AAT CEO emphasises importance of a digital-first approach to ensure future relevance
16 May 2024
On Thursday 16 May, the Chief Executive of the Association for Accounting Technicians (AAT) Sarah Beale delivered a talk at the Digital Excellence conference in London – the largest digital-focused national conference for the membership sector in the UK.
Beale shone a light on the benefits of a digital-first approach and specifically how this aligns with AAT's strategic plan focused on keeping the accounting profession relevant, driving up standards and building responsible business.
AAT is the voice of more than 50,000 professional members who collectively serve more than half a million small businesses in the UK. AAT's Strategy recognises that the world is changing fast and with it the role of the accountant. A digital-first approach is seen as critical to enhancing accessibility in an increasingly globalised and digital landscape.
Today was the 20th edition of the national conference, attended by around 500 senior membership and association professional delegates.
AAT Chief Executive Sarah Beale said:
"Today's conference presents a great opportunity to take on new ideas, share our own, and foster collaboration across multiple professions and sectors. There's so much we can learn from each other's approaches, especially with the constantly developing landscape in digital and tech – there's especially an appetite to hear new ideas and innovations.
"I also think it's really important that we are all strong voices for digital advocacy. There is understandably some apprehension regarding digitalisation and especially AI technology, but these events present a platform to reinforce the message that actually developing technologies can bring about new innovations and opportunities. The way we see it is it's not humans versus machines, but humans and machines versus problems – and that's got to be a positive."
As part of her talk Beale also spoke of the role digital platforms have and will continue to play in harnessing a strong sense of community among AAT students, members and the wider profession, with the opportunity to remove physical and international barriers, as well as provide easily accessible online resources.
Work is already underway at AAT to showcase the benefits of AI to students as well as build important understanding around the ethics and policies of using such technology.
