This episode features a panel discussion on the challenges and future of the accounting profession. Panelists include Ed Kless (Sage), Michael Turner (Aladis), Steve Cox (IRIS), and Dan McMahon (Integrated Growth Advisors). They delve into issues like the billable hour model, talent shortages, resistance to change, the role of technology like AI, client advisory services, private equity's impact, and more. The conversation offers insightful perspectives on where accounting is stuck and what kind of transformation is needed.

Panelists:

- Ed Kless, Senior Director of Partner Development and Strategy at Sage

- Michael Turner, CEO of Aladis

- Steve Cox, Business Intelligence Director at IRIS

- Dan McMahon, Management Consultant at Integrated Growth Advisors

Key Topics:

- The billable hour as the "cancer" holding back accounting

- Need to transition to selling knowledge/value instead of time

- Talent shortage and struggles to attract newcomers

- Importance of purpose, values, and accountability for great firms

- Role of change management to drive transformation

- Predictions on multidisciplinary teams, data-driven audits, advisory services

"Stuck. In a word, stuck...The cancer of the accounting profession is the billable hour and the timesheet." - Ed Kless

"Let's eliminate the annual performance review and instead institute after action reviews...that is the replacement for the timesheet." - Ed Kless

◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢

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.com

ACCOUNTEX. Join us at Accountex London, the pinnacle of fintech innovation, May 15-16, 2024! Discover ground-breaking solutions from 295+ brands and gain invaluable insights at our CPD-accredited sessions. Connect with 10,000+ finance professionals. Elevate your practice – attendance is free, plus earn up to 16 CPD points! https://www.accountex.co.uk/london

DEXT. Streamline your accounting practice with Dext! Our cutting-edge tools, Dext Prepare, Commerce, and Precision, revolutionize data handling, saving you precious time and ensuring accuracy. Connect seamlessly with leading software like Xero and QBO. Join 500,000+ customers transforming their practices. Start your free trial and embrace efficiency today! https://dext.com

If 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/therobbrown

You can also check out all shows on the Accounting...

Rob Brown discusses the future of accounting with special guests Davis Bell, Geni Whitehouse, Geoffrey Brown and Jason Blumer. The panel provides insights into the key challenges and opportunities facing accountants, from talent retention and technology adoption to redefining the role of the modern accountant.

The conversation delves into the accounting profession's image problem, with the panel highlighting the need to better communicate the diverse career paths and meaningful work available to aspiring accountants. They also explore the shifts in firm ownership models, the rise of entrepreneurial mindsets, and the importance of accountants embracing a more advisory and future-focused role.

The guests share their predictions for the profession, including the changing talent pool, the commoditization of certain services, and the critical need for firms to integrate technology and business analysis skills. Overall, the episode paints a picture of an industry in flux, but one that holds immense potential for those willing to adapt and lead the charge towards a more dynamic and impactful future for the accounting profession.

Key Takeaways:

1. The accounting profession is facing a talent pipeline challenge, with a need to better retain and attract the next generation of accountants.

2. Embracing a more advisory and insight-driven approach is crucial for accountants to remain relevant and add value to clients.

3. Firms must adapt their ownership models and business structures to meet the needs and expectations of the incoming generation of leaders.

4. Technology and automation will continue to disrupt the profession, presenting both threats and opportunities for accountants.

5. Accounting firms should actively seek to integrate business analysis and technology skills into their teams to stay ahead of the curve.

Quotes:

"We need to start talking about what it means to be a finance and accounting professional much earlier, high school, junior high even, because there's a lot of opportunity there." - Geoffrey Brown

"If we can convince some people to keep coming into the profession, I mean, we're going to kill it. We're going to kill it over the next 30 years, I think." - Jason Blumer

◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢

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.com

ACCOUNTEX. Join us at Accountex London, the pinnacle of fintech innovation, May 15-16, 2024! Discover ground-breaking solutions from 295+ brands and gain invaluable insights at our CPD-accredited sessions. Connect with 10,000+ finance professionals. Elevate your practice – attendance is free, plus earn up to 16 CPD points! https://www.accountex.co.uk/london

DEXT. Streamline your accounting practice with...

Jeff Seibert is the co-founder and CEO of Digits, a modern accounting platform. Jeff and Rob delve into the impact of AI on the accounting profession, exploring its potential to revolutionize the industry while also addressing concerns and misconceptions surrounding this emerging technology.

Jeff explains the fundamental concepts of machine learning and artificial intelligence in layman's terms, emphasizing that AI is not aimed at replacing accountants but rather augmenting their capabilities and freeing them from tedious tasks. He discusses the two main branches of machine learning – generative models like ChatGPT and predictive models – and how Digits is leveraging the latter to automate bookkeeping with an 87% accuracy rate.

The conversation also touches on the importance of data security, collaborative finance, real-time accounting, and the need for accountants to embrace technology to stay relevant and competitive. Jeff's message is one of hope, encouraging accountants to experiment with AI and adopt these tools to enhance their practices and better serve their clients.

5 Key Takeaways:

• AI is not going to replace accountants; it will elevate the profession by automating tedious tasks and allowing accountants to focus on higher-value activities.
• Digits is developing AI bookkeeping models that can accurately classify transactions with 87% accuracy, significantly reducing manual labor.
• Data security is crucial when integrating AI into accounting software, and firms should scrutinize vendors' security measures.
• Collaborative finance and real-time accounting are the future, enabling accountants and clients to work together seamlessly and access up-to-date financial data.
• Embracing AI and new technologies is essential for accountants to remain competitive and grow their practices.

"AI is not going to be the death of accounting. Just like the calculator wasn't the death of accounting, the computer wasn't the death of accounting." - Jeff Seibert

◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢

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.com

ACCOUNTEX. Join us at Accountex London, the pinnacle of fintech innovation, May 15-16, 2024! Discover ground-breaking solutions from 295+ brands and gain invaluable insights at our CPD-accredited sessions. Connect with 10,000+ finance professionals. Elevate your practice – attendance is free, plus earn up to 16 CPD points! https://www.accountex.co.uk/london

DEXT. Streamline your accounting practice with Dext! Our cutting-edge tools, Dext Prepare, Commerce, and Precision, revolutionize data handling, saving you precious time and ensuring accuracy. Connect seamlessly with leading software like Xero and QBO. Join 500,000+ customers transforming...