Accounting Voices

By Rob BrownBusiness Careers Management

Accounting Voices episodes

October 27 Accounting Firm Owner's Decision: Sell, Merge or Hold
Every year many accounting firm owners tell themselves the same thing. A couple more years, then I'll decide. Then a buyer's letter, a discreet phone call, a manager's resignation or a doctor's appointment forces the question, and the deadline is set on someone else's clock.
In Part 3 of INSIDE THE SHIFT, Rob Brown sits in the owner's chair. He looks at how many accounting firms are small and owned by people nearing retirement, in the US and the UK, why buyers have never been busier and the three options most owners have: sell, merge or hold. He explains why waiting is a decision too, why buyers pay for what survives the owner and why staff are part of the deal whether they're told or not.
If you're a manager, partner or senior, this one lands on you too.
https://youtu.be/n9Guz4f70DM
INSIDE THE SHIFT is a 12 part series on the Accounting Voices Show about what deals, AI and succession mean for the people working inside accounting firms. New episodes every Tuesday.
On Fridays, watch BACKED, our sister show on capital, ownership and control in accounting firms, exclusively on YouTube and supported by INSIDE Public Accounting.
18 min
October 20Your Firm Just Merged or Got Bought by PE. Now What?
The email arrives on a Monday morning. Your firm has a new investor, and it's a private equity fund. The announcement talks about growth, technology and opportunity. What it doesn't say is the thing everyone wants to know: what happens to my job?
In Part 2 of INSIDE THE SHIFT, Rob Brown looks at what private equity means for the people inside an accounting firm after a deal. He explains why staff judge a deal by one personal question, why promising that nothing will change costs firms trust later and why the path to partner becomes the biggest unanswered question for managers and seniors.
The episode applies to owners of small firms receiving approaches, managers at top 100 firms and seniors whose careers shift when outside capital arrives.
Key points covered:
Why people judge a PE deal by what it means for their job
Why "nothing changes day to day" damages trust when change arrives
Why the path to partner is the question most firms leave unanswered
What a PE deal means for owners, partners, managers and seniors
The first week test: five questions every firm should be ready to answer

Part 2 of 12 in INSIDE THE SHIFT.
Sources referenced: INSIDE Public Accounting, Ipsos Life Aspirations 2026, ADP Research Today at Work 2026.
Watch BACKED, our sister show on the owner's side of private equity, exclusively on YouTube and supported by INSIDE Public Accounting.
Subscribe to the Accounting Voices Show on YouTube: youtube.com/@accountingvoices
Follow Rob Brown on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/therobbrown
Follow Accounting Voices on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accountingvoices
19 min
October 13Why Change Inside Accounting Firms Makes People Leave
A deal gets signed. Two firms merge. A new managing partner takes over. A private equity buyer moves in. The announcement goes out and everyone is told the future looks bright. Six months later, one of the best managers in the firm hands in her notice, and two of the seniors she trained start looking around.
In Part 1 of INSIDE THE SHIFT, Rob Brown looks at what happens to the people in the middle of an accounting firm when something changes at the top. He explains the alignment gap between what partners decide and what everyone else understands, works through what one senior manager resignation costs a firm and shows why silence after an announcement does more damage than the change itself.
The episode follows on from the AI Reality Inside Firms series, where leaders kept returning to their people more than the technology. It applies to owners of small firms, managers at top 100 firms and seniors at PE-backed firms.
Key points covered:
Why partners decide, managers absorb and staff guess when change is announced
What one senior manager resignation costs in hiring, clients and the people they train
Why silence after an announcement costs more than the change
What the alignment gap means for owners, partners, managers and seniors
The two-sentence manager test any firm leader can run this week

Part 1 of 12 in INSIDE THE SHIFT.
Watch BACKED, our sister show on the owner's side of the deal, exclusively on YouTube and supported by INSIDE Public Accounting.
Subscribe to the Accounting Voices Show on YouTube: youtube.com/@accountingvoices
Follow Rob Brown on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/therobbrown
Follow Accounting Voices on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accountingvoices
20 min
October 06AI Strategy vs AI Tools in Accounting Firms: Who Wins?
Accounting Voices is a senior leadership platform hosted by Rob Brown that interprets the forces reshaping accounting firms across North America and beyond.
This "AI Reality Inside Firms" series brings together influential accounting leaders to answer the same five structured questions about how AI is actually landing inside firms.
No hype. No vendor narratives. Just honest leadership perspective from someone navigating AI from the inside.
In this solo wrap-up episode, Rob Brown, host of Accounting Voices, asks the strategic question most accounting firms are still avoiding: what kind of firm are you trying to become?
The five questions:
Where is AI genuinely reshaping strategic direction for firms?
What are firms still getting wrong about AI?
Which AI-related leadership decisions will matter most over the next two years?
Where is AI creating the greatest internal tension in firms?
By 2027, what will separate leading firms from the rest?

Five questions. One honest conversation. Part of a season that is building a definitive picture of AI reality inside accounting firms in 2026.
https://youtu.be/hH0h22fwdWw
This episode is part of AI Reality Inside Firms on Accounting Voices, where senior accounting firm leaders answer the same five questions about how AI is genuinely landing inside their firms. Find the full series on YouTube, LinkedIn, CPA Trendlines and all major podcast platforms.
Thank you to our series partners: Fieldguide, the AI-native platform for audit and advisory firms. Karbon, the global leader in AI-powered practice management software. Digits, the AI-powered financial intelligence platform for accounting firms. Filed, the intelligent tax workspace for preparation and review automation. Instead, the first AI tax agent for end-to-end research, planning, filing and defence.
17 min
September 29 The AI Investment Few Accounting Firms Can Measure
As AI Reality Inside Firms draws toward a close, Rob Brown steps back from the interview chair to examine what the wider data reveals about AI investment across the accounting profession. More than 70% of accounting firms increased AI budgets in the past year. Roughly 44% report no measurable impact from any of it. In this solo wrap-up episode, Rob connects the profession-wide data to the patterns that emerged across the series and asks whether accounting firms have a technology problem or a strategy problem.
https://youtu.be/hgmq3IGHY1s
AI Reality Inside Firms is a structured series on Accounting Voices where senior accounting firm leaders answer the same five questions about how AI is genuinely landing inside their firms. You can find the full series on YouTube, LinkedIn, CPA Trendlines and all major podcast platforms.
This series is brought to you in partnership with FieldGuide, the AI native platform for audit and advisory firms. Instead, the first AI tax agent for end to end research, planning, filing and defense. Karbon, the global leader in AI powered practice management software. Digits, the AI powered financial intelligence platform for accounting firms. And Filed, the intelligent tax workspace for preparation and review automation.
12 min
September 25AI Means Your Biggest Competitor Is Not Another CPA Firm
Accounting Voices is a senior leadership platform hosted by Rob Brown that interprets the forces reshaping accounting firms across North America and beyond.
This "AI Reality Inside Firms" series brings together influential accounting leaders to answer the same five structured questions about how AI is actually landing inside firms.
No hype. No vendor narratives. Just honest leadership perspective from someone navigating AI from the inside.
Today's special guest is Leroy Kerry, co-founder of Filed, the intelligent tax workspace for preparation and review automation.
The five questions:
Where is AI genuinely reshaping strategic direction for firms?
What are firms still getting wrong about AI?
Which AI-related leadership decisions will matter most over the next two years?
Where is AI creating the greatest internal tension in firms?
By 2027, what will separate leading firms from the rest?

Five questions. One honest conversation. Part of a season that is building a definitive picture of AI reality inside accounting firms in 2026.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tP_VMLXBY8E
Thank you to our Season Partners for making this series possible.
Fieldguide is the AI-native platform for audit and advisory enabling human and AI collaboration to scale capacity, improve quality and transform how firms operate. fieldguide.io
Instead is the first AI agent that owns end-to-end tax from research, planning, filing, and defense all in one system. It replaces CCH, GoSystems, UltraTax, Lacerte, ProConnect, Drake and many more. instead.com
Karbon is the global leader in AI-powered practice management software for accounting firms. Their research into how technology is reshaping firm performance is essential reading for anyone leading a firm in 2026. karbonhq.com
Digits is the world’s first AI-native accounting platform. It's accounting software that works for you to deliver real-time financials and automate the month-end close. digits.com
Filed is the intelligent tax workspace for preparation and review automation and the only AI for prep, review and planning that runs inside your tax software especially made for high-volume firms. filed.com
Accounting Voices is a senior sense-making platform for firm owners, managing partners and senior operators navigating the forces reshaping accounting firms. Host Rob Brown convenes structured conversations with leaders across the profession to interpret what AI, private equity, consolidation and leadership pressure mean in practice.
This season, AI Reality Inside Firms, brings together senior accounting firm leaders answering the same five structured questions about how AI is actually landing inside firms, separating execution from narrative.
Find all episodes on your preferred podcast platform or on the Accounting Voices YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@accountingvoices
To find out more or to explore season partnership opportunities, connect with Rob on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown
14 min
September 22The 'Blockbuster vs Netflix' Problem in Accounting Firms
Accounting Voices is a senior leadership platform hosted by Rob Brown that interprets the forces reshaping accounting firms across North America and beyond.
This "AI Reality Inside Firms" series brings together influential accounting leaders to answer the same five structured questions about how AI is actually landing inside firms.
No hype. No vendor narratives. Just honest leadership perspective from someone navigating AI from the inside.
Today's special guest is Matthew May, the Tech CPA, currently leading accounting services at Soren.
The five questions:
Where is AI genuinely reshaping strategic direction for firms?
What are firms still getting wrong about AI?
Which AI-related leadership decisions will matter most over the next two years?
Where is AI creating the greatest internal tension in firms?
By 2027, what will separate leading firms from the rest?

Five questions. One honest conversation. Part of a season that is building a definitive picture of AI reality inside accounting firms in 2026.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yMUi4h0tMq4
Thank you to our Season Partners for making this series possible.
Fieldguide is the AI-native platform for audit and advisory enabling human and AI collaboration to scale capacity, improve quality and transform how firms operate. fieldguide.io
Instead is the first AI agent that owns end-to-end tax from research, planning, filing, and defense all in one system. It replaces CCH, GoSystems, UltraTax, Lacerte, ProConnect, Drake and many more. instead.com
Karbon is the global leader in AI-powered practice management software for accounting firms. Their research into how technology is reshaping firm performance is essential reading for anyone leading a firm in 2026. karbonhq.com
Digits is the world’s first AI-native accounting platform. It's accounting software that works for you to deliver real-time financials and automate the month-end close. digits.com
Filed is the intelligent tax workspace for preparation and review automation and the only AI for prep, review and planning that runs inside your tax software especially made for high-volume firms. filed.com
Accounting Voices is a senior sense-making platform for firm owners, managing partners and senior operators navigating the forces reshaping accounting firms. Host Rob Brown convenes structured conversations with leaders across the profession to interpret what AI, private equity, consolidation and leadership pressure mean in practice.
This season, AI Reality Inside Firms, brings together senior accounting firm leaders answering the same five structured questions about how AI is actually landing inside firms, separating execution from narrative.
Find all episodes on your preferred podcast platform or on the Accounting Voices YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@accountingvoices
To find out more or to explore season partnership opportunities, connect with Rob on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown
14 min
September 18Why Perfection Kills AI Progress in Accounting Firms
Accounting Voices is a senior leadership platform hosted by Rob Brown that interprets the forces reshaping accounting firms across North America and beyond.
This "AI Reality Inside Firms" series brings together influential accounting leaders to answer the same five structured questions about how AI is actually landing inside firms.
No hype. No vendor narratives. Just honest leadership perspective from someone navigating AI from the inside.
Today's special guest is John Roman, Chief Information Officer at Bonadio Group
The five questions:
Where is AI genuinely reshaping strategic direction for firms?
What are firms still getting wrong about AI?
Which AI-related leadership decisions will matter most over the next two years?
Where is AI creating the greatest internal tension in firms?
By 2027, what will separate leading firms from the rest?

Five questions. One honest conversation. Part of a season that is building a definitive picture of AI reality inside accounting firms in 2026.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jzao8J0Bhxg
Thank you to our Season Partners for making this series possible.
Fieldguide is the AI-native platform for audit and advisory enabling human and AI collaboration to scale capacity, improve quality and transform how firms operate. fieldguide.io
Instead is the first AI agent that owns end-to-end tax from research, planning, filing, and defense all in one system. It replaces CCH, GoSystems, UltraTax, Lacerte, ProConnect, Drake and many more. instead.com
Karbon is the global leader in AI-powered practice management software for accounting firms. Their research into how technology is reshaping firm performance is essential reading for anyone leading a firm in 2026. karbonhq.com
Digits is the world’s first AI-native accounting platform. It's accounting software that works for you to deliver real-time financials and automate the month-end close. digits.com
Filed is the intelligent tax workspace for preparation and review automation and the only AI for prep, review and planning that runs inside your tax software especially made for high-volume firms. filed.com
Accounting Voices is a senior sense-making platform for firm owners, managing partners and senior operators navigating the forces reshaping accounting firms. Host Rob Brown convenes structured conversations with leaders across the profession to interpret what AI, private equity, consolidation and leadership pressure mean in practice.
This season, AI Reality Inside Firms, brings together senior accounting firm leaders answering the same five structured questions about how AI is actually landing inside firms, separating execution from narrative.
Find all episodes on your preferred podcast platform or on the Accounting Voices YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@accountingvoices
To find out more or to explore season partnership opportunities, connect with Rob on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown
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14 min
September 15AI Is a Business Model Shift, Not a Tech Project
Accounting Voices is a senior leadership platform hosted by Rob Brown that interprets the forces reshaping accounting firms across North America and beyond.
This "AI Reality Inside Firms" series brings together influential accounting leaders to answer the same five structured questions about how AI is actually landing inside firms.
No hype. No vendor narratives. Just honest leadership perspective from someone navigating AI from the inside.
Today's special guest is Carla McCall, Managing Partner of AAFCPAs and past chair of the AICPA.
The five questions:
Where is AI genuinely reshaping strategic direction for firms?
What are firms still getting wrong about AI?
Which AI-related leadership decisions will matter most over the next two years?
Where is AI creating the greatest internal tension in firms?
By 2027, what will separate leading firms from the rest?

Five questions. One honest conversation. Part of a season that is building a definitive picture of AI reality inside accounting firms in 2026.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BkRyKcdMum8
Thank you to our Season Partners for making this series possible.
Fieldguide is the AI-native platform for audit and advisory enabling human and AI collaboration to scale capacity, improve quality and transform how firms operate. fieldguide.io
Instead is the first AI agent that owns end-to-end tax from research, planning, filing, and defense all in one system. It replaces CCH, GoSystems, UltraTax, Lacerte, ProConnect, Drake and many more. instead.com
Karbon is the global leader in AI-powered practice management software for accounting firms. Their research into how technology is reshaping firm performance is essential reading for anyone leading a firm in 2026. karbonhq.com
Digits is the world’s first AI-native accounting platform. It's accounting software that works for you to deliver real-time financials and automate the month-end close. digits.com
Filed is the intelligent tax workspace for preparation and review automation and the only AI for prep, review and planning that runs inside your tax software especially made for high-volume firms. filed.com
Accounting Voices is a senior sense-making platform for firm owners, managing partners and senior operators navigating the forces reshaping accounting firms. Host Rob Brown convenes structured conversations with leaders across the profession to interpret what AI, private equity, consolidation and leadership pressure mean in practice.
This season, AI Reality Inside Firms, brings together senior accounting firm leaders answering the same five structured questions about how AI is actually landing inside firms, separating execution from narrative.
Find all episodes on your preferred podcast platform or on the Accounting Voices YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@accountingvoices
To find out more or to explore season partnership opportunities, connect with Rob on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown
16 min
September 11Buy, Rent or Build: BDO's AI Capacity Question Answered
Accounting Voices is a senior leadership platform hosted by Rob Brown that interprets the forces reshaping accounting firms across North America and beyond.
This "AI Reality Inside Firms" series brings together influential accounting leaders to answer the same five structured questions about how AI is actually landing inside firms.
No hype. No vendor narratives. Just honest leadership perspective from someone navigating AI from the inside.
Today's special guest is Ric Opal, AI Enablement Catalyst at BDO USA.
The five questions:
Where is AI genuinely reshaping strategic direction for firms?
What are firms still getting wrong about AI?
Which AI-related leadership decisions will matter most over the next two years?
Where is AI creating the greatest internal tension in firms?
By 2027, what will separate leading firms from the rest?

Five questions. One honest conversation. Part of a season that is building a definitive picture of AI reality inside accounting firms in 2026.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ysoNusfS294
Thank you to our Season Partners for making this series possible.
Fieldguide is the AI-native platform for audit and advisory enabling human and AI collaboration to scale capacity, improve quality and transform how firms operate. fieldguide.io
Instead is the first AI agent that owns end-to-end tax from research, planning, filing, and defense all in one system. It replaces CCH, GoSystems, UltraTax, Lacerte, ProConnect, Drake and many more. instead.com
Karbon is the global leader in AI-powered practice management software for accounting firms. Their research into how technology is reshaping firm performance is essential reading for anyone leading a firm in 2026. karbonhq.com
Digits is the world’s first AI-native accounting platform. It's accounting software that works for you to deliver real-time financials and automate the month-end close. digits.com
Filed is the intelligent tax workspace for preparation and review automation and the only AI for prep, review and planning that runs inside your tax software especially made for high-volume firms. filed.com
Accounting Voices is a senior sense-making platform for firm owners, managing partners and senior operators navigating the forces reshaping accounting firms. Host Rob Brown convenes structured conversations with leaders across the profession to interpret what AI, private equity, consolidation and leadership pressure mean in practice.
This season, AI Reality Inside Firms, brings together senior accounting firm leaders answering the same five structured questions about how AI is actually landing inside firms, separating execution from narrative.
Find all episodes on your preferred podcast platform or on the Accounting Voices YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@accountingvoices
To find out more or to explore season partnership opportunities, connect with Rob on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown
14 min

About Accounting Voices

From the publisher's feed

Accounting Voices is the only accounting show built for boardroom-level leadership conversations. Hosted by Rob Brown, it exists to interpret the structural forces placing accounting firms and their leaders under sustained pressure. AI. Private equity. Consolidation. Talent strain. Shifting client expectations. Operating models under stress. These are not emerging trends. They are realities reshaping how firms operate and how leaders make decisions right now.

Where other accounting shows report news, share technical updates or offer tactical advice, Accounting Voices operates at a different altitude. This is a senior leadership platform built around structured seasonal inquiry. Each season focuses on one defined tension facing the profession. A curated cohort of senior firm leaders records focused conversations answering the same five disciplined questions. The result is not opinion or commentary. It is comparable cross-firm intelligence on how leadership decisions are actually being made inside accounting firms today.

This format is unique in the profession. No other show asks the same structured questions of multiple senior leaders. No other show produces the kind of pattern recognition that emerges when managing partners, firm owners and PE-backed executives answer the same questions independently. And no other show synthesises those patterns into forward-looking interpretation designed for leaders who are accountable for outcomes and short on time.

Previous seasons have examined AI reality inside firms, the future of advisory, leadership under pressure and the forces testing firm durability. Guests include firm owners and founders, managing partners, firm CEOs, PE-backed executives and senior operators from firms across North America. Every conversation is short, structured and designed to surface lived experience rather than theory.

Rob Brown has conducted more than 1,000 interviews with leaders across accounting, fintech and professional services. His approach is rooted in pattern recognition. He listens across dozens of senior voices and synthesises what he hears into forward-looking interpretation that helps leaders see what is changing before it becomes visible in their own firms. He is not a commentator reacting to headlines. He is an interpreter of the structural shifts that compound quietly until they reshape entire firms.

Accounting Voices is used by firm leaders and boardrooms to navigate change and support leadership teams under pressure. Partners share episodes internally to frame strategic conversations. Managing partners reference the series in leadership meetings and planning sessions. The show provides structured thinking for senior decision makers navigating complexity and ambiguity.

This is not news. It is not education. It is not a vendor platform. It is not a guest submission show. Participation is by invitation only and limited to senior leaders whose lived experience directly informs the season theme. Every season is editorially independent. Sponsors do not shape topics, select guests or influence direction.

The platform operates across all major podcast channels, YouTube and LinkedIn. It is syndicated through CPA Trendlines and distributed to accounting professionals globally. Accounting Voices also underpins private leadership conversations with firms, networks and associations. The same structured format is used in closed settings to help leadership teams align around the pressures they face internally. The public show is the proof of concept. The private work is where it lands.

If you lead an accounting firm or sit inside one navigating structural change, this show was built for you. Not to tell you what to think. To help you think more clearly about what is already in front of you.

Rob also hosts BACKED, a dedicated YouTube series examining capital, control and power inside accounting firms. BACKED is the only platform covering private equity, consolidation and independence in accounting at depth. Through long-form interviews with PE investors, consolidator CEOs, independent firm owners and M&A advisors, BACKED surfaces the real decisions and consequences behind the capital transformation reshaping the profession. Watch at youtube.com/@accountingvoices