Accountants from across the UK converged on Manchester Central on 23 September for Accountex Summit North 2025, where the conversations ranged from the countdown to Making Tax Digital (MTD) to the realities of AI, cybercrime, and carbon reporting.
With less than 200 days until MTD for Income Tax Self Assessment (ITSA) goes live, and new regulatory reforms on the horizon, the message throughout the day was consistent: firms that combine strong teams, modern technology and a forward-looking mindset will thrive in a rapidly changing profession.
A breakfast call to action
The day began with an early Sage breakfast session, where the looming April 2026 MTD ITSA deadline set the tone. Craig Ogilvie urged firms to get hands-on with HMRC’s pilot: “Learning through doing is what gives the best results. It’s not too late — but now is the time to get into testing.”
Karen Ainley captured the scale of the shift: “I don’t think I’ve seen this level of change in the 30 years I’ve been in the industry.” Sage also previewed its AI-enabled Copilot assistant, designed to help practices manage MTD compliance.
The takeaway: testing, digitising and engaging clients now will be the difference between smooth transition and scramble.
How are accountants using AI?
The first theatre session on AI adoption revealed both enthusiasm and caution. Wolters Kluwer research showed 91% of firms are using or planning to use AI, yet concerns remain over accuracy (43%) and productivity (38%).
For Paul Freeman, CTO of DJH, a 700-strong firm, governance and change management are as big a challenge as the technology: “Getting 700 people to swing behind a new system requires as much communication and patience as the technology itself.”
Stephen Leonard of Winders, with just 15 staff, described a more agile approach: “Perfection gets in the way of progress. Sometimes you just have to try it and adapt.”
Both agreed on the urgency. Freeman noted the “fear factor has gone” within his firm, while Leonard warned: “Clients are already asking AI questions and believing the outputs. If you don’t understand the tools, you won’t be able to challenge them.”
Interview: Hannah Bowater, Silverfin
Between sessions, Hannah Bowater, Senior Customer Success Manager at Silverfin, reflected on how firms are handling this pace of change. For her, technology is only part of the answer: “Change isn’t only about moving from one piece of software to another—it’s a hearts and minds piece. If you can win people over and give them the skills and confidence to use new tools, the transition is so much easier.”
She was blunt about compliance: “It will soon almost be dead. It’s becoming less the core of what firms offer, and more a regulatory cost of doing business. The real value lies in business advisory—helping clients understand their numbers, improve efficiency, and make better decisions.”
Bowater also highlighted the profession’s shifting skillset, where communication and innovation are as vital as technical knowledge. Looking ahead, she warned that retention is the next big challenge, and argued that good technology and efficient processes will be central to keeping staff engaged.
Driving revenue with AI-powered financial platforms
A mid-morning panel turned to how AI can create tangible growth. Mark Bodega (Intuit QuickBooks) cited research showing 77% of UK SMBs using AI report productivity gains, and are 13 times more likely to see revenue growth.
Jo Nockels (TaxAssist) saw the greatest opportunity in client communication: “If AI could automate the segmentation and communications we had to do manually for MTD, it would transform the way we work.”
Kamran Shaikh (Morgan Reach) pointed to savings in AML and KYC, while Fi Titus (Fineo AI) reframed the debate: “It’s not here to replace you, but to amplify you.”
The consensus: AI is no longer hype — it is already boosting productivity, revenues and client retention.
AML essentials still neglected
In Anti-Money Laundering: The essentials, panellists from ACCA and AIA highlighted recurring compliance failures. Aranjeet Gill (ACCA) stressed: “If it’s not written down, we can’t say it happened.”
Weak firm-wide risk assessments, untailored procedures, poor record-keeping and under-reporting of SARs remain stubbornly common. Smaller firms were warned not to assume they are low risk: criminals often target them precisely because controls are weaker.
Recent developments — including the July 2025 National Risk Assessment and new Companies House ACSP registration requirements — were flagged as urgent priorities. The warning was blunt: firms that neglect AML fundamentals risk fines, reputational damage, and even prosecution.
A cyber security wake-up call
Cybercrime was brought into sharp relief in Cyber Security: Defending our digital future. Phil Hobden (Sage) revealed that 67% of accounting firms suffered an attack in the past year, yet fewer than one in ten hold Cyber Essentials certification.
Alex Falcon Huerta (Soaring Falcon) shared her loss of £53,000 in a Revolut scam, underscoring how sophisticated fraud has become. DI Dan Giannasi (NWCRC) stressed these are organised operations, not lone hackers.
Myrtle Lloyd (HMRC) reminded firms they are part of the “digital trust ecosystem” and must protect not only themselves but also their clients. With AI making phishing more convincing, cultural vigilance is as vital as technical defences.
Beyond compliance: Xero’s challenge
Lianne Gatti (Xero) urged accountants to look past compliance in her session Beyond compliance: Thriving in the next era of accounting. She warned of talent shortages — UK accounting degree enrolments are down 56% since 2010 — but also pointed to rising revenues and profits across practices.
She questioned low adoption of tools such as bank feeds and payments, and predicted e-invoicing mandates would soon follow MTD. On AI, she envisaged firms with “AI agents” alongside human staff: “The future isn’t AI replacing accountants, but accountants systemising routine work and humanising the exceptions.”
Interview: Stewart Hurd, FreeAgent
For Stewart Hurd, Chief Sales Officer at FreeAgent, MTD ITSA should be seen as more than a compliance hurdle. “Every regulatory change creates a reason for action — and with it, opportunities,” he said.
FreeAgent recently ranked first in Accountancy Age’s study of MTD platforms, a reflection of its push into larger practices. Hurd described readiness across the market as “uneven”, with many firms still undecided on pricing strategies and client engagement.
He pointed to NatWest-owned FreeAgent’s integration with business banking as an immediate efficiency gain, and warned against under-using technology: “If practices buy software but only use a fraction of its functionality, they’ll just add cost without gaining efficiency.”
Team + tech = MTD success
A panel featuring Stu McEwan and Gem Malek (FreeAgent), Courtney Warburton (Gorilla Accounting) and Amie Wilson (Harold Sharp) framed MTD preparation as cultural as much as technical.
Warburton stressed habit-building with clients: “As long as you’re clear on what clients need to do, nothing should come as a surprise.” Wilson advocated bite-sized information, while McEwan and Malek emphasised automation and empathy.
Trialling software and joining HMRC’s open pilot were identified as crucial steps to avoid a last-minute rush.
HMRC’s digital future
Closing the day, Jonathan Athow, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Strategy and Tax Design, called MTD ITSA “the biggest change to income tax since the introduction of self assessment nearly 30 years ago.”
From April 2026, landlords and sole traders with turnover above £50,000 will be mandated into MTD, with thresholds lowering in subsequent years to bring nearly three million taxpayers into scope.
Athow also confirmed HMRC’s broader digital goal: 90% of interactions online by 2030, supported by the HMRC app, already used by six million people. The message: digital record-keeping is no longer optional.
Carbon accounting as a service
In a Sage-hosted session, Gavin Spencer (Beach Accountants), Mick Seddon (The Green Accountants) and Rebecca Trudgett (Switchfoot Accounting) explained how carbon reporting is shifting from compliance to opportunity.
Seddon shared how sustainability credentials became essential for a client to win NHS contracts: “He went from one of seven suppliers to one of two — it transformed the value of his business.”
Trudgett and Spencer highlighted the role of benchmarking and storytelling, while Saara Benfield (Sage Earth) stressed the accessibility of new tools. The consensus: carbon accounting differentiates firms and strengthens both client loyalty and talent attraction.
Interview: Ben Crow, iplicit
Rounding out the event, Ben Crow, VP of Partnerships at iplicit, warned against “rushing in without strategy” when it comes to AI. His Kindle anecdote — where sharing an account with his mother-in-law confused Amazon’s algorithms — illustrated the dangers of poor data foundations.
Research from iplicit shows two in five finance leaders remain hesitant, while 60% are adopting without clear plans. Crow identified three essentials: modern systems, structured data, and confident teams.
At iplicit, he said, AI adoption was driven through “champions” and safe experimentation: “When people understand the ‘why’, they embrace the change.” His message to finance leaders was pragmatic: “Don’t ignore AI — but don’t rush in blindly either. Assess your systems, clean your data, prepare your teams, and then adopt with confidence.”
Conclusion
From MTD deadlines to AI strategies and sustainability opportunities, Accountex Summit North 2025 showed an industry grappling with unprecedented change. The themes were strikingly consistent across sessions: technology must be matched with people, strategy and communication.