

Accounting Voices
Rob Brown
Hosted by Rob Brown, Accounting Voices exists to interpret what these forces actually mean in practice for managing partners, firm owners and senior operators inside accounting firms. This is not news, education or a vendor showcase. The focus is sense-making, judgement and the unspoken tensions shaping the profession. Through in-depth panel conversations and solo interpretation, Accounting Voices helps accounting leaders think more clearly about the decisions in front of them and the trade-offs they can no longer avoid. The platform is designed for senior decision makers in accounting. Authority, clarity and relevance matter more here than reach or noise. Accounting Voices also underpins private conversations with firms, networks and associations, using the same panel-led format in more focused, closed settings.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 31, 2024 • 33min
Microsoft's Big Play in Accounting with Azure OpenAI
Are you ready to unlock the full potential of AI in accounting and finance? How can Azure OpenAI revolutionize the way financial professionals work?In this special bonus episode of the Accounting Influencers podcast, Rob Brown explores the world of artificial intelligence with Microsoft experts Jas Brar and Matt Quinn. The conversation explores how AI, particularly Azure OpenAI, is transforming the accounting and finance sector, offering new opportunities for efficiency, insight, and value creation.Jas and Matt discuss the evolution of AI from traditional rule-based systems to more sophisticated generative AI, emphasizing how these technologies can augment human capabilities rather than replace them. They address common concerns about data security and privacy, explaining how Azure OpenAI provides a secure environment for businesses to leverage AI while maintaining control over their sensitive information. The experts also offer practical advice on how accounting professionals can start incorporating AI into their work, from using productivity tools like Copilot to partnering with IT teams for more complex implementations.Key Takeaways:✓ AI is evolving from rule-based systems to more sophisticated, context-aware models ✓ Azure OpenAI offers secure, private AI capabilities for businesses ✓ AI can help accountants shift from data crunching to more strategic, value-added activities ✓ Starting with productivity tools like Copilot can help professionals become comfortable with AI ✓ Successful AI implementation requires considering technology, processes, and people Quotes: "I'd rather flip that on its head and that way, you know, I'm more confident in the decision we would want to make based on spending more time getting to the roots of different scenarios on the table." - Jas Brar "Always start with why, right? How do you think about what, why would I use this technology? It's not technology for technology's sake." - Matt QuinnView this episode in video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/gPru_OoGQSY◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, is one of the world's leading shows for accounting leaders, professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers. Thanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Bringing the accounting world together with UK and international events for the accounting and tech world. https://www.accountex.co.ukIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrownYou can also check out all shows on the Accounting Influencers YouTube Channel:https://bit.ly/AI-youtube

Jul 29, 2024 • 32min
Key Survey Insights: The Tech Leap for Accountants
Is your accounting firm struggling to keep up with technology? Are you curious about how tech adoption could impact your bottom line?Rob Brown sits down with Joel Hughes of Rightworks to discuss the findings of their 2024 Accounting Firm Technology Survey. They delve into the current state of technology adoption in accounting firms, exploring the challenges and opportunities that come with embracing cloud-based, connected, and collaborative technologies.Joel shares key insights from the survey, including the surprising statistic that firms on the technology-mature side of the spectrum reported 39% higher revenue per employee than average. The conversation covers topics such as the obstacles to tech adoption, the importance of cybersecurity, and the potential impact of AI on the accounting profession. Joel also emphasizes the need for firms to modernize their practices to gain a competitive advantage and improve client relationships.Key Takeaways:✓ Firms that are technology mature reported 39% higher revenue per employee than average✓ The biggest challenges to tech adoption are lack of expertise, resources, and budget ✓ Cloud adoption can address cybersecurity concerns by providing managed security services ✓ Only 22% of firms reported a high percentage (75%+) of their clients using cloud technologies ✓ Firms need to align their technology adoption with their evolving business models to stay relevant Quotes:"The shared vision of what you want your firm to be and how you want it to work needs to be enabled by technology." - Joel HughesView this episode in video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/opSSeLuwCZk ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, is one of the world's leading shows for accounting leaders, professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers. Thanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Bringing the accounting world together with UK and international events for the accounting and tech world. https://www.accountex.co.ukIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrownYou can also check out all shows on the Accounting Influencers YouTube Channel:https://bit.ly/AI-youtube

Jul 22, 2024 • 54min
Panel: How Future-Proofed Is the Accounting Profession?
Is the accounting profession facing an identity crisis? Can it adapt to meet the demands of a rapidly changing business landscape?Rob Brown brings together a panel of industry experts to discuss the future of accounting. Jeff Phillips, Maureen Dillmore, Samantha Louis, and Sandra Wiley share their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing the profession.The panelists share their thoughts with various topics, including the talent shortage, the impact of technology, the changing business model, and the need for a rebrand of the accounting profession. They discuss the importance of work-life balance, the role of private equity, and the need for firms to adapt to survive in a competitive landscape. The conversation also touches on the potential of AI, the importance of strategic technology adoption, and the need for better compensation models to attract and retain talent.Key Takeaways:✓ The accounting profession needs to rebrand itself to attract new talent ✓ Firms need to adapt their business models and embrace change to survive ✓ Technology integration and strategic adoption are crucial for future success ✓ Work-life balance and flexible work arrangements are becoming increasingly important ✓ Private equity is reshaping the accounting firm landscape Quotes:"Remote work is a great thing for our profession." - Jeff Phillips"We need to get over the idea that you can't have a work-life balance if you work for an accounting firm." - Samantha LouisView this episode in video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/ZHg0IIw-wyU◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, is one of the world's leading shows for accounting leaders, professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers. Thanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Bringing the accounting world together with UK and international events for the accounting and tech world. https://www.accountex.co.ukIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrownYou can also check out all shows on the Accounting Influencers YouTube Channel:https://bit.ly/AI-youtube

Jul 15, 2024 • 21min
Prompt Engineering - the Vital New Accounting Skillset
Is AI reshaping the accounting world? How can accountants harness the power of ChatGPT through prompt engineering?Rob Brown sits down with Mark Wickersham, an expert in prompt engineering and AI applications for the accounting industry. They discussed the world of ChatGPT, exploring its potential to revolutionize accounting practices and the crucial skill of prompt engineering.Mark Wickersham shares his journey with ChatGPT, emphasizing the importance of asking better questions to get better answers. He introduces the concept of prompt engineering as a vital communication skill in the AI era. The discussion covers various aspects of crafting effective prompts, from specifying roles and formats to considering the intended audience. Wickersham also provides practical examples of how accountants can leverage ChatGPT for tasks ranging from financial analysis to content creation, highlighting the tool's potential to dramatically increase productivity and enhance client services.Key Takeaways:Prompt engineering is essentially communication with AI systems Good prompts include specifying roles, response formats, and audience considerations ChatGPT can be used for financial analysis, research, and business advisory in accounting firms Mastering prompt engineering can save hours of work and open new opportunities for accountants It's not AI that will replace accountants, but how competitors use AI that may make others irrelevantView this episode in video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/KTS58DjGvsg◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, is one of the world's leading shows for accounting leaders, professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers. Thanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Bringing the accounting world together with UK and international events for the accounting and tech world. https://www.accountex.co.ukIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrownYou can also check out all shows on the Accounting Influencers YouTube Channel:https://bit.ly/AI-youtube

Jul 8, 2024 • 39min
Panel: The Brand of Accounting - Innovate or Stagnate?
Is the accounting profession facing an existential crisis? How can accountants stay relevant in a rapidly changing world?Rob Brown brings together three industry experts to discuss the future of accounting and the challenges facing the profession. Laura Day-Henderson, Michael Hsu, and Alan Morgan share their insights on the threats to accounting, the resistance to change within the industry, and the need for a shift in focus from compliance to advisory services.The panel explores the role of technology, talent acquisition, and education in shaping the future of accounting. They discuss the importance of soft skills, the need for a more entrepreneurial mindset, and the potential for accountants to provide tremendous value to businesses. The conversation also touches on the role of professional bodies, the impact of AI, and the opportunities for specialization within the field.Key Takeaways:Relevancy is a major challenge for the accounting profession Resistance to change is holding accountants back from embracing new technologies and practices There's a need to shift focus from compliance to advisory services and providing value to business owners Education and training in technology, including AI and coding, will be crucial for accountants in the future The accounting profession offers diverse opportunities for specialization and passion-driven careers Quotes:"I think the biggest threat to us is ourselves. We have a resistance to change." - Laura Day-Henderson"We need to start seeing the application of accounting to achieve dreams, aspirations of businesses, or even personal lives." - Michael HsuYou can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://youtu.be/piLILTD0rncJoin the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencers◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, is one of the world's leading shows for accounting leaders, professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, book your place at the next gathering. Great for building your personal brand and making valuable industry connections in return for a small donation to charity: https://accountinginfluencers.com/events◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢Thanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Bringing the accounting world together with UK and international events for the accounting and tech world. https://www.accountex.co.ukIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrownYou can also check out all shows on the Accounting Influencers YouTube Channel:https://bit.ly/AI-youtube

Jul 1, 2024 • 59min
Panel: The International Pulse of Accounting Trends
Is the accounting profession facing an existential crisis? Or is it on the brink of unprecedented opportunities?Rob Brown assembles a panel of industry experts to dissect the current state and future prospects of the accounting profession. Jean Caragher, Jeremy Clopton, Rick Telberg, and Tamera Loerzel bring their wealth of experience to the table, offering insights on everything from talent shortages to technological disruption.The conversation delves deep into the challenges facing accountants today, including the struggle to attract new talent, the need for a shift in business models, and the impact of remote work. However, it's not all doom and gloom. The panelists also highlight the immense opportunities available to those willing to embrace change and innovation. They discuss the importance of compassionate leadership, the need for better metrics beyond billable hours, and the potential for accountants to position themselves as true business advisors.Key Takeaways:The accounting profession needs to address the talent shortage by rethinking education requirements and work culture Remote work is here to stay, and firms need to adapt their policies to attract and retain talent The partnership model in accounting firms may be outdated and needs to be reevaluated Technology should be seen as an enabler for better processes, not just a solution to pain points The future of accounting lies in advisory services and helping businesses achieve their goalsQuotes: "Complacency is one of the threats that we often run into." - Tamera Loerzel"Every accountant is an entrepreneur." - Rick Telberg"Let's stop arguing about it and fighting it and just get to work." - Jeremy Clopton on remote work"We need to focus on results-based metrics and what are the deliverables." - Tamera Loerzel"The CPA brand is one of the best in the world." - Rick TelbergYou can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://youtu.be/SUhzVy194H0Join the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencers◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, is one of the world's leading shows for accounting leaders, professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, book your place at the next gathering. Great for building your personal brand and making valuable industry connections in return for a small donation to charity: https://accountinginfluencers.com/events◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢Thanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Bringing the accounting world together with UK and international events for the accounting and tech world. https://www.accountex.co.ukIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrownYou can also check out all shows on the Accounting Influencers YouTube Channel:https://bit.ly/AI-youtube

Jun 24, 2024 • 25min
The Top AI Trends Every Accountant Needs to Know
Is artificial intelligence overhyped, or will it revolutionize the accounting profession? How can accountants prepare for the AI-driven future?Rob Brown interviews Mark Wickersham, a veteran accountant and AI enthusiast, about the impending impact of artificial intelligence on the accounting profession. Wickersham predicts significant changes in the industry by 2030, including the automation of bookkeeping and tax return preparation. He highlights the rapid advancements in AI technology across various sectors and explains how these developments will inevitably transform accounting practices.The discussion covers the current state of AI adoption in accounting firms, the potential of tools like ChatGPT, and the importance of embracing new technologies. Wickersham emphasizes the need for accountants to focus on creating value for clients beyond traditional compliance work and advocates for value-based pricing models. The conversation provides valuable insights into how accountants can prepare for and thrive in an AI-driven future.Key Takeaways:AI will significantly impact the accounting profession by 2030 Bookkeeping and tax return preparation may become automatedAccountants need to embrace AI tools like ChatGPT Firms must find new ways to create value for clients Value-based pricing is crucial in the age of AI Quotes:"Data's where the power is. Data's where the money is." [00:11:50]"Productivity goes through the roof when we use it, when we use it properly." [00:14:30]You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://youtu.be/MnEXckAjVZUJoin the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencers◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, is one of the world's leading shows for accounting leaders, professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, book your place at the next gathering. Great for building your personal brand and making valuable industry connections in return for a small donation to charity: https://accountinginfluencers.com/events◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢Thanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Bringing the accounting world together with UK and international events for the accounting and tech world. https://www.accountex.co.ukIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrownYou can also check out all shows on the Accounting Influencers YouTube Channel:https://bit.ly/AI-youtube

Jun 17, 2024 • 36min
How We Solve the Accounting Talent Pipeline Problem
Host Rob Brown is joined by Sue Coffey, CEO of Public Accounting at the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), and Lexy Kessler, Partner at Aprio and Chair of the AICPA's National Pipeline Advisory Group (NPAG). They look into the alarming talent shortage facing the accounting profession and the potential solutions proposed by the NPAG.Lexy and Sue discuss the overwhelming evidence pointing to a significant talent pipeline issue in accounting, including declining enrolment in accounting programs, fewer students pursuing the CPA credential, and challenges in retaining young professionals in their first five years of employment. But can the profession overcome this challenge? Rob, Sue, and Lexy explore the root causes, such as the profession's perceived image, the cost and time commitment of education, and the need for evolving business models at accounting firms.The NPAG's findings underscore the urgency of addressing the talent pipeline issue collaboratively, involving stakeholders from academia, regulators, state societies, and the profession itself. Sue and Lexy share their optimism that by implementing the recommended solutions, the accounting profession can overcome this challenge and attract the talent required to thrive in an ever-evolving business landscape."We are a profession that communities, businesses, and economies need, and we just need to address our talent shortages and adapt." - Sue Coffey"It's not just Debits and credits to that point. It's really about the business person piece of it and the different scenarios and the strategy behind the numbers as well. So there's much more to it than, than processing or, or producing a product and that's it. It's much, much more than that." - Lexy KesslerKey Takeaways: The accounting profession is struggling with a talent pipeline shortage, but it's not "withering on the vine" as some suggest. - Sue CoffeyImproving storytelling and celebrating the profession's impact is crucial to attract younger generations. - Lexy KesslerThe cost and time commitment of education, especially for socioeconomically disadvantaged students, is a significant barrier to entry. - Sue CoffeyFirms need to evolve their business models to provide a better experience for young professionals in their first five years, addressing issues like excessive hours and meaningful work assignments. - Sue CoffeyModernizing the CPA licensure process is a long-term goal to ensure the profession remains sustainable and relevant in the future. - Lexy KesslerYou can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://youtu.be/JaLe1nq9lk4Join the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencers◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, is one of the world's leading shows for accounting leaders, professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, book your place at the next gathering. Great for building your personal brand and making valuable industry connections in return for a small donation to charity: https://accountinginfluencers.com/events◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢Thanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Bringing the accounting world together with UK and international events for the accounting and tech world. https://www.accountex.co.ukIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrownYou can also check out all shows on the Accounting Influencers YouTube Channel:https://bit.ly/AI-youtube

Jun 10, 2024 • 56min
International Panel: The Present & Future of Accounting
Ever wondered how top accountants stay ahead in a fast-evolving industry? Rob Brown hosts a panel of influential voices in the accounting world to discuss the current state and future of the profession. The conversation delves into the threats and challenges faced by accountants, the need for rebranding and attracting new talent, the role of technology, and the opportunities that lie ahead.The panelists, including Paul Surtees, Leslie Shiner, Denise Froemming, and Adam Lean, share their candid perspectives on the commoditization of accounting services, the importance of shifting from compliance-focused to advisory-focused roles, and the need for accountants to speak the language of business rather than accounting jargon.They emphasize the necessity of embracing technological advancements like AI and automation to free up time for more meaningful work and the imperative of fostering financial literacy in society.Key Takeaways:Accountants must move beyond compliance and embrace advisory roles to stay relevant. The profession faces a talent shortage and needs to rebrand itself to attract and retain the next generation. Firms should focus on helping clients be profitable and speak a language they understand.Financial literacy should be prioritized from a young age to foster a deeper understanding of numbers. Embracing AI and technology can free up accountants to provide more purposeful and impactful work. Quotes:"They should be listening to their clients. They should be asking for and being proactive in helping their clients instead of retroactive." - Leslie Shiner "You cannot talk like an accountant. You got to talk like to a human, because your customer is a human, not an accountant." - Adam Lean "I would love to see financial literacy, like, in every high school, community college, so we could start from a, and it's in about 25 different states, but we're working on it." - Denise Froemming "You can't go and speak to accountants to tell them how to do their day job because we're not accountants." - Paul Surtees "Accounting is the language of business. And I think this is a great time for accountants to remember that and realize that their job is to be an interpreter of accounting in a way that makes sense." - Adam Lean View this episode in video on YouTube here:https://youtu.be/aS_eaA5zVtg◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, is one of the world's leading shows for accounting leaders, professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, book your place at the next gathering. Great for building your personal brand and making valuable industry connections in return for a small donation to charity: https://accountinginfluencers.com/events◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢Thanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Bringing the accounting world together with UK and international events for the accounting and tech world. https://www.accountex.co.ukIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrownYou can also check out all shows on the Accounting Influencers YouTube Channel:https://bit.ly/AI-youtube

Jun 3, 2024 • 54min
Global Panel: Experts Debate the Future of Accounting
This international panel discussion explores the current state and future trajectory of the accounting profession. The distinguished panel includes influential leaders and innovators in the field such as Arun Mehra, Chase Birky, Eric Gregg, and Jody Padar to share their diverse perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.The conversation kicks off with an assessment of the profession's current shape. While the panelists acknowledge the existence of challenges, such as talent shortages and outdated business models, they also recognize the immense opportunities arising from technological advancements, changing client expectations, and the influx of capital from private equity and venture capital firms.The discussion highlights the importance of embracing change, prioritizing culture and purpose, upskilling in areas like technology and advisory services, and positioning accountants as trusted business advisors rather than mere compliance providers.As the dialogue progresses, the guests underscore the immense potential for accountants to thrive in the evolving business landscape by embracing innovation, redefining their value proposition, and becoming trusted advisors to their clients.Key Takeaways:The accounting profession is at a crossroads, with firms facing an existential crisis due to outdated business models and a talent shortage. Money pouring into the industry from private equity and venture capital firms is forcing change and disrupting traditional firm structures. The ability to work with technology, including AI, will be more important than accounting experience or subject matter knowledge in the near future. Firms must prioritize culture, purpose, and agency for their employees to attract and retain top talent in the face of better career alternatives. Referrals alone will no longer be sufficient for acquiring new business; firms must embrace transparency and deliver remarkable client experiences. Quotes:"There are some real pioneers in this space who are doing things differently, who are trying things differently, sometimes not always working, but I think we should support them and encourage them because if we have those pioneers, other people will follow and ultimately do things differently and innovate." - Arun Mehra "The best accountants are going to be more technologists than classic accountants." - Chase Birky "We're going to self-serve a lot more of this relationship with a lot more visibility into the steps that are happening behind the scenes." - Eric Gregg "The technology that's here today, and the technology that's coming in the future, is going to allow us to be more human and help our clients better and faster, and still get to go home on time." - Jody Padar View this episode in video on YouTube here:https://youtu.be/PF0h65LzTAY◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, is one of the world's leading shows for accounting leaders, professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, book your place at the next gathering. Great for building your personal brand and making valuable industry connections in return for a small donation to charity: https://accountinginfluencers.com/events◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢Thanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Bringing the accounting world together with UK and international events for the accounting and tech world. https://www.accountex.co.ukIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrownYou can also check out all shows on the Accounting Influencers YouTube Channel:https://bit.ly/AI-youtube


