The 2026 AIT Conference focuses on the strategic role IT directors play in driving growth across the UK’s leading accounting Firms. In a profession where reliability, innovation and long-term resilience define competitive advantage, trust has become the most valuable currency. As technology becomes ever more central to firm performance, growth increasingly depends on one critical factor: trust – trust in systems, trust in data, trust in leadership and trust in the teams delivering change.
This year’s theme explores how IT leaders create the conditions for sustainable growth, enabling firms to innovate confidently, adopt new technologies and scale with resilience. As firms shift from digital transformation to being digital, the focus is on the ongoing state of the organisation – how it thinks, behaves and operates every day. In a tech-centric world, trust is the core enabler of this shift, allowing firms to embed digital capability into the fabric of their operations.
Through keynotes, a panel discussion, roundtables and collaborative supplier sessions, delegates will explore how trust, growth and effective execution strengthen one another and accelerate firm-wide progress.
We will cover:
- Strategic Technology Leadership – cultivating confidence in vision, delivery and digital direction
- Data trust and Digital Integrity – ensuring reliability, transparency and responsible use of data
- Growth through being digital – resilient, efficient, future ready technology enabling sustainable growth in a rapidly evolving market
- High trust teams and culture – creating environments where teams feel empowered, psychologically safe and aligned with the Firm’s strategic ambitions
- Leading change with clarity – practical approaches for IT leaders to inspire belief, manage risk and drive transformation with integrity
On 16th April 2026, AIT UK hosted a members event at the Transparity Hub at Microsoft London. We began with a relaxed lunch and networking, moving into sessions led by Ramya Ramamurthy, Practice Group Director, AI and Iain Goodyear-Green, Principal GRC Architect in an exploration of the latest Microsoft innovations across security, data platforms and AI — all framed specifically for Professional Services firms.
The session explored realworld use cases, highlighting rapidly evolving areas such as Agent Governance and Agent 365. We examined practical approaches to measuring ROI from Copilot and automation in Professional Services with our panel, David Hilland, IT Partner at RSM, Mark Ferguson, CIO at Shaw Gibbs and Ramya Ramamurthy of Transparity and moderated by Daniel Williams, Senior Account Executive at Microsoft. It was a refreshing and candid conversation and afew themes really stood out:
Copilot ROI is hard to isolate — it can increase tooling costs at first, and the benefits often show up in personal productivity rather than immediate P&L impact.
A helpful reframe emerged: What is the cost of not adopting AI?
ROI becomes far clearer when you look at agentic workflows and margin protection (fewer junior errors, smoother reviews).
And a subtler strategic question surfaced: if AI takes on more juniorlevel work, how do firms rethink career pathways and talent development?
One of the standout lines came from David: “You are the pilot, it is just your co-pilot.” It captured the mood perfectly — AI is powerful, but it still needs direction, ownership and intent.
A few key takeaways from the session:
Firms are energised about AI, but adoption lags : 60% plan to invest, only 32% have operationalised, and 20% are still assessing. The gap between ambition and execution is now the sector’s biggest hurdle.
Firms making real progress share common traits: strong boardlevel sponsorship, forwardleaning CTO leadership, treating AI as a firmwide capability and investing in people and change, not just tools.
Clear wins are emerging in repeatable, highvolume work: Audit: assisted workflows, consistency checks, draft comparisons, Accounting: OCR, categorisation, lease automation, 30–60% time savings and Tax with personal tax showing fast ROI.
Security is both the blocker and the enabler. Risks include oversharing, data leaks and unclear data flows. Tools like Purview, Defender and SharePoint help — but without people and process, they’re not enough.
Agentic AI introduces new risks: agent sprawl, prompt injection, compromised identities. Agent365 was highlighted as a control plane to manage agents like digital humans — with identity, ownership and auditability across Entra, Purview and Defender.
In summary: Treat AI agents like people: onboard them, govern them, secure them and give them clear ownership. The firms moving ahead are shifting from experimentation to structured, governed deployment.
We are delighted to open the AIT 2026 agenda with a Directors’ social networking lunch at Humble Grape, a magnificent double‑aspect vaulted wine bar set within the historic old crypt of St Bride’s Church on Fleet Street. We look forward to welcoming our member firms and suppliers for good conversation and a warm, enjoyable start to the year’s programme.
InnovAIT 2025: The Future of the Accountancy Marketplace
The AIT UK Conference brought together IT directors and senior leaders from many of the UK’s top accountancy firms. It offered members a valuable opportunity to connect with firms and suppliers through a dynamic mix of informative presentations, roundtable discussions, and engaging social activities. In its fifteenth year, the AIT Conference had earned a reputation as the go-to event for IT professionals in the accounting sector and their key suppliers.
Last year, we focused on The Future of the Accountancy Marketplace, examining the significant transformation underway in the industry. IT Directors and Heads of IT Operations face both strategic and operational challenges as firms adapt to evolving technologies, regulatory shifts, and market dynamics.Through panel discussions and roundtable sessions, we explored the implications of these changes for technology and the ways in which suppliers are supporting firms in navigating this new landscape.
Key areas of discussion included:
- Cybersecurity – safeguarding firms in an increasingly digital world
- Artificial Intelligence – its growing role in accountancy and automation
- Data Management – leveraging insights for strategic advantage
- Private Equity & M&A – understanding investment trends and consolidation
- Sustainability – integrating ESG considerations into business operations
- Workforce Management – engagement, retention & operational efficiency
- Tax & Compliance – including Making Tax Digital (MTD)
InnovAIT 2025 was an invaluable opportunity to engage with industry leaders, gain fresh perspectives, and shape the technological direction of the sector.
InnovAIT 2025 Sponsors
We valued our 2025 Sponsors for their technical input, financial support and experience in this important vertical marketplace.
Martin will be presenting 'Anticipating the Threat Landscape of 2030' which will cover the current threat landscape and will then go onto discuss what IT Directors need to be planning for in the medium term future in order to be prepared for and to mitigate risk in 5 years time.
Matthew and Mandeep will present 'From Threat to Resolution : The Lifecycle of a Cyber Breach'. They will discuss what happens during a cyber breach and the role that insurers play in that scenario. They will give a case study to illustrate the stages of an attack through to resolution, how insurance companies can help before, during and after and advice and lessons learned from the world of cyber risk insurance.Details to be confirmed.
