Rob Brown of the Accountants Influencers Podcast interviews Kevin Lord, Head of Practice Enablement at FreeAgent on digital tax changes for accountants. - Accounting Influencers Podcast

Episode 8

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Published on:

15th Sep 2021

Guest Interview Highlights: Kevin Lord (Head of Practice Enablement at FreeAgent)

Episode 8. Rob sits down with Kevin Lord (Head of Practice Enablement at FreeAgent) to discuss the changing landscape for accounting firms and the effects of digital tax initiatives like MTD.

Kevin has worked with small businesses for nearly a decade to raise their awareness of the benefits that digital tools can bring and to assist them through times of change. At FreeAgent, he works with accountant partners to promote awareness of the revolutionary business improvements that cloud accounting software can offer. With a career that spans a high-growth technology company and the SME banking industry, Kevin has a wealth of business knowledge and experience to inform the advice and insight he provides. This includes how online accounting software like FreeAgent can help to keep clients compliant and how accountant partners can maximise the opportunities that digital tools can bring to their practices.

Key shownotes from the whole interview include:

➜ The importance for accountants of having fintech experts who can simply the language of tech

➜ The need for good advice on legislation, tools and resources around digitisation for accounting firms

➜ How the landscape is changing for accounting firms and how the profession is in 'a perfect storm'

➜ The effect of the data hungry 'passion economy' and consumerism on accountants and their clients

➜ The problems with how little the accounting profession has advanced over many years

➜ What questions business owners are asking accountants who they want to be a lifeline

➜ Ways in which accountants have been at the forefront of change but how that leads to overload

➜ Who is driving the change agenda for businesses - vendors, accountants, regulators?

➜ The impact of the younger generation of entrepreneurs making different demands on accounting advisors

➜ The restrictions of fintech vendors not being able to innovate faster than accounting firms can adopt

➜ An honest assessment of what shape the general ledger and practice management accounting vendor landscape is in right now

➜ Why FreeAgent's proposition works especially well for small and micro businesses

➜ A response to some vendors trying to marginalise the role of accountants in serving their business clients

➜ What makes Free Agent a great place to work and how it keeps hold of its best talent

➜ Why accountants play such an important part in the success of small businesses

➜ The future for Free Agent, particularly after being bought by top UK bank Nat West

➜ The special link between accounting software and the banking sector for business success

➜ Why, amidst the tech, it's the people who make selling accounting software fulfilling

➜ The biggest frustration in the accounting profession (hint - it's on the qualification/academic side)

➜ Advice to accountants dealing with the overwhelm of tech choice and client demands

Kevin Lord on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinlord1986

Kevin Lord website https://www.freeagent.com/aip

NOTE TO LISTENERS:

This is a condensed highlights version of the full interview (usually 20-30 mins long), which you can catch as a bonus episode at the weekend.

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About the Podcast

Accounting Influencers Podcast
Host Rob Brown shows accounting professionals and leaders how to be more influential, grow their personal brand and be more authoritative, relevant and high profile in their roles..
The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, is a must-listen for accounting professionals looking to strengthen their leadership presence, stay informed on disruptive forces in accounting and build credibility within their firms. Geared toward firm leaders, managers, partners and influencers, the show covers key topics like career development, influence, personal branding and interpreting the evolving trends impacting the accounting world. Rob brings his expertise to each episode, offering insights and guidance on how to grow your personal brand and stay strategically important in a rapidly changing profession. Whether you're aiming to influence within your firm or expand your reputation outside of it, this international podcast offers practical advice and forward-thinking insights that will keep you informed and prepared for the future.
Accounting leadership
Executive presence for accountants
Building influence in accounting
Accounting industry trends
Personal branding for accountants
Accounting firm strategy
Accounting business models
Leadership in accounting firms
Talent management in accounting
Authority in accounting profession
Career development for accountants
Accounting firm growth strategies
Influencers in accounting
Accounting firm management
Disruptive forces in accounting
Accounting leadership strategies
Accounting career success
Accounting firm decision-makers
Accounting business trends
Building credibility in accounting

About your host

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Rob Brown

Rob Brown hosts the multiple accounting podcast and chair conferences, panels and events globally for the accounting and fintech profession. He is co-founder of Accounting Influencers Roundtable (AIR) which helps vendors, experts and influencers serve the accounting and finance world. He is a dynamic speaker and accomplished expert on trust, reputation, employer brand, talent, career development, succession, gen z/generations, employee advocacy and executive presence. Rob is author of the bestselling book Build Your Reputation (Wiley) and his TEDx talk ‘The Personal Brand of You’ has been viewed 400,000 times on YouTube. He is a stroke survivor, has epilepsy, is a committed Christian and has a black belt in kickboxing. He is based in Nottingham UK, home of Robin Hood, plays chess and backgammon, loves orange chocolate and is allergic to grapefruit.