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Special Edition: Kevin Lord (Head of Practice Enablement at FreeAgent)

Published on: 18th September, 2021

On today's deep dive special edition episode of the Accounting Influencers Podcast, 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 FreeAgent 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 FreeAgent, 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.

Martin and Rob love to hear from the show's 5000+ listeners in 136 countries around the world. If you have any questions, suggestions, comments or success stories, just type sayhi.chat/aip into your browser and leave us a quick and easy voice message. We may just feature you on the show!

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About the Podcast

Accounting Voices Podcast
Accounting Voices helps people in the accounting world stay relevant visible and vocal. Host Rob Brown interprets trends reshaping the profession and gives listeners insight to build authority influence and a stronger voice in firms and markets.
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

About your host

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Rob Brown

ob Brown is the creator and host of the Accounting Voices Network, a media platform that includes the flagship solo podcast Accounting Voices and the panel shows Accounting M&A and Accounting Tech. He chairs conferences, panels and virtual events worldwide and is recognised as a leading advocate for the accounting profession.

He is an accomplished speaker and authority on trust, reputation, employer brand, talent, succession, executive presence and the forces shaping the future of accounting. Rob is the author of the bestselling book Build Your Reputation (Wiley) and his TEDx talk The Personal Brand of You has been viewed more than 400,000 times.

A former co-founder of the Accounting Influencers Roundtable, Rob now focuses on amplifying the voices of leaders, firms, networks, vendors and influencers across the global accounting ecosystem.

Outside of work he is a stroke survivor, lives with epilepsy, holds a black belt in kickboxing and is based in Nottingham, UK. He plays chess and backgammon, loves orange chocolate and is allergic to grapefruit.