Accounting technology leader Ben Richmond joins the podcast to discuss his remarkable journey from regional accounting practice in New Zealand to becoming President and CEO of WagePoint in Canada. Drawing on decades of experience across public practice, corporate finance, Xero’s international expansion and payroll technology, Ben shares lessons on leadership, customer relationships, change management and the future of accounting. The conversation explores how accountants can broaden their career horizons, embrace public speaking, leverage AI effectively and build more meaningful advisory relationships with clients. Ben also reflects on what it takes to grow software businesses across different countries and why the accounting profession remains one of the most impactful careers available today.

• Ben Richmond's career journey from public accounting to Xero and WagePoint.
• Lessons learned scaling accounting technology across New Zealand, the US and Canada.
• Why public speaking, emotional intelligence and relationship skills matter more than ever.
• The opportunities and challenges AI presents for accountants and bookkeepers.
• How payroll, advisory and specialist services create valuable growth opportunities.

Ben’s perspective offers a refreshing blend of optimism and realism. While acknowledging the disruption created by AI and rapid technological change, he argues that accountants and bookkeepers who embrace innovation, strengthen their advisory capabilities and invest in relationships are exceptionally well positioned for the future. The discussion highlights the importance of curiosity, adaptability and customer-centric thinking in both accounting and software businesses.

Ben Richmond : https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-richmond-ca-b8794220/

WagePoint https://www.wagepoint.com/

Xero https://www.xero.com

Stripe https://stripe.com/

QuickBooks, https://quickbooks.intuit.com

Episode resources and links:

If this episode helped you, the best way to support the show is to leave a review somewhere as it helps more people find us. And if you want to continue the conversation, come find me Heather Smith | Accountant and Storyteller on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/

Accounting Apps newsletter: http://accountingapps.io/

Accounting Apps Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XeroMasterMind

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ANISEConsulting

X: https://twitter.com/HeatherSmithAU

I sat down with Paul Wittich, General Manager APAC at Dext, to explore how the platform is evolving beyond document capture into a fully automated bookkeeping workflow. We discuss AI Assist, payments, underused features, pricing transparency and what 2026 looks like for the profession.

• Paul’s career journey from management accountant to APAC leader at Dext
• Dext’s evolution from OCR tool to end-to-end bookkeeping automation platform
• AI Assist and how it learns user behaviour to reduce repetitive work
• Underused features: Vault, supplier statements, supplier rules and practice insights
• Pricing transparency, ecosystem competition and what is coming next in 2026

The profession is shifting rapidly. As AI accelerates change, the firms that embrace automation thoughtfully and strategically will be best positioned to move beyond compliance and into higher-value advisory services.

Episode resources and links:

https://dext.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulwittich/

If this episode helped you, the best way to support the show is to leave a review somewhere as it helps more people find us. And if you want to continue the conversation, come find me Heather Smith | Accountant and Storyteller on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/

Accounting Apps newsletter: http://accountingapps.io/

Accounting Apps Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XeroMasterMind

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ANISEConsulting

X: https://twitter.com/HeatherSmithAU

This episode is a personal and confronting reflection on how quickly even a cyberaware professional can lose control of a long-standing Gmail account. What began as a seemingly legitimate brand collaboration unfolded into a carefully orchestrated phishing attack that removed all security measures within seconds. The experience highlights how modern cybercrime blends patience, credibility signals, automation and psychological triggers to bypass even cautious users.

• The phishing grooming process and credibility signals used • The red flags hidden in plain sight • What happened in the 60-second account takeover • The recovery journey and escalation through professional networks • Three essential security measures: 2FA, passkeys and backup codes

This story is not about fear. It is about awareness, practical action and understanding how sophisticated attacks have become. The lesson is simple: five minutes of security setup can prevent four days of stress.

1Password, LastPass Authenticator, Coursera, Impact, Google, Gmail, Revolut, Claude, ChatGPT, LinkedIn, Twitter, TeamYouTube

Episode resources and links:

Alex falcon Huerta’s story : https://www.linkedin.com/posts/alexfalconhuerta_fraud-alexfalconhuerta-share-7394786345610682370-s-49/

https://cyberwardens.com.au partners with the Australian Government to deliver free online security courses with verifiable CPD.

If this episode helped you, the best way to support the show is to leave a review somewhere as it helps more people find us. And if you want to continue the conversation, come find me Heather Smith | Accountant and Storyteller on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/

Accounting Apps newsletter: http://accountingapps.io/

Accounting Apps Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XeroMasterMind

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ANISEConsulting

X: https://twitter.com/HeatherSmithAU