Summit Programme - Monday 16 November

A warm welcome from ICB CEO, Ami Copeland

​

Get to know our exhibitors in this fast-paced, high-energy session designed to help you find the tools and partners to elevate your practice.

Refreshments and networking in the exhibition hall

An update from the ICB Professional Standards team on all the latest changes to AML legislation.

Sam will share their personal journey of career reinvention and building a successful bookkeeping practice from the ground up. Juggling a demanding sales career with family life, Sam realised she needed a change. After trying a role as a school business manager, Sam discovered a passion for finance and retrained as a bookkeeper.

​

Always up to date, always interesting and always entertaining – join ICB’s in-house Payroll Expert Ian Holloway for a whistlestop tour through the most significant news stories in the world of payroll.

When Helen Armstrong won ICB Small Practice of the Year in 2023, it might have looked like everything had fallen into place. In reality, the real journey was only just beginning. In this honest and inspiring session, Helen shares how she moved from wanting a steady, flexible lifestyle business to building a thriving, niche practice supporting churches and charities — taking on larger, more complex clients than she ever expected. Through real client stories, Helen explores what happens when you say yes before you feel ready, navigate imposter syndrome, embrace technology to create capacity, and step into leadership.

Lunch and networking in the exhibition hall

​

You can produce accurate reports, insightful forecasts and meaningful analysis, but can you communicate what those numbers really mean? In this practical session, experienced ICB member Elspeth Cordray C.MICB PMDip shares how bookkeepers can move beyond simply reporting figures to becoming trusted advisers who help clients and colleagues make better decisions.
Drawing on years of experience working in business, Elspeth will explore how to present financial information with clarity and confidence, turning complex data into messages that resonate with your audience. You'll learn techniques for explaining key insights in plain English, encouraging engagement and discussion, and ensuring your recommendations lead to action.
Whether you're presenting to clients, business owners or senior decision-makers, this session will help you communicate with greater impact, strengthen your professional credibility and position yourself as the expert in the room.

​

​

Your clients are navigating rising costs, changing teams, new technology and constant uncertainty — and it’s all leaving a financial footprint. Drawing on her experience as a bookkeeper and business owner, Zoe Whitman explores the trends already reshaping small businesses, the signals bookkeepers are uniquely placed to spot, and how staying commercially aware helps you become far more than “the person who does the books”.

In this practical and engaging session, practising accountant – and ICB’s Head of Learning Vanessa Aradia, explores how bookkeepers and payroll professionals can grow beyond compliance work and build services that clients genuinely value.
From cashflow conversations and credit control support to helping clients manage rising costs and digital change, Vanessa will share real opportunities to strengthen client relationships and create new income streams.
You will also hear how networking, collaboration and building your professional profile can help your practice stand out and grow in a changing market. Expect practical examples, fresh ideas and plenty of inspiration to help you see the value you already bring to your clients and where it could take your practice next.

Refreshments and networking in the exhibition hall

​

​

​

Wrap up from Ami Copeland