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Accounting M&A Podcast

Accounting M&A Podcast

By: Rob Brown
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Accounting M&A is the show that unpacks the wave of consolidation transforming the accounting profession. Hosted by Rob Brown, it brings together the leaders, investors and advisors behind the deals that are reshaping firm ownership, culture and strategy across North America and beyond. Private equity is one of the most powerful forces in accounting today. Firms are being bought, merged and restructured at record pace as investors see the profession as a gateway to long-term, recurring revenue and trusted client relationships. Accounting M&A explains what this means for firm owners, partners and next-generation leaders who need to understand valuation, succession and scale. Each monthly panel features four high-profile guests drawn from accounting firms, private equity houses, networks, law firms and M&A advisors. Together they share the insights, data and experience behind the numbers. Listeners learn how deals are financed, structured and integrated, what drives valuation multiples and where risk and opportunity lie. The show also explores the human impact of consolidation. What happens to culture when outside capital enters? How do leaders retain talent, purpose and independence in PE-backed environments? What does succession look like for founders who want an exit but also a legacy? Accounting M&A addresses these real questions with candour and balance. For firm leaders planning growth or sale, for consultants advising on transactions and for investors seeking to understand the profession, Accounting M&A offers context, clarity and credibility. It blends market intelligence with strategic insight, giving listeners a front-row seat to the most disruptive trend in accounting. Accounting M&A is part of the Accounting Voices Network, which also includes the solo show Accounting Voices and the panel series Accounting AI. Together they give the profession relevance, visibility and a stronger voice. Accounting M&A is a monthly video panel that explores the growing impact of private equity, mergers and acquisitions on accounting firms. Hosted by Rob Brown, the show features firm leaders, investors, advisors and consultants who are driving or analysing the wave of consolidation across North America and beyond. Each discussion reveals how deals are changing ownership structures, culture, succession and valuation in the profession. Accounting M&A gives firm leaders clarity and context on one of the most powerful forces shaping the future of accounting.Copyright 2025 Rob Brown Economics Management Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • Recalibrating Engagements with Your Accounting Clients
    Jan 26 2023

    It's the "UK Matters in Accounting" show, usually going out every Friday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. However, in Jan 2023 we are phasing out this show and putting out this content on our sister Success in Accounting Show which hopefully you're already subscribed to.

    In today's episode 30, "Recalibrating Engagements with Your Accounting Clients"

    Rob Brown interviews accounting celebrity Carl Reader on how accountants can reset their relationships with clients for stronger relationships & payments.

    Carl covers engagement letters, communicating updates to clients and what should happen with an annual renewal letter to clients. This should include a recalibration of fees, terms of engagement and a better annual review meeting with clients. Lots of goodies here for all accountants to shape their firm for future turbulence and better clients.

    This is a part two of the interview with Carl here on our Best Practice in Accounting show:

    "What Works for Accountant to Get Paid Promptly"

    https://best-practice-in-accounting.captivate.fm/episode/what-works-for-accountant-firm-to-get-paid-promptly

    *** Please make sure as we shut down this show that you're subscribed to our flagship show going forward: Success in Accounting. This will become the Accounting Influencers Podcast from early Feb 2023. ***

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    For access to every single show with full shownotes: https://accountinginfluencers.com/podcast

    For announcements of published shows, tagging guest so you can build your network and offer feedback on the show: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencers

    For videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtube

    https://www.instagram.com/accinfluencers

    https://twitter.com/accinfluencers

    https://www.facebook.com/accountinginfluencers

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Dead Show / YouTube

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    15 mins
  • MTD – How HMRC Is Losing Credibility & Reputation
    Jan 19 2023

    It's the "UK Matters in Accounting" show, usually going out every Friday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. However, in Jan 2023 we are phasing out this show and putting out this content on our sister Success in Accounting Show which hopefully you're already subscribed to.

    In today's episode 29, "MTD - How HMRC Is Losing Credibility & Reputation"

    Check out the video version of this episode here on Youtube: [LINK]

    Rob Brown and Will Farnell discuss the latest HMRC backtrack with Making Tax Digital MTD and how it is losing credibility and reputation with accountants

    » how MTD u-turns by the government and HMRC are adversely affecting accountants and their clients

    » why MTD should be seen as creating an opportunity more than solving a problem for accountants and clients

    » the 'once in a generation' opportunity that MTD represents for accountants to significantly increase their value to clients

    » how the 'tax gap' opened up to reduce loss of tax revenues and how MTD was created to close it

    » the strange order or personal tax, corporation tax and VAT that was not fully thought through with MTD

    » what the future holds for MTD and the accounting profession serving their clients in a more digitised way

    Be sure to subscribe to the Success in Accounting podcast going out every Monday - this will soon revert back to its old name Accounting Influencers Podcast.

    Main show website. For access to every single show with full shownotes: https://accountinginfluencers.com/podcast

    For announcements of published shows, tagging guest so you can build your network and offer feedback on the show:

    https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencers

    For videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video

    content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtube

    https://www.instagram.com/accinfluencers

    https://twitter.com/accinfluencers

    https://www.facebook.com/accountinginfluencer

    https://www.facebook.com/accountinginfluencers

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Dead Show / YouTube

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    12 mins
  • The Full Impact of Chat GPT and AI in Accounting
    Jan 12 2023

    It's the "UK Matters in Accounting" show, usually going out every Friday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. However, in Jan 2023 we are phasing out this show and putting out this content on our sister Success in Accounting Show which hopefully you're already subscribed to.

    In today's episode 28, "The Full Impact of Chat GPT and AI in Accounting"

    Here is the transcript for this show, generated by Chat GPT with some smart AI prompting questions:

    Hello, and welcome to the podcast. In this episode, we will be discussing the impact of Chat GPT, or Generative Pre-training Transformer, on the world of accountants and CPAs.

    First, let's define Chat GPT. It's a machine learning model developed by OpenAI that is able to generate human-like text and can be used to assist accountants and CPAs in a variety of tasks.

    But how did Chat GPT come about, and why is it making waves in so many industries? Chat GPT was developed by OpenAI, a leading artificial intelligence research lab, as a way to improve natural language processing. It builds upon the concept of pre-training, which involves training a model on a large dataset to recognize patterns and relationships in language. By pre-training a model on a massive amount of text data, it can then be fine-tuned for specific tasks, such as translation or language generation.

    The development of Chat GPT marked a significant step forward in the field of natural language processing and has led to its widespread adoption in a variety of industries.

    Now, let's dive into how Chat GPT can help accountants and CPAs.

    One way it can assist is by generating reports and documents. Imagine having to create a financial report for a client. This can be a time-consuming and tedious task, but with Chat GPT, you can simply input the necessary data and let the model do the rest. It will generate a professional, accurate report in a fraction of the time it would take a human.

    Another way Chat GPT can be useful is by providing data analysis. It can be trained to analyze financial data and provide insights and recommendations based on that analysis. This can be especially helpful for accountants and CPAs who are looking to make informed decisions for their clients.

    Chat GPT can also be used to automate routine tasks, such as data entry and reconciliation. This can free up time for accountants and CPAs to focus on more complex tasks, improving efficiency and productivity.

    Finally, Chat GPT can even be used to provide customer service. It can handle basic customer inquiries and provide information to clients, allowing accountants and CPAs to focus on more complex tasks.

    So, as you can see, Chat GPT has the potential to significantly streamline processes and improve efficiency for accountants and CPAs. But what about the potential drawbacks? Some disadvantages of using Chat GPT include the initial setup and training, which can be time-consuming and costly. Additionally, Chat GPT is still limited in its capabilities and may not be able to handle more complex tasks. Finally, using Chat GPT may create a reliance on technology, and if there are issues with the system, it could disrupt work and cause delays.

    Now, let's take a look at some statistics to give you an idea of the potential impact Chat GPT could have on your practice and your clients: According to a recent survey, over 70% of accountants and

    CPAs believe that machine learning will significantly change the way they do business in the next 5 years.

    Another study found that the use of artificial intelligence in accounting could save up to 400 million hours of manual data entry per year. One company that implemented Chat GPT saw a 25% increase in productivity and a 10% reduction in errors.

    These statistics show that Chat GPT has the potential to significantly impact the

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    15 mins
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