Archives: Agenda

• Retention through meaning, autonomy and purpose (panel): why people stay, why they leave, and how to stop treating talent like units of production.
• The human–machine partnership: using tech to reduce burnout and improve wellbeing, with outsourcing/offshoring as part of a broader, sustainable talent ecosystem.
• Re-thinking old assumptions: billable hours in an AI world, remote vs relationship-led culture, and how juniors learn the fundamentals when AI does the “grunt work.”

• Speed wins: real-time insight beats retrospective reporting. Clients want “in-race” advice, not a “post-race” report.
• Margins are micro-decisions: cost-cap discipline mirrors fixed-fee pressure—waste (unbilled time, rework, manual steps) kills performance.
• Tech = governance: ERP, “telemetry”, digital-twin thinking turns accountability into faster decisions (pit-stop workflows, live WIP & recovery).

• Mid-tier renaissance: moving from compliance-only to a data-led advisory model at scale.
• People-first technology: using systems to empower teams, standardise delivery, and improve client experience, not “shiny tools”.
• Change at speed: lessons from Azets’ expansion and rebrand, how to operationalise agility while protecting margin and quality.

Senior representative, Azets

• Technical knowledge is expiring faster; firms need people who can adapt quickly and think critically as rules and technology change.
• CPD is shifting from “ticking hours” to building real capability. Judgement, problem solving and decision making that protects quality and reduces risk.
• Human judgement is becoming the accountant’s edge. AI can process data, but only people can interpret nuance, challenge outputs, and make safe ethical decisions.

Senior representative, Accounting CPD

• Value in volatility: how firms orchestrate pricing, delivery and client outcomes as AI shifts work from hours to results.
• People + trust: retaining data-literate talent (“stay” interviews) and governing AI ethics/liability as regulation tightens.
• Resilience at scale: navigating geopolitical fracture and regionalisation, how ecosystems/networks help firms and clients adapt faster.

Senior representative, Azets

Senior representative, Accounting CPD

• PE is reshaping the mid-tier: record investment is accelerating consolidation and raising expectations around scale, technology adoption and margin performance.
• Alternative paths to “hyper-scale”: including alternative practice structures. Firms can gain global reach and shared capabilities through an Association model without selling, and without sacrificing independence or culture.
• Co-investment as a competitive edge: independent firms pool investment in high-tier AI infrastructure, ESG/reporting platforms and specialist talent to compete cross-border with larger and PE-backed players.

Ten companies. One minute each

Innovations showcasing what problem each solves, and why it matters now.

Early signals of where the market is going, and what we should watch out for next