Episode 168: Hugh O’Neill Resources

https://humanisethenumbers.online/episode-168-hugh-oneill-principal-accountant-in-residence-at-floqast/

https://vimeo.com/1212348740?fl=tl&fe=ec

1. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Hugh O'Neill of FloQast. Hugh shares his thoughts on the challenges for the accountancy profession when it comes to AI.

2. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Hugh O'Neill of FloQast. Hugh shares his journey through FloQast, the changing face of the accountancy profession, and why he feels the future is bright.

3. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Hugh O'Neill of FloQast. Hugh shares the importance of the client relationship and how getting to know a client's business is essential.

https://humanisethenumbers.online/episode-168-hugh-oneill-principal-accountant-in-residence-at-floqast/

1. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Hugh O'Neill of FloQast. Hugh explains why he feels that accountants are really storytellers. He believes numbers on their own are just data. The real value comes when someone can interpret what those numbers mean and help people make better decisions. He says that, without humans, numbers are simply noise.

Early in his career, he learned that being technically right is not always enough. How you communicate with people matters just as much as the accuracy of the figures. Trust and relationships often determine whether insights lead to action. He challenges the stereotype that accountants are purely factual people. Instead, he sees them as storytellers who explain the journey of a business and help others understand what is really happening behind the figures.

2. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Hugh O'Neill of FloQast. Hugh discusses why soft skills are becoming one of the most valuable assets an accountant can develop. Technical expertise matters, but being able to influence and communicate has become equally important. He reflects on his early days in the profession, when accounting standards often settled debates. Over time, he realised that success was less about proving a point and more about helping people understand the story behind the numbers.

One business leader challenged him by asking a simple question – not about what the report said, but what should actually be done next. That moment changed how he viewed the role of finance professionals.

3. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Hugh O'Neill of FloQast. Hugh shares a refreshing perspective on AI. Instead of starting with the technology, he believes we should start by asking a much simpler question:  what problem are we trying to solve? He points out that AI has become surrounded by hype, with new tools appearing almost daily. The speed of change can make people feel overwhelmed and unsure where to focus their attention.

His advice is practical. Remove the term AI completely and ask whether technology can help solve a business challenge. If it can, great. If it cannot, then the technology is not the answer.

4. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Hugh O'Neill of FloQast. Hugh discusses why AI feels different from every other technology shift accountants have experienced. For him, the biggest difference is not the technology itself – it is the speed at which everything is changing. He compares today's environment with previous technology advances. Today, new platforms emerge almost overnight, and many people feel pressured to keep up with an endless stream of developments and headlines.

Despite the rapid pace, Hugh believes accountancy has always adapted. The profession has evolved through countless technological changes, and this is simply the next chapter in that journey.

5. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Hugh O'Neill of FloQast. Hugh shares his vision of moving accountants from roles as preparers to that of reviewers. He believes technology should handle more of the repetitive work so that people can focus on higher-value thinking. Drawing from his own experience as a financial controller, he remembers spending huge amounts of time tracking processes, files and reconciliations. What he really needed was visibility into what required attention and what was already under control.

The result of automation is not removing people – it's elevating them. Instead of checking every detail, professionals can focus on asking better questions and spotting bigger opportunities. That shift creates space for critical thinking, better judgement, and more meaningful conversations with clients.

6. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Hugh O'Neill of FloQast. Hugh discusses one of the biggest challenges facing the profession today: training the next generation of accountants. He worries that technology may provide answers faster than people can develop their understanding.

Earlier generations learned by doing. They worked through processes step by step and built their knowledge through practical experience. That journey helped them understand, not just the answers, but how those answers were created. Hugh believes future accountants need to understand systems, data, architecture, and process design. Knowing how information flows through a business will become just as important as understanding the financial outcome.

7. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Hugh O'Neill of FloQast. Hugh shares his thoughts about why data skills will become increasingly important in accountancy. Businesses are generating more information than ever before, and that complexity is only increasing. He uses the simple example of buying a suitcase. Years ago, the process was straightforward. Today a single purchase triggers multiple systems, payment options, fulfilment processes, and data points behind the scenes.

For accountants, understanding that flow of information is becoming essential. Questions about APIs, integrations, security, and data structure are no longer simply technical concerns – they are business concerns.

8. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Hugh O'Neill of FloQast. Hugh discusses the upside of AI and why he remains excited about its potential. He believes the biggest opportunity lies in helping professionals access insights faster, allowing them to focus on more valuable work. He describes how teams can now capture ideas, conversations, and meeting notes with far greater ease. Instead of losing valuable information, technology can help organise and structure it in ways that support better decision making.

What excites him most is the ability to review information more effectively. Patterns, trends, and issues that once took hours to uncover can now be identified much more quickly.

9. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Hugh O'Neill of FloQast. Hugh shares why he feels that accountants should not fear AI but, instead, learn how to work alongside it. He believes the professionals who embrace change will be able to achieve far more than those who resist it. He makes an important point. Technology can generate forecasts, reports, and analysis, but clients still need someone to interpret the results and explain what actions should follow.

The future belongs to those who can move beyond producing information to helping businesses make better decisions. That is where real value is created. As Hugh puts it, the question is no longer whether a report can be produced. The question is what should be done with the information once it exists.

10. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Hugh O'Neill of FloQast. Hugh discusses one of his favourite principles when working with AI:  trust, but verify. No matter how capable technology becomes, accountability still sits with the human reviewing the output. He shares examples of AI being confidently wrong. Sometimes the answer sounds convincing, but that does not make it correct. Professional judgement is still essential.

For accountants, this creates an important responsibility. AI can help generate ideas, structure information, and speed up processes, but it cannot replace critical thinking and professional scepticism. The most successful professionals will be those who combine technology with experience, common sense, and the confidence to challenge what they are seeing.

https://humanisethenumbers.online/episode-168-hugh-oneill-principal-accountant-in-residence-at-floqast/

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Here is a soundbite of the interview with Hugh: