Difference Makers Podcast

• Nicola Ellam on why AI won’t take your job—it will take it to a whole new level

  The myth that accountancy is just numbers falls apart fast when you hear Nicola Ellam’s story. Trained in the UK, seasoned in Hong Kong, and now a managing principal in New York, Nicola joins us to unpack how a global career can thrive at the intersection of regulation, culture, and bold technology bets. From the maze of US CPA licensing to the daily realities of leading teams in a fast-moving market, she lays out what changes, what doesn’t, and how to stay relevant when the tools of the trade are being rewritten.We dive into CLA’s decision to invest $500M in AI and a broader solutions master plan, and why the firm insists on staying people-led even as automation accelerates. Nicola walks us through the practical wins: less data entry, faster insights, cleaner visuals, and client conversations that shift from “what happened” to “what should we do.” Inside the firm, connection centres and the CLA Academy create a learning engine—sandboxes, simulations, and persona-based pathways—so interns, associates, and partners can build the skills that matter now: relationship building, project management, and critical evaluation of machine outputs. It’s a training model designed for multi-generational teams that learn in different ways and at different speeds.Global work brings added nuance. Even when language is shared, culture, compliance, and expectations vary—sometimes state by state. Nicola explains how to bridge those gaps with empathy and structure, helping foreign-owned businesses land and scale in the US without losing momentum. And we tackle the big anxiety head-on: will AI take our jobs? Her answer is simple and sharp—AI will take your job to a whole new level. Roles will evolve, judgment will matter more, and the time we get back can be invested in better advice, better teams, and a better life outside the office.If you care about the future of accounting, professional growth, and turning technology into real client value, this conversation offers concrete steps and fresh optimism. Subscribe, share with a colleague who needs a nudge toward the future, and leave a quick review to tell us what skill you’re focusing on next.

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• Mark Scully on compassion, masking, and changing how firms manage people

  What if the story you’ve told yourself about your career is missing the most important chapter? Mark Scully trained in law, pivoted into tax at a Big Four firm, climbed to director, and then made the bravest move of all: reframing his entire journey through a late autism diagnosis and launching Braver to help leaders manage people, not processes.We unpack the messy middle between academic success and workplace reality—unwritten rules, social subtext, and the survival tactic of saying yes to everything. Mark shares how burnout led him to counselling and coaching, and how a simple screening opened the door to a diagnosis that replaced self‑criticism with self‑compassion. Confidence followed via practice: learning to say no, asking “what are the expectations?” and co‑designing sustainable ways of working. The outcome is striking: fewer hours, better results, and his first top performance rating—achieved before he disclosed his diagnosis.From there, we zoom out. Mark explains why many “neurodiversity problems” are human problems experienced at different intensities, and why the fix isn’t a checklist—it’s culture. We explore the shift from process‑first to person‑centred, outcome‑focused management; practical supports that help diverse thinkers thrive; and how normalising conversations through training and employee groups moves people from “don’t know” to “know and ask for help.” We also talk visibility: the outsized impact when senior leaders share their stories and make it safer for others to follow.If you lead teams in professional services—or anywhere you rely on thoughtful, precise work—this conversation offers a clear path to better performance and wellbeing: clarity of expectations, flexible routes to outcomes, and compassion that shows up as action. Listen, share with a colleague, and tell us: what one change would make your team’s work more sustainable? Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, inclusion, and the future of work.

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• Ken Croarkin - A Chartered Accountant who took one leap—said yes once—and changed a whole life trajectory

  One decision can reroute a whole career. When Ken Croarkin said yes to learning insurance in Glasgow, he couldn’t have guessed it would lead to London, a secondment in New York, and ultimately two decades as an audit partner shaping a PE-backed, AI-ready firm. We dive into that arc with clear-eyed detail—how a Chartered Accountant becomes a true global passport, what it takes to cross from UK GAAP to US GAAP and insurance statutory, and why reciprocity and the CPA pathway are less about shortcuts and more about professional standards, ethics, and persistence.We talk candidly about industry specialisation and why it matters. EisnerAmper leaned into sector depth early, creating space for experts to thrive while growing nationally. Ken explains how private equity investment accelerated that strategy—expanding footprint, strengthening people systems, and funding technology—without touching audit quality or independence. For anyone worried about ownership models, his day-to-day reality is reassuring: governance and standards drive the work, not capital. Then we turn to AI. The firm has invested, hired leadership, and is testing tools that promise better risk assessment and smarter use of unstructured data. The point isn’t hype; it’s practical optimism—more time for judgement, clearer insights, and new skills that blend scepticism with tool fluency.There’s a human foundation underneath all of this: community. Moving to the US often means leaving your university network behind, and that’s where ICAS and CAW USA step in with events, introductions and peer support that make a new market feel navigable. The flow of European CAs into the US remains steady, and the value runs both ways as ideas and experience circulate. We close on the case for audit itself—breadth early, depth over time, and a career that evolves with markets and technology. If you’re weighing a move, considering specialisation, or wondering how AI and PE will shape the profession you love, this conversation offers grounded answers and a nudge to say yes when the right door opens.Enjoyed this conversation? Follow the show, share it with a colleague who needs a push, and leave a quick review so more people can find us.

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• Meet Lem Chin Kok - a cop turned accountant using AI to outrun fraud

  Ever wondered how a fast‑response police officer becomes an AI‑first CEO shaping the future of audit and forensics? We sit down with Lem Chin Kok to trace a rare career arc—from crime scenes to commercial investigations to building tech‑led forensic teams—then dig into the practical ways AI transforms how accountants work. Lem explains, in plain terms, the difference between classical predictive models that spot high‑risk transactions and generative AI that removes drudge work, and why both are essential when your ledger runs to millions of lines.We explore the moment an unsupervised model surfaced ten “most unusual” entries from tens of millions—and nine proved to be real frauds later charged in court. The secret wasn’t magic; it was feature design grounded in accounting records and fraud behaviour. That insight anchors a bigger theme: domain expertise plus data fluency beats black‑box buzzwords. Lem makes the case for a “third language” for professionals—programming—so auditors and finance teams can shape models to client context, express risk hypotheses as features, and build repeatable, explainable tests that scale beyond random sampling.The conversation widens to enterprise AI. Consumer tools can be brilliant yet random, which breaks policy‑driven workflows. Lem introduces the “Gen AI twin,” a policy‑aware system that executes end‑to‑end tasks for finance, compliance, or operations, producing consistent outputs aligned to organisational procedures while keeping humans in the loop for judgement and sign‑off. We also touch on building an applied forensic qualification spanning digital forensics, AML, sanctions, and investigations, and why partnerships with public agencies help keep training close to reality.If you care about fraud detection, audit quality, data analytics, or how to deploy AI responsibly in the enterprise, this conversation offers clear frameworks and next steps. Subscribe, share with a colleague who needs to hear it, and leave a review with the one capability you think every accountant should learn next.

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• DMD Live Highlights from Season One: From Boardrooms to Breakthroughs

  Join host Sinead Donovan for a special “best of” edition celebrating the most inspiring moments from the first season of Difference Makers Discuss. Over seven episodes, Sinead spoke with remarkable Chartered Accountants from the UK, Singapore, Australia, Ireland, Pakistan, and beyond—leaders and innovators who are reshaping business, driving sustainability, championing diversity, and embracing technology.In this highlights reel, you’ll hear powerful insights from trailblazers in tech, finance, climate action, and more. From reimagining career paths to harnessing AI for a better future, these stories will spark ideas, challenge assumptions, and show how accountants worldwide are making a difference in business and society.Whether you’re a long-time listener or new to the series, this episode is your passport to the ideas shaping the profession’s future.

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