16th Annual International Accounting Forum 2026

Beyond borders: Redefining talent, ownership and opportunity in global accounting

25

June

  • London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, London, UK
  • Invitation only
  • Why attend?
  • Agenda
  • Speakers
  • Plan your visit
  • Event Gallery
  • 2026 Sponsors
  • Media Centre
  • 2026 Awards
  • Partner with us
  • Contact Us

Why attend?

WHAT TO EXPECT FOR 2026?

 

 

200+

Attendees to meet each year

15+

Exhibitors to meet each year

20+

Speakers

70%

Attendees at Director+ level

200+

Attendees to meet each year

15+

Exhibitors to meet each year

20+

Speakers

70%

Attendees at Director+ level

2025 highlights

Agenda

  • 25 Jun 2026
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8 AM

Registration

8:40 AM

Chair’s opening remarks

SESSION 1 – COMPETING AT SPEED – Global forces redefining firm performance

8:50 AM

Welcome Address and Scene Setting

Speakers

Zoya Malik
Editor-in-Chief, International Accounting Bulletin

9 AM

Keynote Address: Engineering Advantage: High Performance lessons from F1

  • 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).

9:20 AM

The Mid-Tier Renaissance: From Compliance to Strategic Intelligence

  • 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

9:40 AM

Cognitive Ability: The New CPD Frontier

Senior representative, CPD

  • Knowledge half-life is collapsing: AI and regulatory change are compressing skill cycles, firms must build repeatable “unlearn/ relearn” capability, not one-off training.
  • CPD is being reinvented: shift from static CPD content to adaptive AI learning paths that target role-, risk- and client-specific needs in real-time.
  • “Uncomputable” skills + AI ethics: developing the human edge for 2026, ethical judgment in AI-driven audits, data storytelling, and empathetic leadership under volatility.

 

10 AM

The Power of the Network: Competing in the Era of Private Equity

  • PE pressure is reshaping the mid-tier: record investment is accelerating consolidation, raising the stakes on scale, tech and margin delivery.
  • Alternative paths to “hyper-scale”: networks/alliances let independent firms access global reach and shared capability without selling or losing culture.
  • Co-investment as advantage: pooling spend on AI platforms, ESG/reporting tools and specialist talent to compete cross-border against larger players.

Speakers

Tony Sacre
President & CEO, Allinial Global

10:20 AM

Panel Discussion: Orchestrating Value in a Volatile World

  • 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, CPD

Speakers

Tony Sacre
President & CEO, Allinial Global

10:50 AM

Dragons’ Den: 60 Second Innovation Pitches

Ten companies. One minute each.

11 AM

Morning Networking & Refreshment Break

SESSION 2 – THE ECONOMICS OF GROWTH – How firms fund, value and sustain growth in a volatile market.

11:30 AM

What Makes a Firm Valuable Today

  • Valuation has shifted: investors now price firms on recurring revenue, scalability and quality of earnings, not chargeable hours.
  • Tech as an asset, not overhead: automation, standardised digital workflows and clean data reduce delivery risk and increase EBITDA/multiples.
  • Value-proofing for 2026: practical moves firms can make now, productised offers, retention levers, systems integration, and governance that survives scale.

11:50 AM

The Succession Crunch: Who Takes Over Next

  • Succession crunch: fewer future partners and rising buy-in hurdles are breaking the traditional ownership pathway.
  • Strategic routes forward: buy/sell/merge/PE/alternative structures, what each option means for control, culture, risk and growth.
  • Transition readiness: steps to take now, leadership pipeline, governance, de-risked client concentration, and a firm that can operate without key individuals.

12:10 PM

The New Economic Reality

  • The macro outlook that matters to firms: where growth, inflation, interest rates and regulation are heading—and the knock-on impact on client demand and risk.
  • Why advisory is slowing (and what replaces it): shifting client buying behaviour, procurement pressure, and how to reposition offers to protect margin.
  • Pressure points and opportunity zones: where fees will compress (commodity work) versus where demand will rise (cashflow, restructuring, tax/ risk, AI/ ESG assurance, sector specialisation).

12:30 PM

Panel Discussion: The Future of Firm Ownership

  • PE: threat or catalyst? How investment is changing growth expectations, operating models, and what “good” looks like for firms.
  • Culture and control under new ownership: practical ways to protect identity, partner incentives, client experience and quality while scaling.
  • Next-decade ownership playbook: PE, hybrid/ APS models, independence via networks—what will dominate and what firms should do now to stay competitive.

1 PM

Lunch & Networking Break

SESSION 3 – THE DIGITAL DIVIDEND – Proven tech that drives growth, efficiency and client value

2 PM

Unlocking the 30% Audit Productivity Boost

  • Direct-source audit truth: shifting from manual verification to real-time bank/fund confirmations to reduce risk and remove grunt work.
  • Margin uplift through automation: where the ~30% audit margin gain comes from—faster balance sheet testing, fewer follow-ups, less rework, better staffing leverage.
  • Modern audit workflow design at scale: what “good” looks like in 2026 audit ops, how to standardise across teams, and proof points/case study outcomes.

Senior representative, Circit

2:20 PM

From Relationships to Revenue: The CRM Advantage

  • CRM as an AI revenue engine: moving from a contact database to “client telemetry” that continuously monitors signals from practice/audit systems.
  • Automatic opportunity detection: surfacing cross-sell/advisory needs (e.g., ESG, R&D tax) from existing client data, before partners go looking.
  • Solving the doer-seller bottleneck: a blueprint for scalable business development that reduces reliance on partner time and replaces cold outreach with automated, timely engagement.

Senior representative, Fibre CRM

2:40 PM

The Fastest Way to Fix your Data Debt

  • What “data debt” is: messy, duplicated, inconsistent data across disconnected systems, and why it’s the hidden drag on productivity.
  • Why AI/ automation stalls: poor data foundations create rework, errors and risk, meaning new tech can’t deliver the promised efficiency.
  • Fast path to AI-ready: quick wins to standardise, de-duplicate and structure core data so every other system performs better.

Senior representative, Finquery

2:47 PM

The Hidden Costs you can Eliminate with Automation

  • Post‑MTD reality check: what actually changed after implementation, what worked, what broke, and the new compliance “normal.”
  • Where firms still bleed money: persistent cost drains, rework, chasing clients, manual entry, onboarding delays, partner bottlenecks.
  • Next-wave automation wins: the tools and workflow changes that build on MTD to cut friction, speed delivery, and protect margin.

Senior representative, Laurel

2:54 PM

The Client Experience Upgrade: Tech that Keeps Clients Loyal

  • Real-time client expectations: how portals, automated updates and faster turnaround reduce chasing and lift satisfaction.
  • Digital onboarding + workflow automation: removing friction at the start of the relationship to improve delivery speed, data quality and consistency.
  • CX as a growth lever: the direct link between client experience, retention, referral revenue and ultimately firm valuation.

3 PM

Panel Discussion: The Technology that Will Redefine Accounting Firms by 2030

  • What “platform firms” look like by 2030: AI-assisted review and automated workflows as the operating system, removing manual bottlenecks and partner-dependent processes.
  • The next core stack: unified data as a single source of truth, portals/self-service replacing email, predictive insights becoming a standard client deliverable.
  • Competitive differentiators: AI-driven client engagement, mandatory digital ID, and cyber/security standards as selection criteria—how to prioritise investments now.

3:30 PM

Afternoon Networking & Refreshment Break

SESSION 4 – THE HUMAN ASSET – Skills, Culture and Performance in the Future Firm

4 PM

The Empowered Firm: Scaling Talent and Impact in the Age of AI Governance

  • Board-level HR capability for the AI era: equipping leadership to govern AI, shape culture, and make talent decisions with the same rigour as finance and risk.
  • Human judgement as the value anchor: building trust, autonomy and accountability while AI accelerates delivery—avoiding “accountants who can’t account” and shifting from billable hours to performance.
  • The sovereign firm talent model: borderless teams, specialist hubs and global secondments (powered by the digital dividend) so independents can deliver Big Four-scale expertise with a boutique culture.

Senior representative, LEA Global

4:30 PM

Beyond Knowledge: The Human Skills That Will Define the 2026 Firm

  • Knowledge is now a commodity: why the winning firms hire for mindset and learning agility, not just qualifications and “modules.”
  • The 3 human capabilities AI can’t replace: interpretation (sense-making), relationship intelligence (trust), and judgement (ethics/accountability).
  • Rethinking development for 2026 leaders: building these skills deliberately so talent can lead clients and teams in an AI-accelerated firm.

5 PM

Panel Discussion: The Purpose Driven Firm: Retaining Talent in a Hybrid, AI-Enabled World

  • 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.”

5:30 PM

Chair’s Closing Remarks and Conference Close

5:40 PM

Conference Networking Drinks

6:30 PM

Awards Drinks Reception

7:15 PM

Awards Gala Dinner

Speakers

Select a speaker to learn more

Back
Zoya Malik
Editor-in-Chief, International Accounting Bulletin

Session Details:

Welcome Address and Scene Setting

2026-06-25, 8:50 AM

View In Agenda
Next speaker
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Tony Sacre
President & CEO, Allinial Global

With a wealth of experience in international business and strategic organizational development, Tony Sacre is building upon a 25-year career that includes senior executive roles within ANZ Banking Group, Commonwealth Bank, HSBC, JP Morgan, and National Australia Bank, as well as experience leading various financial markets, trade finance, and advisory businesses across the globe.

From 2018 to 2025 Mr. Sacre served as Chief Executive Officer of the Bentleys Network, Australia’s twelfth largest accounting firm with revenues in excess of 140 million AUD. There, he focused on enhancing capability and capacity within the network and driving developmental projects across all regions.

At Allinial Global Sacre is responsible for strategic planning, financial performance, and the association’s overall growth and success. With both CA and CPA credentials and experience serving on the association’s Global Executive Board and APAC Regional Board, he complements a primary strength of the Allinial Global leadership team—its deep, nuanced understanding of the accounting profession and the evolving needs of today’s independent accounting and advisory firms.

Session Details:

Panel Discussion: Orchestrating Value in a Volatile World

2026-06-25, 10:20 AM

Session Details:

The Power of the Network: Competing in the Era of Private Equity

2026-06-25, 10:00 AM

View In Agenda
Next speaker

Plan your visit

Venue

London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, London,

Grosvenor Sq, London W1K 6JP

Hotels we recommend close to the venue

The Welbeck Hotel by IHG (10 minute walk)

57-59 Welbeck Street, London W1G 9BL

hub by Premier Inn London Marylebone (8 min drive)

Old Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5DZ

2026 Sponsors

Select a sponsor to learn more

Gold Partners

Silver Partners

Bronze Partners

Exhibitors

Tech spotlight Partner

VIP Table Host Partners

2026 Awards

International Accounting Awards is the industry’s foremost recognition of excellence, attracting entries from all over the region and recognising the campaigns, accounting firms, along with regulators, and industry bodies, consultancies and advisories, law firms, technology providers, and individuals that define the cutting edge of work in the accounting arena. The gala awards presentation dinner has grown to be the premier event in the accounting calendar. Find out more here.

Partner with us

The International Accounting Forum & Awards brings together senior players from the UK’s top Accountancy firms and International networks and Associations. Our audience includes the likes of KPMG, Baker Tilly, Goodman Jones, Moore and PWC.

By choosing to partner with us, you can expect fruitful opportunity to network and connect face-to-face with key decision makers within the industry. We bring the right people under one roof to ensure that your brand is seen directly by an exclusive audience of senior buyers. With extended networking breaks, a dedicated exhibition area within the venue, and a prestigious awards ceremony in the evening there is plentiful opportunity to meet and collaborate with new people, develop meaningful connections and form long-lasting partnerships.

 

BRANDING

Build brand awareness among the prospective customer base.

Get your brand front of mind.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Promote your unique solutions and demonstrate your capabilities.

Directly address your audience.

LEAD GENERATION

Meet C-level executives you would not otherwise have met.

Create viable new business opportunities with decision makers.

Gain ROI.


Our Audience

       

 

Media Centre

International Accounting Bulletin

The Accountant

Enquiry

Contact Us

SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES

Nadine Edwards

Commercial Director Events

+44 (0)204 540 7672

SPEAKER ENQUIRIES

Emily Martyr

Head of Event Content

MARKETING ENQUIRIES

Kellee Halliburton

Marketing Manager

+44 (0) 204 540 7703

SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES

To enquire about sponsorship opportunities for the conference, please contact

Ray Giddings

Director of Events


+44 (0)20 7936 6512 M. +44 (0)7803 393327

SPEAKER ENQUIRIES

To enquire about speaking opportunities for the conference, please contact:

Emily Martyr

Head of Event Content