Accountex London 2026: 19 sessions you can’t miss

Is it that time already? Accountex London is right around the corner, and like every year, it promises to be one of the biggest events on the calendar.

With over 240 sessions across 2 days, 16 theatres, and 300+ exhibitors, planning your time will be as exciting as it is complex.

Here’s a list of 19 high-value sessions you can use as a starting point when building your own agenda.

Day 1: 13 May

What's next for finance? How today's CFO mindset is reshaping tomorrow's decisions

Time: 10.20am–11am

Speakers:

• Heather Stockton, Champion Accountants

• Darren Cran, AIQ Group

• James Sundin, R.E.P.R.E.S.E.N.T

• Elaine Birch, AccountsIQ

CFOs and Finance Directors are under pressure from all sides—tech choices, rising client expectations, and rapidly shifting industry demands. This session surfaces exclusive insight into how finance leaders feel about AI, automation, and decision-making confidence. You'll leave with a clearer picture of where finance leadership is heading and what needs to change to get there.

The change-ready leader: Preparing your firm for what's next

Time: 10.20am–11am

Speaker: Heather Townsend, Accountants' Growth Club

MTD forced change on you, and now AI, talent wars, and new regulations are next in line. This session gives exhausted firm owners a practical recovery roadmap: a post-MTD triage system, a 'buffer' formula for building time and headspace, and an anti-fragile framework that turns regulatory chaos into competitive advantage.

Lessons accountants can learn from elite sport

Time: 12.20pm–1pm

Speakers:

• Roger Black, BackleyBlack Ltd

• Steve Backley, Backley Black Ltd

Two Olympic champions share the non-negotiable traits of high performance and why they translate directly from the track to the boardroom. Through personal storytelling, Roger and Steve connect the mindset, resilience, and habits forged in elite sport to the behaviours that drive success in any organisation.

What happens to the value of relationships when your client is AI?

Time: 12.20pm–1pm

Speakers:

• Alastair Barlow, flinder

• Stuart Mcleod, Archie

• Emily Dear, Moore Global

• Des O'Neill, ProfitPro

When your client is no longer a person but an AI system, what happens to the relationship at the heart of great client service? This session challenges accountants to examine whether empathy, judgement and human connection still have a place in an AI-first economy, and what new forms of value professionals must cultivate to stay indispensable.

Adopting AI in your firm: A practical guide to AI

Time: 1.20pm–2pm

Speakers:

• Mary Delaney, Karbon

• Rowan Van Tromp, Karbon

• Frances Kay, App Advisory Plus/TC Group (Farnell Clarke)

You don't need to be an AI expert to use it well. This session walks you through a practical three-phase framework: individual experimentation, team adoption, and operational embedding. Discover how to automate emails, meeting notes, variance analysis, and SOPs while building confidence across your firm. You'll leave with clear next steps to save time and elevate advisory work.

The true state of talent: Salary benchmarks and employee expectations revealed

Time: 1.20pm–2pm

Speakers:

• Matthew Gregson, Howden

• Louise Hellem, CBI

• Gareth John, First Intuition

• Lorraine Twist, Hays Accountancy & Finance

How much should you really be paying your staff? What benefits matter most to today's accounting talent? This data-driven session lifts the lid on the latest salary insights and employee benefits trends across the profession, backed by economic context from the CBI and expert commentary from recruitment partners.

The architecture of leadership: How great leaders are actually built

Time: 2.20pm–3pm

Speaker: Laura Cadman, Laura Cadman Limited

Using architecture as a metaphor, this session explores what really goes into developing strong, effective leaders: solid foundations, clear structures, and the courage to renovate outdated habits. You'll leave with a practical framework for building leadership capability that supports performance, people, and long-term resilience.

How to increase revenue without new clients

Time: 2.20pm–3pm

Speaker: Grace Hardy, Hardy Accounting

Many accounting firms leave significant revenue on the table by treating tax work as purely compliance rather than strategic advisory. Grace Hardy makes the case for deepening existing client relationships through proactive tax advisory via quarterly strategy reviews, entity structuring, and high-net-worth planning to create recurring revenue from the clients you already have and trust.

LinkedIn for accountants and bookkeepers who hate showing off

Time: 2.20pm–3pm

Speaker: Ashley Leeds, Full Cup Coaching

Most accountants don't need another LinkedIn 'how to'. They need a way to show up that doesn't feel cringey or salesy. LinkedIn coach Ashley Leeds shares how simple 15-minute-a-day habits built a thriving business working with accounting professionals. You'll leave with an easy routine you can actually stick to, even if you hate the spotlight.

Is AI recommending your business?

Time: 2.20pm–3pm

Speaker: Callum Macrae, JE Consulting

Instead of Googling you, your next client will ask ChatGPT. 77% of ChatGPT users already use it instead of search engines, and it recommends firms that look the most credible online. This session breaks down how AI search actually works and how to optimise your online efforts so it will recommend you.

Day 2: 14 May

Spreadsheets to stories: How to present with confidence and impact to non-finance stakeholders

Time: 10.20am–11am

Speaker: Kolarele Sonaike, The Great Speech Consultancy

Numbers tell you ‘what’. Stories tell you ‘why’. Whether you're presenting to a board, a leadership team, or a room full of shareholders, the ability to turn complex financial data into a clear, compelling narrative is a critical skill. This session will show you how to communicate with the kind of clarity and confidence that helps stakeholders make better decisions.

Cloud accounting is dead: Long live digital

Time: 10.20am–11am

Speakers:

• Ryan Pearcy, Digital Disruptors

• Frances Kay, App Advisory Plus/TC Group (Farnell Clarke)

Cloud accounting moved firms from desktop software to real-time client conversations, but it was only the foundation. Today's clients want deeper discussions about operations and performance. This session explores the shift from cloud finance to true digital service delivery, showing how forward-thinking firms build connected ecosystems, automate workflows, and unlock higher-value advisory.

CPD on steroids: The career-boosting power of volunteering

Time: 12.20pm–1pm

Speaker: Alex Marsh, Charterpath

What if the most powerful professional development you could do was completely free? This panel features finance professionals who found that volunteering their skills fast-tracked leadership capabilities, built confidence, and opened unexpected career doors.

Planning your exit: Strategies for a smooth transition from practice ownership

Time: 12.20pm–1pm

Speakers:

• Bridget Foley, ACCA

• Chloe Britnell, PJCO

• Shiv Shah, TC Group

• Peter Jarman, PJCO

Every practice owner will exit someday. The question is whether it'll be on your terms. This expert panel covers when to start planning, what buyers look for, the exit routes available, and how to prepare effectively. Whether succession is years away or on the horizon, you'll leave with a clearer picture of what a well-executed exit strategy actually looks like.

Why choosing clients is the most expensive decision in your firm

Time: 12.20pm–1pm

Speaker: Rachel Harris, striveX, accountant_she & strively

Most firms lack visibility into which leads are actually profitable. Rachel Harris introduces the PROFIT Filter™, a practical method for deciding who to accept, who to decline, and why. Better data at the point of enquiry reveals hidden patterns in pricing and client fit, helping you grow confidently without adding more work.

The state of AI in accounting 2026: Trends, challenges and opportunities

Time: 12.20pm–1pm

Speakers:

• Mary Delaney, Karbon

• Rowan Van Tromp, Karbon

• Frances Kay, App Advisory Plus/TC Group (Farnell Clarke)

AI in accounting has moved past the hype and it's now about execution. This session unpacks the key findings from The State of AI in Accounting 2026 Report: which tools are gaining traction, why scepticism is growing alongside adoption, and how training, governance, and strategy predict success.

The gender pensions gap: The hidden retirement crisis for women in the UK

Time: 1.20pm–2pm

Speaker: Samantha Gould, now:pensions

To retire with the same pension as a man, a woman has to start saving at three years of age simply because the system is broken. Drawing on data, this session pulls apart how inequality compounds over time across pay, work, and care, asking the uncomfortable question: why is it still accepted?

It's 2026, but your Excel skills are in 1993

Time: 1.20pm–2pm

Speakers:

• Tracey Leavold, First Intuition

• Louisa Matheson, First Intuition

• Katie Scott, First Intuition

• Mark Proctor, Excel Off The Grid

Excel has gained powerful features over the last few decades that can turn hours of work into seconds, but most finance professionals are still relying on VLOOKUP and PivotTables. This session will show you what you've been missing and why outdated skills are costing your team time every single day.

How to get the important things done: The procrastination matrix + time-brain model

Time: 1.20pm–2pm

Speaker: Vikki Yaffe, Time Hackers Ltd

Traditional time management doesn't work for accountants juggling clients, deadlines, and constant interruptions. This session reveals why some tasks get done instantly while others sit on your list for weeks (and what to do about it). You'll discover the Time Hacker Model and the Procrastination Matrix: practical tools to stop stalling on high-value work and start making real progress.

See you at Accountex London 2026

The Accountex London agenda is one of the busiest of the year. Use this list to start building out your plan, remembering to leave room to network and say hello to the Karbon team at booth #930