The latest episode of the podcast provides an overview of content in the December digital edition of FM. Editor-in-chief Oliver Rowe summarises articles that detail the Rise2040 project and other future-focused topics.
The episode closes with an explanation of how members can access the December digital edition as well as the issue library.
What you’ll learn from this episode:
- The December digital edition’s focus on the future.
- Why IFRS 18 is “more than an incremental update”.
- Details of the article on AI visualisation tools by Liam Bastick, FCMA, CGMA.
- Advice for finance professionals who have an eye on the C-suite.
Play the episode below or read the edited transcript:
— To comment on this episode or to suggest an idea for another episode, contact Neil Amato at Neil.Amato@aicpa-cima.com.
Neil Amato: Hello, listeners. Welcome to the FM podcast. This is Neil Amato. Today, I’m talking with FM editor-in-chief Oliver Rowe. The topic is the last digital edition of 2025, the December edition, one that is taking a decidedly future-focused look at 2026 and beyond. Oliver, thank you for coming back on the FM podcast. We’re glad to have you.
Oliver Rowe: Thanks, Neil. Great to be back again.
Amato: As FM editor-in-chief, you joined Journal of Accountancy editor-in-chief Jeff Drew for an interview with futurist Dan Burrus. The discussion touched on the Rise2040 project and the future of the accounting and finance profession. What are some of the highlights of that Q&A with Dan Burrus?
Rowe: Thanks, Neil. You’re absolutely right. We’re looking ahead 15 years in this December edition of FM. As you say, the Association has teamed up with Dan Burrus on a global project, its official name, Finance and Accounting 2040: Rise to the Future Together. It’s a look at what the future might look in 2040 and what accountants in finance departments and firms may do to guide the profession successfully over the next 15 years.
The project has worked with Dan Burrus and, as the article says, his predictions haven’t come from a crystal ball. They’re a result of a methodology that Dan Burrus has developed to identify trends and used those to anticipate what might be happening in the next few years.
He makes the distinction between hard trends and soft trends, and the article provides examples of those. He also talks about a wait-and-see attitude and how that’s very dangerous today, and he discusses the two ways of looking at trends. There’s either the protect and defend the status quo, and the opposite of that is what he describes as the embrace-and-extend mindset.
Amato: Good summary. I actually had the chance to talk to Dan Burrus or to listen to him on a webcast about ten years ago, and his take on hard and soft trends — it continues to resonate. It was very interesting to me then, and I know it’ll be interesting in this article.
Andrew Harding’s column in the edition is also looking at trends, trends that accounting and finance professionals should be ready for. What are some of those trends?
Rowe: That’s right, Neil. We’ve got the regular column from Andrew Harding, chief executive– Management Accounting at the Association. It’s for finance trends for 2026 and, importantly, the opportunity for finance professionals.
Just to give you a couple of those, it’s how corporate sustainability is evolving to be a core part of business strategy. Also, he discusses hybrid and agile workplace structures, how traditional structures are giving way to flatter, more flexible structures where cross-functional teams can respond quickly to emerging challenges and opportunities.
Amato: Thank you for that. On the accounting standards front, I guess, the future-focused look in this edition is on IFRS 18. It’s an accounting standard scheduled to be implemented starting in January 2027. Why is it important that management accountants know about that standard now?
Rowe: As you say, Neil, we have two articles on the new accounting standard, IFRS 18, which will replace IAS 1 from January 2027, and it’s aimed at more consistent reporting that’s better aligned with how businesses are run. We have two authors at the Association, Daniel Prendergast and Christian Gagiano.
As they say, IFRS 18 represents more than an incremental update. It’s a fundamental redesign of financial statement presentation, and that’s why it’s important. We have two articles on this. The first, it provides an explanatory overview of IFRS 18 and what it can mean for finance teams.
The second is about preparation, so how companies can prepare for IFRS 18 adoption. This second article includes a Q&A with three experts with the CGMA designation.
The article looks at the technology and data implications; the impact on different sectors and organisations; the impact of the new standard on financial reporting systems, processes, and controls; what the fundamental update will mean for a company’s communication strategies; and the training that’s being provided for finance staff and other employees within companies.
Amato: What other articles would you like to highlight from the December digital edition?
Rowe: Thanks, Neil. Just to highlight a few of them, we’ve got AI tools for finance professionals to prepare and visualise data, and that’s by Liam Bastick. He looks at a range of tools. It’s a comprehensive article and one that I think will be useful for CGMA designation-holders working in this area with AI.
We’ve also got “Accounting for Carbon: Lessons From a Port,” and that’s the port of Southampton in the UK. In particular, DP World Southampton, who runs the port, their finance team applied activity-based costing, ABC, principles to the port’s emissions data. The aim was to make carbon costs visible, measurable, and comparable.
We’ve also got an article, “How to Develop Your Career and Aim for the C-suite,” so a careers advice article. It talks about how the route to CFO or CEO involves calculated risks that take you beyond your comfort zone and how a decision-making reputation, a reputation for making decisions, and strategic networking can help.
Amato: Thank you for that rundown. As a reminder and as a closing thought for this edition, can you tell members how they can access the digital edition?
Rowe: Absolutely, Neil. There are several ways to access the FM digital editions, which are for CGMA designation-holders. You can go direct to the AICPA and CIMA website at aicpa-cima.com. From the main menu, go to “Resources” and then “Publications”, and you’ll see Financial Management magazine.
There’s also a link on the homepage of the FM website at fm-magazine.com, which takes you to the digital editions. For each new digital edition, there’s also the FM email alerting members.
Amato: That’s great. Oliver Rowe, thank you very much.
Rowe: Thanks, Neil. Thanks very much indeed.
