23 Feb Takeaways from Our Inaugural Accounting Leader Roundtable
SpectrumCareers recently hosted our inaugural DCA Live Accounting Leader Roundtable, in partnership with Lockton and Toppan Merrill. We brought together a group of controllers, FP&A leaders and internal audit executives for a candid conversation about the priorities and challenges shaping 2026.
Here are the highlights from our discussion:
AI is “still the wild wild west.”
Every organization represented at the table is at a different stage of its AI journey, but all are feeling pressure to do something with AI. Some leaders are using AI to refine content or accelerate research, while others have built agents to generate auditor disclosure checklists or SOC reports for vendors. Even companies with formal, cross-enterprise AI councils are struggling to determine how to incorporate AI into day-to-day workflows – and how to rein in employee-built agents while maintaining strong AI governance.
Offshoring is creating anxiety – and diminishing returns.
AI isn’t the only perceived threat to U.S.-based accounting jobs. Many companies have already offshored or outsourced key functions, raising concerns among staff that their roles could be next. This is increasing attrition risk and putting added pressure on managers to manage messaging carefully. Interestingly, several leaders noted that headcount costs in some offshore markets have risen sharply in recent years, narrowing the cost savings that once made offshoring so attractive.
The “Big Beautiful Bill” offers levers to offset rising costs.
Recent tax law changes introduced a broad range of credits, deductions, and timing advantages. For many organizations, these benefits are expected to partially, or even fully, offset cost pressures from tariffs and higher input prices.
Is the CPA still worth it?
We had a spirited debate around the value of accounting graduates pursuing a CPA. Some leaders see it as a critical differentiator, while others believe it carries less weight than it once did, particularly as entry-level accounting and audit work is increasingly offshored or automated by AI.
Thank you to the leaders who joined us and shared their candid perspectives. We look forward to continuing the conversation as these issues play out over the year ahead.
If you’re an accounting leader interested in joining one of our future roundtables, please reach out to Kevin Kelly or Eric Shults to learn more.