Agenda

This workshop is designed for anyone responsible for performance conversations, feedback or stakeholder management - particularly in fast-moving, people-focused organisations.

This one-hour interactive workshop is a practical, one-hour workshop designed to help you lead effective performance conversations, including the ones you’d rather put off!

We will work in small groups to explore how performance conversations really land. Through relatable scenarios and hands-on practice, you’ll have a go at the conversations you’ve been avoiding – in a safe, supportive space. Expect laughter, insight and practical takeaways that make it easier to say the things that matter, earlier and better.

Then come the real-world curveballs – underperformance, shifting expectations, emotional reactions and hybrid working pressures. Can you keep it honest, kind and focused on performance… without overthinking every word?
Participants will:

• build the trust needed for open, honest conversations
• develop confidence in giving and receiving feedback
• learn practical structures for everyday performance discussions
• gain tools for setting clear goals and expectations
• practise addressing issues early, without drama or defensiveness

Join an interactive session to help turbocharge growth in your business. Looking at how we can approach the challenges around “growth” and empower our teams at the same time too.

Through fast-paced, hands-on activities, you’ll learn how to motivate teams, clear roadblocks, and spark ideas that lead to wins.

You’ll leave with a focused BD action plan, practical ideas you can use right away, and tools to support longterm growth

Imagine wiping the slate clean and creating the perfect firm for tomorrow’s world. In this dynamic, round-table workshop, you’ll work in small groups to design a firm from the ground up - shaping your ideal team, defining client personas, setting board structures, and mapping out the roles that will drive success.

Then comes the challenge: your facilitator will throw real-world curveballs – talent walkouts, regulatory upheaval, tech disruption, even national crises. Can your new firm adapt and thrive?

And does your new “designer firm” outperform the firm you lead today?…

Audit partners and heads of audit will now break away for their own sessions as part of Alternative Accountancy Audit.

14:30 – Welcome from Alternative Events
Zoe Lacey-Cooper, Portfolio Director – Accountancy, Alternative Events

14:33 Welcome from our Headline Sponsor QX Ltd
Pramith Naidu, VP – Client Relations, QX Accounting Services

14:35 – Welcome and chair’s opening remarks
Lindsey Tyler, Group Head of Audit, Sumer

14:40 – Panel discussion: Seizing the audit spotlight – turning today’s momentum into tomorrow’s success
Audit is no longer the back-office underdog, it’s the crown jewel driving growth, profitability, and strategic influence across accountancy firms. In this high-energy panel, three audit leaders reveal how to capitalise on audit’s meteoric rise, inspire teams, and turn the current limelight into lasting impact. Expect bold strategies for harnessing new tech, navigating regulatory headwinds, and building resilient, future-ready teams. Discover how to lead with confidence, maintain momentum, and ensure audit remains the firm’s most valuable asset – now and for the future.
Philippa Duckworth, Director – Head of Audit and Financial Reporting, Wilson Partners
Anne Dwyer, Audit Partner, Kreston Reeves
Gary Chadwick, Group Head of Audit, DJH

15:15 – Group Therapy Roundtable Discussions (Audit) – Part One

Roundtables are 30-minute discussion groups, each led by an audit leader from an accountancy firm.

The hallmark of an Alternative Event, the peer-to-peer roundtable discussions are like group therapy for technology leaders. These small groups, following the Chatham House rule, allow everyone to share problems and solutions. Each discussion runs twice, allowing you to choose two separate topics to attend in this session. These facilitated discussions will deliver insights and takeaways from peers that are simply not otherwise available.

1. Retention is dead. Acceleration wins. Stop fighting churn.
How firms are rewriting pathways to get juniors competent fast, focus on retaining only the stars, and re tooling managers who struggle to “let go”.
Christian Heeger, Audit and Brighton Office Managing Partner, Galloways Accounting

2. Closing the audit gap: from client silence to seamless sign-off
Explore practical tactics for balancing on-site and remote work, boosting client responsiveness, and keeping projects profitable to the very end.
Bronwen de Abreu, Audit and Data Analytics Director, MHA

3. From process to purpose: cultivating sceptical, savvy auditors
As automation takes over the grunt work, discover practical ways to foster scepticism and decision-making skills in your team, ensuring evidence is interrogated – not just accepted.
Fred Norman, Audit Director, Harold Sharp

4. Audit tech that pays (not just plays)
Are you tired of audit tech demos that dazzle but don’t deliver? This roundtable cuts through the noise, spotlighting the tools and strategies that actually move the needle for audit firms. Join Cory from BK Plus as he leads a candid discussion on what’s working, what’s not, and how to make tech investments pay off – on the bottom line, not just the balance sheet. We’ll tackle integration headaches, ROI reality checks, and the myth of the “silver bullet” solution. Bring your war stories, your wish lists, and your toughest questions. It’s time to separate the tech that pays from the tech that just plays.
Cory Mason, Audit Tech Lead, BK Plus

15:45 – Networking break
The Alternative Accountancy Audit Summit continues after the networking break.

Roundtable discussions are 30-minutes, each led by a leader from an accountancy practice firm.

The hallmark of an Alternative Event, the peer-to-peer discussions are like group therapy for firm leaders. These small groups, following the Chatham House rule, allow everyone to share problems and solutions. Each discussion runs twice, allowing you to choose two separate topics to attend in this session.

These facilitated discussions will deliver insights and takeaways from peers that are simply not otherwise available.

1. Remuneration strategies – what are the options?
How should firm leaders be rewarded in a world of private equity, corporate models, and rising expectations? This roundtable explores the future of partner pay – from profit-share to bold new hybrids, with a focus on fairness, transparency, and performance. We’ll dig into the big questions: How do you measure value beyond billables? And how can leadership build consensus for change? Hear leaders share what works, what doesn’t, and practical ideas for designing models that support growth and keep partners engaged.
Simon Rowe, Chairman, Milsted Langdon

2. Beyond busy: what does ‘good’ productivity actually look like?
Forget just being busy – what does real productivity mean in 2026? This roundtable will challenge the myth that ‘everyone’s flat out’ and dig into the wide spectrum of what firms consider “good” productivity and utilisation. Are your targets meaningful, or just inherited from the past? How do you balance chargeable hours, outcomes, and client value in a world where AI and automation are changing the rules? Let’s get honest about what’s working, what’s not, and how to set standards that actually drive results.
Andy Ross, Former CEO, Caroola Group (including Caroola Accountancy)

3. Getting the mid-market right? Finding the sweet spot between complexity and scale
The mid-market is where opportunity and challenge collide. This session invites leaders to share how they’re navigating the unique pressures of the mid-tier: balancing agility with the need for robust systems, scaling up without losing the personal touch, and managing complexity as client demands and technology evolve. Are you thriving in the sweet spot, or feeling squeezed from both sides? Let’s get real about what works and what doesn’t when you’re aiming for sustainable, scalable growth.
Anoop Rehal, Partner, BKL

4. The leadership leap: succession, EQ, and the partner path of the future
What does leadership look like in a future ready firm? In this session, senior leaders will share how they are tackling succession planning, building emotional intelligence, and redefining partner paths to meet the evolving expectations of future partners. Expect candid insights into what’s working, what’s changing, and how firms are creating partner paths that genuinely fit their business and people -ensuring the next generation of leaders is ready for tomorrow’s challenges.
Victoria Kirkhope, Chief People Officer, Wbg (ex-CPO of RSM) & Lynn Radose, Product Director, Mercia

5. What’s the plan? Helping marketing understand your growth goals so they can deliver results**
Every firm is facing the same challenge: growth is a priority, but without clear direction, marketing teams struggle to turn strategy into results. When the strategy isn’t fully articulated, it’s hard for teams to promote it with confidence. Moderated by an accountancy marketing expert, this roundtable creates an open, peer-led discussion with senior leaders who are candidly sharing what is and isn’t working inside their firms. From BD alignment and brand clarity to culture-led talent attraction, you’ll hear how others are translating strategy into action, where progress has stalled and which conversations have helped unlock progress. If you want practical, real-world insight from firms dealing with the exact same pressures, this is the room you need to be in – and the clarity your marketing team has been waiting for starts here!
Callum Macrae, Marketing Director, JE Consulting

6. Competitive Advantage: Brand or bland? Standing out in a sea of sameness
Brand, culture & client experience. In a crowded market, how do you stand out? Is it tech, talent, or something else? The best firms are doubling down on culture, client relationships, and brand—but it’s easier said than done. As consolidation sweeps the sector, firms risk losing their identity. This session explores how brand value is built and diluted in the age of private equity, M&A and for those staying independent also. Learn how management style, culture, and client strategy shape your firm’s reputation and how to protect it.
Helen Spencer, Managing Partner, WR Partners

7. Pricing Models for the AI Era
AI and embedded automation are collapsing old assumptions about effort, time, and billing. This discussion examines the future of pricing: when technology removes traditional “training-ground” tasks and compresses delivery time, how do firms price work, measure cost, and communicate value to clients? Is time-based billing dying or simply misunderstood?
Lee Brook, CEO, BKL

8. How global shifts are reshaping firm structure – and what that really means day-to-day
We’ll explore the pressures forcing firms to rethink their internal design, including:

• Consolidation waves and the rise of crossborder networks
• The tension between growth, governance, and partner autonomy
• Scaling beyond traditional models while protecting culture
• The realities of reorganising functions, introducing new leadership layers, and confronting resistance
• Partners will share how it actually works inside their firms – the politics, the missteps, the breakthroughs, and the parts nobody prepares you for.

Nitish Mittal, Partner – Technology, Everest Group

Continuation of the Alternative Accountancy Audit programme

16:15 – 16:45
Group Therapy Roundtable Discussions (Audit) – Part Two

1. Retention Is dead. Acceleration wins. Stop fighting churn.
A look at how firms are rewriting pathways to get juniors competent fast, focus on retaining only the stars, and re tooling managers who struggle to “let go”.
Christian Heeger, Audit and Brighton Office Managing Partner, Galloways Accounting

2. Closing the audit gap: from client silence to seamless sign-off
Explore practical tactics for balancing on-site and remote work, boosting client responsiveness, and keeping projects profitable to the very end.
Bronwen de Abreu, Audit and Data Analytics Director, MHA

3. From process to purpose: cultivating sceptical, savvy auditors
As automation takes over the grunt work, discover practical ways to foster scepticism and decision-making skills in your team, ensuring evidence is interrogated – not just accepted.
Fred Norman, Audit Director, Harold Sharp

4. Audit tech that pays (not just plays)
Are you tired of audit tech demos that dazzle but don’t deliver? This roundtable cuts through the noise, spotlighting the tools and strategies that actually move the needle for audit firms. Join Cory from BK Plus as he leads a candid discussion on what’s working, what’s not, and how to make tech investments pay off – on the bottom line, not just the balance sheet. We’ll tackle integration headaches, ROI reality checks, and the myth of the “silver bullet” solution. Bring your war stories, your wish lists, and your toughest questions. It’s time to separate the tech that pays from the tech that just plays.
Cory Mason, Audit Tech Lead, BK Plus

16:45 I Hate Audit – I Love Audit
We can’t tell you exactly how this session will work – but we can promise it will be lively, fun, and unlike anything else in the programme.
All we ask is that you come prepared with one thing you HATE about audit and one thing you LOVE about audit. Whether it’s culture, people, performance, regulation, or the job itself, bring what’s on your mind. You may discover you’re not alone in your loves and your hates.
Moderator: Paul Richmond, Managing Director, theGrogroup Ltd 

17:15 Chair’s closing remarks
Lindsey Tyler, Group Head of Audit, Sumer