Accountex 2025
Two Days of Learning, Insight, and Looking Ahead
Just back from two excellent days at Accountex UK 2025, and as always, the value came not just from the headline topics but from the opportunity to step out of the day-to-day and reflect on where our profession is headed and what that means for how we support businesses.
Alan and I made the trip over and packed in as much as we could: keynotes, breakout sessions, panels, exhibitor conversations. What was most striking wasn’t just the pace of change, but the urgency behind it. Whether we were talking about AI, cybersecurity, leadership, or economic turbulence, the message was clear: standing still isn’t an option.
Day One: Human Insight in a Tech-Filled World
There’s a lot of noise out there. New platforms, new tools, bold claims. But one of the standout messages from day one came not from a vendor, but from a keynote speaker who said simply:
“People don’t care what you know until they know you care.”
That line hit home. Amidst all the AI, automation, and data dashboards, it’s easy to forget that business still comes down to people. The best tools in the world won’t deliver value if they’re not used with empathy, curiosity, and strategic insight.
Some powerful reminders came through:
Tech for the sake of tech is not an advantage
We need to stay curious in every part of the businesses we support
Intentional listening matters more than ever
Sustainable value — not just efficiency — should be the goal
These are the things that build trust and long-term outcomes. They also require time, space, and leadership. None of which can be automated.
Cybersecurity: Still a Clear and Present Threat
We also sat in on a session covering cyber threats, something that often gets buried under more exciting headlines. But the truth is, the biggest risks today don’t come from broken firewalls or outdated systems. They come from people. Specifically, social engineering.
The session outlined six pillars for good cybersecurity. Worth repeating:
People – with continuous training
Process – dual authority, multi-factor authentication
Technology – firewalls, filters
Partnerships – strong alignment with your IT provider
Planning – clear, tested incident response
(Again) People – because this is as much behavioural as it is technical
This is now a baseline requirement and it's not optional.
Leadership Lessons from the Sporting Arena
A highlight of day one for me was the Sage Green Room panel, featuring three top-class athletes who’ve made the transition into business:
🏉 Bryan Habana
🏏 Ebony Rainford-Bent
🏏 Stuart Broad
It wasn’t about spreadsheets. It was about resilience, execution, clarity and mindset.
Bryan Habana delivered a standout reflection on performance under pressure. He talked about the ability to process information faster than the opposition and how that ability, combined with discipline, sacrifice, and determination, defines high performance.
His view? Setbacks are essential to growth. Learning to absorb knockbacks, process what happened, and go again is what separates the good from the great in sport and in business. He spoke about setting small, achievable targets and staying "always in the fight." His delivery was razor-sharp, and it was obvious that his mindset hasn’t dulled one bit. He’s now running a fintech called Paymenow! (and let’s just say, cash collection doesn’t look like it’ll be a problem for him).
Stuart Broad took a quieter but no less valuable approach: be calm, respectful, measured. Know what you’re great at and continue to build on it. No drama, no bluster. Just consistency and self-awareness.
Ebony Rainford-Bent focused on team structure. In sport, you build for impact by putting the right people in the right roles. Why should business be any different? That clarity of role, responsibility, and purpose is what drives performance and gives you a competitive edge.
Day Two: AI, Systems, and Strategic Action
Today’s focus shifted to AI and it’s fair to say interest has exploded. Every seminar was oversubscribed, and almost every software vendor was showcasing some new AI-powered tool. But what struck me was how hard it was to tell the difference between them.
One contributor put it well:
“Many of the apps are already out of date AI is moving so fast.”
That raises a very real question: How do we approach innovation when the pace of change is this fast?
The stat that really drove this home:
· In May 2024, OpenAI’s data model represented just 3% of the world’s combined knowledge.
· In November, that rose to 9%.
· As of April 2025: 21%.
· By the end of this year? Forecasts put it at 50%+.
Let that sink in. It’s not a question of if this changes how we work. It already is. The question now is, how we integrate it thoughtfully?
Getting Started with AI: Practical Steps
Some useful, grounded suggestions came out of the sessions:
Start using ChatGPT as your primary search tool
Sign up for a professional or enterprise-level account as the free version isn’t enough for business use
Be extremely careful with personal or client data
Learn to design prompts properly, using a 4-part structure:
Role – who the AI should emulate
Task – what it should do
Context – the background or situation
Output – format, tone, and style
Suggested use cases included:
Quality control
Completeness checks
Refinement
Instant peer review
The key takeaway? Don’t wait for perfect use cases. Just start. Learn by doing because this shift isn’t slowing down.
Operating Through the Fog: Economic Lessons
The final session I attended focused on the macro environment and the challenges of decision-making in a world of constant economic shifts.
Tariffs, recession headlines, trade pauses, new deals all within the space of a few days. The speaker described it as "economic fog", and it felt accurate.
The core message: Don’t let the fog paralyse you. There will be winners and losers in this climate, and the businesses that sit still will most likely fall behind. Instead, firms should:
Restructure costs surgically
Stay customer-centric
Price correctly
Pursue considered acquisitions
Exercise discipline around working capital
It was a helpful reminder that strategy matters most when things feel uncertain.
Two days well spent. Not just to catch up on trends, but to reframe how we think about the tools, risks, and responsibilities we carry.
Tech and AI are only useful if they help us deliver better outcomes for the businesses we support. Cybersecurity isn’t a side issue. It’s foundational. Leadership, mindset and decision-making still matter more than any automation ever will.
Plenty to bring back to the team and to the clients we work with every day.
If you'd like to talk more about the tools and topics from Accountex or how they might affect your business, feel free to get in touch.
