Ask Andy Wilkes if AI is a threat to accountants, and you’re likely to receive a mischievous grin. The experienced trainer and management accountant believes the very opposite.

“This is a great time for accountants to step up and become recognised for all the skills we have,” he says. “With AI increasingly taking care of the more routine and repetitive tasks, accountants can focus on high-value work such as data-driven modelling, scenario planning and helping to shape the future of the business or organisation they work in. Far from being a threat, AI presents an extraordinary opportunity to play a more influential role and develop your career.”

On 5 June, Wilkes, Head of Business and Finance Programmes at BPP, presents the Strategically Focused Accountant online course to help CAs and other finance professionals emerge from the back office and fulfil their potential in strategy development. “The skillsets that CAs bring are invaluable when it comes to strategic planning,” says Wilkes. “Whether it’s investment appraisals or ensuring that a company’s financial model supports its long-term goals, the accountant is perfectly equipped to bridge the gap between vision and reality.”

The one-day course takes a deep dive into what strategic thinking is and why it’s so important. As Wilkes points out, many organisations have a vision of where they want to be but haven’t done the thinking that’s required to get them there. Meanwhile, others have set off on what they think is a strategic plan but have no idea where they want to end up. It’s like jumping in a taxi without knowing where you want to go.

And in a world engulfed in technological, economic and geopolitical disruption, Wilkes believes that the ability of CAs to model and recalibrate financial outcomes will prove increasingly critical to business sustainability and growth.

Age of volatility

“We live in a Vuca world,” he says, referring to the US acronym for “volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous”. “That means that organisations need to be able to model various scenarios and adapt quickly. Accountants are perfectly positioned to lead this kind of planning by making sense of complex data and helping companies prepare for the unknown.

“There is this stereotype of our profession being backwards-looking – reconciling numbers and managing historical data. But in today’s world, we need to look forward. We should be part of the strategic conversation, with a key role in working towards the vision, using our analytical skills to support decision-making.”

Wilkes, himself a chartered management accountant, fills the course with practical, real-life scenarios, and his lively and relatable presentation style makes the day highly engaging. Sustainability will be one of its key themes. “Sometimes making the world a better place is difficult to calculate in financial terms,” says Wilkes. “But that’s where we come in. By adjusting models such as the weighted average cost of capital, we can make sustainable projects stack up financially.”

The course will also look at organisational behaviour and the impact that artificial intelligence will itself have on strategy. Wilkes also promises tools to help with strategic thinking and planning, plenty of case studies and “a methodology to ensure that your strategy stays vital”.

“Sometimes making the world a better place is difficult to calculate in financial terms. But that’s where we come in”

And as he points out, becoming part of wider business conversations about growth and sustainability will open doors to CAs who are keen to develop their career path by taking on more responsibility in key areas.

“The course is designed to re-energise everyone who takes part,” says Wilkes. “It helps to break the stereotypes, and shape the strategic discussions that are essential wherever you work. I think that’s an exciting proposition. And for any finance professional with ambition, this is a great opportunity to advance your career.”

The Strategically Focused Accountant is held online on 5 June and 6 November 2025. Find more information and register here