Beyond Accounting: AI & Accountants 2025
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ABOUT THIS EVENT
This is a 90-minute webinar with polling questions / audience CPE.This webinar follows on from last year’s look at AI and Accountants. Some 15 months later, we continue that discussion with our focus on accountants and the future of our profession – what is changing and what we need to prepare for in embracing the opportunities that are changing the way we work. We will discuss specific concerns for accountants and give relatable examples.
Our first session runs for about 90 minutes. It will start with Ian Browne and John Munnelly from Chartered Accountants Ireland presenting their institute’s perspective. Chris Easton will then give a short presentation of some AI solutions he is working on and implementing. Jannie Wentzel will then moderate a discussion with our presenters and share some examples of his own.
For our second session we will switch to a panel discussion for 90 minutes. Ryan Clacher (SAICA) will moderate a discussion with a mix of CFO’s, Practice based leaders and a recruiter about how AI is impacting them and how they expect it to impact their companies, clients and customers.
MEET THE SPEAKERS
Session 1
Ian Browne ACMA, CGMA, MSc, BBS
Director of Education, Chartered Accountants Ireland
Ian Browne is the Director of Education at Chartered Accountants Ireland, where he leads the strategic transformation of professional education for over 7,000 students across the island of Ireland. Since joining the Institute in 2015, Ian has been instrumental in modernising the education framework, overseeing a major syllabus re-launch, and pioneering the shift to digital assessment.
Through Project Athena, Ian has championed the integration of AI driven adaptive learning technologies into the Institute’s curriculum. Under his leadership, Chartered Accountants Ireland partnered with global edtech leader Area9 to launch a bespoke, AI data-driven learning platform. This platform personalises the educational journey for students, using real-time analytics to tailor content delivery and enhance mastery of complex topics. The adaptive model represents a significant leap forward in professional education, aligning learning outcomes with the evolving needs of the profession.
Ian’s background spans both academia and industry. Prior to his current role, he served as Academic Course Leader at Dublin Business School and lectured at UCD Smurfit School and Trinity College Dublin. His earlier career includes senior finance roles in sectors ranging from entertainment to consulting, with a focus on turnaround and growth strategies.
Ian holds an MSc in Strategic Management from UCD Smurfit, a BBS in Accounting and Finance, and is a qualified Chartered Management Accountant. He is a passionate advocate for innovation in education and continues to drive initiatives that ensure future chartered accountants are equipped with the skills and agility to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
John Munnelly ACMA, CGMA.
Final Admitting Examinations Paper Development and Future Syllabus Development.
John Munnelly joined Chartered Accountants Ireland in 2016 and is responsible for Developing the Final Admitting Examinations for the Irish Chartered Accounting qualification. John also is responsible for providing thought leadership in future syllabus development and has been to the fore introducing new topic areas and content that has kept abreast of the dynamic lived work experience of the Chartered Accountant in practice and Industry.
John is the co-creator of Project Athena, a transformative research project that seeks not only to transform what is taught to students but also the medium through which the qualification is taught; in order reenergise the Irish Chartered Accounting qualification for the future needs of the profession. John led the research in Project Athena and has focussed on developing the new teaching content outputs from the project.
Prior to Academia John worked in a variety of Finance Industry roles from management accountant to managing director, spanning a 20-year career in fields as diverse as Construction, Food Manufacturing, Logistics, Food and Fashion Retail and technology. John has previously lectured in Dublin Business School and Trinity College Dublin.
John is a Chartered Management Accountant by qualification and is curious enough to welcome the advances in technology in how they can serve the needs of the finance professional in the future.
Jannie Wentzel is a Chartered Accountant CA(SA), is a partner with Cential and a thought leader in Risk Transformation for Integrated Risk Management processes and technologies. He advises clients on developing risk and compliance processes and enabling them through technologies, like Artificial Intelligence, to reduce the complexities and minimize the risk and compliance costs.
Chris Easton is a global business leader driving the AI revolution. Over the past two years, he has successfully architected and deployed enterprise-grade, AI-first applications worldwide using Gemini on GCP and AWS. As a CPA and Chartered Accountant, Chris uniquely combines financial strategy with deep technical knowledge in AI, Machine Learning, SaaS, and mobile to deliver impactful solutions across global industries.
Session 2
Ryan Clacher (moderator) – Ryan is a Director at The Siegfried Group, where he serves as a trusted Leadership Advisor to top financial executives across the country. He specializes in building meaningful relationships with clients and empowering them to become stronger, more effective leaders within their organizations. In addition to his advisory role, Ryan partners with Fortune 1000 companies on high-impact accounting and finance initiatives, helping them navigate complex challenges and drive strategic outcomes.
Beyond his role at Siegfried, Ryan is an active contributor to the chartered accounting community. He currently serves as a Member Representative and Council Member for The Americas at SAICA (South African Institute of Chartered Accountants), and as Director of Member Advocacy for the East at CAW Network USA.
Nicola Bain (ICAEW) Managing Principal New York and New Jersey with CLA.
Nicola Bain is the Managing Principal for New York and New Jersey with CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP) – a top 10 public accounting firm with 9,000 people across 130 US locations serving the heartbeat of America and the 12th largest public accounting network globally. She is responsible for setting the strategy for growth across the NY/NJ region, supporting 300+ people serving our diverse client base, and implementing strategic initiatives locally – including our solutions master plan focused on AI & automation. CLA acquired EngineB in 2024 – a next generation AI driven, UK technology company – propelling the integration of people & technology. Nicola leads the Global Concierge practice nationally which includes a diverse team nationally advising inbound US businesses with tax strategy & compliance, global mobility, operations, outsourcing and transfer pricing so they can focus on growth.
Her background includes multinational public and privately-held businesses across financial services and retail, among other industries, including both US and UK-headquartered businesses. She is a member of the Retail leadership team in CLA providing support to international luxury and main-street fashion, beauty & skincare clients. Prior to joining CLA, Nicola was a Senior Vice President with Citigroup, and a Senior Manager with Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP (PwC). Nicola graduated from Lancaster University with a BSc in Business Studies including a year abroad at the City University in Hong Kong. Nicola is an Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA) and Business & Finance Professional (BFP) with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and continues to support the organization as part of their Advisory Board. Nicola is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and is awaiting licensure in New York as a Certified Public Accountant.
Errol Finkelstein (SAICA) is co-founder, COO, and interim CFO of CHIPX Global, revolutionizing semiconductor chip production and architecting infrastructure for tomorrow’s intelligence. CHIPX Global bridges the critical gap between R&D and real-world deployment, enabling mission-grade systems for AI, security, and mobility. A South African Chartered Accountant who qualified with Deloitte and who also holds membership of the UK Chartered Institute of Information Security, Errol brings unique financial acumen and cybersecurity expertise to technology transformation. His pioneering career includes heading the groundbreaking MasterCard SmartLink automation of transactions for SAP clients from 2001, operating from MasterCard’s corporate headquarters in New York.
Building on this foundation, Errol led UK and African operations for a team delivering secure chatbot solutions to major financial institutions—including one bank serving over 400 million customers in 12 languages and 12 messaging platforms—years before ChatGPT brought conversational AI mainstream. This positioned him as an early architect of enterprise-grade AI solutions. His experience spans the entire AI spectrum from strategic vision to operational execution, uniquely positioning him to discuss both technical possibilities and practical realities of AI adoption in professional services.
Myles Corson – Myles is an experienced advisor to senior finance leaders and board level executives of major Fortune and FTSE companies.
Within EY, Myles co-leads EY Finance coordinating solutions and services for CFOs and finance functions. He is the host of the EY Better Finance podcast and leads EY’s global research on the evolving role of finance leaders including the recent DNA of the Controller as well as the long running DNA of the CFO (www.ey.com/cfo).
Myles is a Board Director and sits on the Finance Committee of British American Business. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and serves on the ICAEW North America Strategy Advisory Group (INASAG). He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the State of New York.
Nikita Klassen – Ms. Klassen currently serves as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary of Mount Logan Capital (CBOE: MLC, soon to be NSDQ: MLCI). She previously served as Senior Controller of BC Partners and has over 14 years of experience in the financial services industry, including roles as Director, Accounting Policy at Silicon Valley Bank; Vice President, SEC Reporting and Accounting Policy at Galaxy Digital (TSX: GLXY); and Director, Global Accounting Policy and Advisory at American Express (NYSE: AXP). Ms. Klassen has also previously provided audit and consulting services in various roles over a 6 year career at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Ms. Klassen holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) degree from the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (Canada).