience and highlight specific examples of their promise and impact 
  • You may submit up to three supporting documents.