Tax Technology Conference

Welcome and Introduction. 

Jane Mellor, Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT)

This session will cover:

AI is becoming increasingly integral to the work of tax advisers. This session will consider the key ethical considerations outlined in the PCRT Topical Guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence tools together with other helpful professional standards tips on the use of AI by the tax practitioner.

Tom Herbert, Accounting Web

With the Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax programme now live and the first filings due 7 August, accountants are rightly concerned about the regulatory and workload pressures this will bring. But another crucial part of the MTD puzzle is software.

For taxpayers in scope, MTD filings must be made using HMRC-recognised software. There are 85 solutions currently available, with the scope, background and pricing of each tool often unclear.

This session will outline what’s needed from MTD for Income Tax software, offer a short overview of the type of tools available and examine whether they are appropriate for your clients. If you’re still deciding on your MTD for Income Tax software solutions, this is a must-attend session.

Key points:

• What does MTD for Income Tax software need to do?
• What tools are out there?
• How do accountants go about choosing the right tools to help them and their clients?

Refreshment Break.

Della Hudson, Hudson Business

The accountancy world is changing rapidly due to digital transformation, AI and increasing regulatory demands. Accountancy firms must become more agile to stay competitive.

In this practical and insight-driven session, Della Hudson FCA, draws on her extensive experience as the founder of Minerva Accountants and as adviser to small and medium-sized practices to explore how to build an agile firm culture. Focusing on the balance between technology, teams and outsourcing, Della will cut through the noise to show what really works in practice.

Attendees will gain practical guidance on how to adopt and use technology (including AI) confidently and responsibly, improve efficiency and accuracy through smarter workflows, and overcome the recruitment headache through effective use of outsourcing. The session will also address how to engage and develop teams so that technology delivers real value.

With clear, actionable steps, this session will help you futureproof your firm, respond proactively to HMRC’s digital direction and turn insight into meaningful action in your day-to-day operations.

Refreshment Break.

Nick Stobbs, Syntax Ai Limited

Manual processes, duplicated data and spreadsheet-heavy workflows are quietly draining time, profit and capacity from tax and accountancy firms.

This session will take a practical look at how firms can use tax technology and automation to reduce admin, improve accuracy and free up teams to focus on higher-value advisory work.

The session will cover:

• Why traditional tax processes are becoming unsustainable.
• The real-world impact of automation and AI on compliance work.
• Where firms are wasting the most time without realising it.
• How to adopt tax technology without overwhelming your team.
• What forward-thinking firms are doing now to stay ahead.

CPD Hours: 3

Jane oversees CIOT AML supervision and Professional Standards requirements and guidance for members. Jane is ATT and CTA qualified and previously worked as a personal tax manager for a Chartered Accountants firm.

Tom is a journalist, editor and broadcaster specialising in the overlap between accounting and technology. He joined AccountingWEB in 2015, where he worked first as business editor and then as the site's editorial lead. After two years as digital editor of ICAEW Insights, he returned to AccountingWEB in 2022, where he now covers tax and accounting technology, artificial intelligence and tech policy. 

Della Hudson FCA is an experienced Chartered Accountant, practice owner and trusted adviser to small and medium-sized accountancy firms. Having built, grown, and successfully sold her first practice, she combines first hand commercial experience with a deep understanding of the challenges facing firms today.

Della now works closely with accountants, particularly sole practitioners and smaller firms, helping them to become more productive, profitable and prepared. Her practical, no-nonsense approach focuses on what actually works in the real world, whether that’s implementing the right technology, using AI responsibly, developing stronger team cultures, or making effective use of outsourcing.

Nick has spent his entire career in tax - first in corporate tax at PEM, then a decade building tech companies. After founding and exiting a specialist valuation firm and pioneering early tax workflow automation at Tax on Demand, he co-founded Syntax - the UK-based AI company encoding tax law into deterministic, machine-readable logic. Backed by SFC Capital, Syntax's team of engineers and chartered tax advisers is reshaping how firms complete manually intensive and time-consuming tax work. Nick regularly speaks and writes widely on AI in tax, with sessions at CIOT, Accountex and DAS.