Emma Crawford is VP Accountants, UKI at Sage, where she leads Sage’s strategy and commercial approach for the UK and Ireland accounting profession. With a career spanning accountancy, technology and senior commercial leadership, Emma is passionate about ensuring accountants remain at the heart of how technology evolves and how small and medium-sized businesses succeed.
A former practising accountant, Emma has held senior leadership roles across some of the accounting technology industry’s most recognised businesses, including Xero, Tradify, Ignition, IRIS and Mazuma. Her international career has spanned the UK, New Zealand, Australia and North America, giving her a unique perspective on the changing role of accountants and the technology, commercial models and partnerships that support them.
At Sage, Emma is focused on strengthening Sage’s relationship with the accounting community, driving innovation and adoption, and shaping the next generation of technology and services for accountants and their clients. She is particularly passionate about the opportunities presented by AI, the evolution of the accountant–client relationship, and ensuring innovation delivers genuine, measurable value rather than technology for technology’s sake.
Alongside her career in accountancy and technology, Emma is a British military veteran and deployed to Afghanistan in 2013. She returned to the UK in 2020 after seven years living in New Zealand and is mum to two young boys.
Emma is a recognised advocate for women in leadership and the accounting profession and was named one of the Global Top 50 Women in Accounting. Across everything she does, she brings a strong focus on people, culture, operational excellence and turning ambitious strategy into meaningful outcomes.