

Accounting Voices Podcast
Rob Brown
Accounting Voices, hosted by Rob Brown, helps decision makers and leaders in accounting and finance stay relevant, visible and vocal in a profession being reshaped by technology, private equity, regulation and shifting client expectations. Each episode interprets the trends disrupting accounting and finance such as AI, automation, M&A, talent and the move to advisory and translates them into practical insight that strengthens authority and influence.
Accounting Voices is also a platform for the wider ecosystem of networks, associations, educators, consultants, software vendors and technology experts who serve accountants and finance professionals worldwide. It extends into regular Accounting Voices networking sessions that connect this audience and amplify ideas that move the profession forward. With its international reach and long shelf life the show delivers credibility and commercial value for listeners and sponsors alike. Search for "Accounting Voices" on YouTube for all episodes and connect with Rob Brown on LinkedIn to find out more: https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown
Accounting Voices is also a platform for the wider ecosystem of networks, associations, educators, consultants, software vendors and technology experts who serve accountants and finance professionals worldwide. It extends into regular Accounting Voices networking sessions that connect this audience and amplify ideas that move the profession forward. With its international reach and long shelf life the show delivers credibility and commercial value for listeners and sponsors alike. Search for "Accounting Voices" on YouTube for all episodes and connect with Rob Brown on LinkedIn to find out more: https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 12, 2024 • 34min
What Links Compliance to Advisory for Accountants?
Rob Brown interviews Geni Whitehouse, an accountant turned speaker, author, and trainer who helps CPAs make the transition from compliance work to becoming trusted advisors for their clients.They discuss why technology hasn't replaced accountants, the importance of communication skills for advisors, asking insightful questions, and overcoming the resistance many accountants have to expanding their services.Geni emphasizes that the future of the accounting profession depends on building deeper relationships with clients by uncovering their goals and turning financial data into meaningful insights.Key Takeaways:Technology like AI will augment the work of accountants, not replace them. Accountants will be freed up to focus on more strategic insights.Communication skills, especially listening, are critical for advisors. Asking thoughtful questions is key to understanding client needs.Advisors don't impose solutions. They collaborate with clients to develop custom strategies based on their goals.Accountants have invaluable financial knowledge but need to learn to convey it visually for clients.Firms need to help accountants find time for learning and collaboration to expand their advisory skills."Technology, is going to be the final liberating force in our lives that allows us to do the stuff that we really want to do."◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, book your place at the next gathering: https://accountinginfluencers.com/events. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections in return for a small donation to charity.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢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. 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/londonDEXT. 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.comIf 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 Channelhttps://bit.ly/AI-youtube

Feb 5, 2024 • 29min
How AI & Chat GPT Are Disrupting Accounting Functions
In this insightful conversation, Nicolas Boucher shares his perspective on how artificial intelligence (AI) and tools like ChatGPT are transforming the accounting and finance functions. He emphasizes that AI will not make these roles obsolete but rather enable professionals to focus on more strategic and value-adding activities. Boucher highlights the importance of embracing technology, learning coding (e.g., Python), and developing communication skills to effectively translate financial insights to non-finance stakeholders.Key Takeaways:AI and ChatGPT can significantly increase productivity and automation, allowing finance professionals to spend more time on analysis and strategic decision-making.Learning coding languages like Python and leveraging ChatGPT's capabilities can automate mundane tasks and enable more effective data analysis.Communication skills are crucial for finance professionals to effectively translate financial data and insights to non-finance stakeholders and decision-makers.Embracing AI and continuous learning are essential for finance professionals to remain relevant and add value in a rapidly changing business landscape.The future of finance lies in strategic advisory roles, providing insights and guidance to business partners, rather than solely focusing on compliance and reporting."The world is going to belong to people that are the best at communicating ideas, not going to belong to the people that have the best ideas." - Nicolas Boucher◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢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. 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/londonDEXT. 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.comIf 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 Channelhttps://bit.ly/AI-youtube

Jan 28, 2024 • 31min
Why Accounting Professionals Need a Personal Brand
Marketing expert Jo Edwards, with 35 years of experience in personal branding for accountants, shares the importance of building a strong personal brand aligned with your interests. She discusses the power of microniche expertise, measuring brand progress, and using tools like content creation and public speaking. Jo emphasizes the benefits of personal branding, including commanding premium fees, generating referrals, fast-tracking your career, and achieving influence in your firm.

Jan 21, 2024 • 25min
Busy Season & Beyond: Good to Great for Accountants
In this podcast, Steve Cox, Director of Business Intelligence @ IRIS Software Group, discusses the impact of busy season on accountants worldwide, emphasizing the importance of long-term planning and strategy. He also talks about the role of software vendors in supporting accountants during busy season and predicts the continued existence of busy seasons despite advancements in technology.

Jan 14, 2024 • 33min
Practical Optimism: Tools for Tackling Tough Times
Welcome to the Accounting Influencers Podcast, dropping every Monday to 40,000 accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections.For today's show "Ken Schmitt, Founder of TurningPoint Executive Search and 'The Practical Optimist' author, discusses practical optimism tools for accountants in tough times."In this inspiring episode, host Rob Brown interviews author and executive recruiter Ken Schmitt about cultivating practical optimism. They discuss how leaders can create engaged, empowered teams by trusting employees and giving them autonomy. Schmitt emphasizes taking "baby steps" to make changes sustainable, whether it's becoming more optimistic personally or reaching big goals professionally. He suggests limiting doomscrolling on social media and following more uplifting accounts instead. Schmitt also stresses the importance of transparency and open communication when mistakes inevitably happen, noting that optimism enables resilience and perseverance. With tips for improving mental health, nurturing relationships, and achieving work-life balance, this episode provides an optimistic roadmap to start the new year off right. Overall, Schmitt makes the case that optimism is an attainable mindset, not pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking. Key Takeaways:- Optimism is a mindset and a frame of reference. It's about believing you can make a positive difference, even amidst uncertainty.- Leaders who empower and trust their teams create more engagement and satisfaction. Micromanaging squashes innovation.- Transparency about company culture and clear communication of expectations helps attract and retain the right talent.- Limit doomscrolling on social media. Follow accounts that bring you joy and inspiration instead.- Mental health challenges are surmountable. Seeking help is a sign of strength and agency, not weakness. "If you're too optimistic, you may take big risks that don't pay off. If you're too practical, you won't take many risks at all."◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin 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/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks 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. 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/londonDEXT. 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.comIf 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

Jan 7, 2024 • 13min
Transforming Accounting: Aprio CEO Richard Kopelman
"CEO Richard Kopelman unveils Aprio's massive expansion, secret projects and shares invaluable CPA advice for global accounting success."Richard Kopelman, CEO and Managing Partner of accounting firm Aprio, shares his personal philosophy of staying positive and never giving up, the importance of having a well-written strategic plan, and his vision to have truly global accounting firms.Kopelman shares how staying positive and persistent has been key to leading Aprio's tremendous growth from $70 million to $450 million in revenue. He emphasizes the importance of having a well-defined strategic plan and sticking to it, even though growth is never a straight line. Kopelman also provides insight into transitioning accounting firms beyond traditional partnership structures into more corporate models in order to scale. His vision is to have truly global accounting firms without restrictions. Throughout the discussion, Kopelman's passion for the profession and commitment to seizing opportunities comes through clearly."My personal philosophy is to stay positive and never give up. I'm not very good at taking no for an answer."Key Takeaways:Staying positive and never giving up has been Kopelman's key to success in leading Aprio from $70M to $450M in revenue.Having a well-defined strategic plan is crucial - you need a North Star even though growth is never a straight line.Firms need to move beyond traditional partnership structures and embrace more corporate approaches to scale.Hiring great people and getting out of their way is his leadership philosophy.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin 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/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks 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. 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/londonDEXT. 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.comIf 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

8 snips
Dec 31, 2023 • 19min
Inside Aprio: Leading a Top 30 Accounting Powerhouse
The podcast explores the transformation and rebranding of HA&W into a global accounting firm. It discusses the challenges faced by accounting professionals, the importance of a positive mindset, the role of technology in accounting, and the significance of company culture. The speaker also highlights the future opportunities in the accounting sector.

Dec 24, 2023 • 22min
Driving Digital Transformation in Accounting Firms
Jennifer Warawa is a trailblazer in the accounting world. She's the North American president of a leading firm, a self-made entrepreneur, and even a foster parent. However, her standout achievement isn't just financial—it's a remarkable employee net promoter score (NPS) above 60. Her workplace thrives on purpose, passion, and even a few laughs, like the notorious beanbag chair mishap. Learn how to build a company culture where employees are genuinely happy and engaged.Dive into the world of digital transformation in accounting firms. Jennifer reflects on a stagnant decade-long conversation. While some firms embrace tech, others lag, widening the gap. Discover why change is crucial for future success and explore the clash between fast-paced tech and the traditional accounting profession. Accountants must offer more value by focusing on higher-level tasks. Discover which firms will thrive and how to attract and retain talent.Why resist change? Comfort with the status quo or thinking clients are content might be reasons. However, clients may not fully grasp an accountant's value until they experience it elsewhere.Learn how automation can boost efficiency and allow accountants to focus on high-value tasks.Jennifer Warawa is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in the accounting field. She successfully operated her firm in Canada for half of her impressive career. In the other half, she took on various high-profile global executive leadership roles at Sage.Jennifer currently holds the esteemed position of President at QuickFee North America, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. QuickFee specialises in cutting-edge financing, online payment, and e-invoicing solutions, primarily catering to professional service firms, particularly in the accounting and legal sectors.Jennifer's outstanding accomplishments have garnered her a multitude of prestigious honours. She was consistently among the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting according to the CPA Practice Advisor and the AICPA for an impressive seven-year period from 2013 to 2019. Accounting Today also celebrated her as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People for an impressive nine consecutive years from 2010 to 2018. Furthermore, she stood out as a remarkable talent by being honoured as a member of the "Top 40 Under 40" by CPA Practice Advisor for an impressive six years straight, from 2010 to 2015.Beyond her illustrious career, Jennifer is renowned as a thought leader. As a keynote speaker, she has graced numerous industry events and business conferences, consistently earning top ratings for her insightful contributions.On a personal note, Jennifer and her husband, Shane, have been a devoted foster parent since 2014. Their home has been a haven for 11 children, ranging in age from 6 to 18, exemplifying their deep commitment to making a positive impact in the lives of others.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin 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/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks 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. 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/londonDEXT. 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.comIf 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

Dec 17, 2023 • 24min
The Art of Saying NO & Other Productivity Strategies
The Art of Saying No & Other Productivity Strategies with Mark FritzMark Fritz focuses on the vital topic of saying no and setting boundaries. Mark highlights the significance of being assertive and maintaining focus to say no to various demands and requests effectively. He emphasises the value of listening and understanding the perspective of others when communicating a refusal. Mark also discusses the challenges busy professionals face, particularly accountants, who often feel overwhelmed by the multitude of tasks and responsibilities they have to handle.He shares his observations on the current era of information overload and the need for individuals to prioritise and do less to achieve more. Mark suggests learning from other sectors can provide valuable insights and strategies for managing workload and avoiding burnout. The episode further delves into the psychological factors behind saying no, such as fear of disappointing others, fear of missing out (FOMO), and the pressure to fit in or be seen as a team player.Mark offers practical advice on overcoming these fears and setting personal boundaries. He advocates for open communication and understanding between colleagues and leaders and the importance of aligning personal and professional priorities. In addition, the episode explores the role of scripts or prepared responses in navigating difficult conversations and saying no clearly and concisely. Mark highlights the importance of staying true to one's boundaries and goals and avoiding over-commitment. Throughout the interview, Mark provides examples, personal anecdotes, and practical tips on developing the confidence and assertiveness needed to say no effectively.Mark Fritz is an accomplished leader who focuses on driving change across diverse cultures and distances. With a rich international career spanning numerous countries, including Egypt, Netherlands, Italy, and Japan, Mark has successfully spearheaded enterprise-level change initiatives. His expertise lies in leading transformation and reengineering efforts, effectively managing virtual teams, and fostering the growth of diverse, resilient groups.Mark has left an indelible mark on executives and organisations worldwide as a renowned leadership specialist. He has been instrumental in helping them reshape their leadership approaches, resulting in improved outcomes and lasting impact. Mark's influence extends to prestigious business schools like IE Business School and HEC, where he imparts his wisdom through enlightening courses on leadership and influence.Within organisations, Mark crafts tailored leadership programs that fortify leaders and equip them with the tools necessary for growth and triumph. His journey has taken him around the globe, where he's lived in various countries and worked in over 50 nations. Currently residing in London with his Japanese wife, Mark enjoys playing golf and cherishes collaborating with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, recognising the invaluable lessons such experiences offer.Mark Fritz is renowned for his commitment to empowering leaders to shift away from micromanagement and embrace a culture of ownership and achievement. His expertise lies in unlocking the full potential of teams. Through impactful keynotes and masterclasses, he delivers inspirational experiences brimming with practical advice and actionable steps.With a steadfast dedication to enhancing performance, influencing others, and mentoring, Mark's thought-provoking sessions and ongoing support have become integral to organisations' growth journeys. His unique blend of inspiration and practicality leaves audiences with clear actions and a deep desire to become the leaders they aspire to be. Mark Fritz is the catalyst for transformation and excellence in leadership.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin 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/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks 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. 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/londonDEXT. 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.comIf 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

Dec 10, 2023 • 20min
Accounting Firm Talent Strategies: Marina Kooijmans
Rob Brown interviews Marina Koijmans, a talent and workplace expert, on the topic of talent management and upskilling in the accounting profession. Marina begins by explaining the challenges of talent management in today's rapidly changing world. She highlights the importance of reskilling and upskilling due to the ever-changing marketplace and the need for organizations to adapt and stay relevant. She mentions that technology-driven change and innovation are key drivers of this need for new skills.The conversation then shifts to the perception of accountants as not traditionally being associated with innovation. Marina acknowledges this but emphasizes that the accounting profession is also evolving and recognizing the importance of upskilling and change. She explains that accountants need to acquire not only technical skills but also digital skills and advisory skills to meet the changing needs of customers.Marina introduces the concept of a skill strategy and explains that organizations need to focus on skills rather than job descriptions. She mentions the importance of internal mobility and how it allows employees to develop new skills in different environments. She also highlights the benefits of international mobility, as it provides opportunities to learn from different cultures and enhance career growth.The conversation then delves into the various skills and competencies that should be part of any skill strategy or framework. Marina outlines five skill groups: technical skills, digital skills, advisory skills, leadership skills, and human skills. She emphasizes the importance of leadership, storytelling, problem-solving, ethics, integrity, and effective communication in the accounting profession.Rob and Marina discuss the challenges faced by accountants in upgrading their skills. Marina acknowledges that many accountants feel comfortable with their current knowledge and are hesitant to step out of their comfort zones, particularly when it comes to human skills. However, she highlights the importance of continuous learning and personal development to stay relevant in a changing landscape.The conversation concludes with Marina discussing different learning approaches and methods. She mentions the use of blended learning, including classroom training, e-learning, and audio books. Marina emphasizes the need for individuals to take responsibility for their own learning and development.Overall, this episode of the Accounting Influencers podcast provides valuable insights into the challenges and importance of talent management and upskilling in the accounting profession. It highlights the need for accountants to adapt, develop new skills, and embrace continuous learning to succeed in a rapidly changing industry.Marina Kooijman is the Chief People Officer at HLB, based at the Executive Office in London. In this pivotal role, Marina spearheads the development and execution of HLB's comprehensive people strategy, driving the organization towards innovation and inspiration. She is deeply committed to fostering a vibrant corporate culture rooted in HLB's core values and purpose.Marina firmly believes that nurturing talent and cultivating a diverse, inclusive environment, where every individual feels secure, valued, and respected, is the key to achieving business success and sustainable growth.Before joining HLB International, Marina garnered a wealth of experience working with renowned international firms such as Deloitte and PwC, both in the Netherlands and across borders. Her extensive background in talent management positions her as a seasoned professional in her field.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin 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/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks 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. 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/londonDEXT. 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.comIf 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