Jim is a Partner, Member of the Board of Directors and Operations Committee at WithumSmith+Brown, in his current role he is Managing Director of Advisory Services. Jim has been a frequent speaker around the globe to many Accounting Societies and International Accounting and Trade Associations, the AICPA, CIMA, State Societies of CPAs, Industry Technology Organizations, Incubators, Accelerators and others on topics specifically related to various accounting, technology, practice management and advisory services topics.

Jim is also Global Advisory and Technology Leader for HLB International with his corporate office in London, UK. In this role Jim is responsible for helping and guiding over 300 HLB member firms around the globe in the areas of technology and expansion of advisory services.

In Jim’s role as Managing Director of Advisory Services, Jim heads-up the Firm’s Systems and Process Assurance Services – SOC, Cloud and ERP Solutions, Business Advisory, Outsourced Accounting, ESG, Cyber Risk and Incident Response, Data Analytics, SEC Readiness and Reporting, Information-Security, Transaction Advisory and Investment Banking Services.

He is Past President for the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants and past Board and Council Member for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA).

Jim has recently been names by Forbes Magazine as one of the Top 200 CPAs in America, has been continually named by Accounting Today as one of the Top 100 Most Influential people in the Accounting profession and has been named by The CPA Technology Advisor as a Top Thought Leader in Public Accounting Technology year after year.

Wrap up the conference in style at our unforgettable karaoke party! Let loose and channel your inner rockstar as you choose from a wide selection of songs. Join fellow attendees for an evening filled with music, laughter, and celebration. Enjoy drinks and light bites while making lasting memories—the perfect way to end the conference on a high note!

In our closing session, four well-known industry experts tackle the most pressing issues facing today’s firms—from keeping pace with technology and refining the right service mix, to optimizing client portfolios, attracting and retaining talent, and making the transition to advisory services. The discussion will also explore critical growth decisions, including how firms should think about capitalization and whether private equity is the right path forward.

This interactive session encourages direct engagement through live Q&A, with candid, unscripted perspectives from the panel. Come prepared with tough questions and expect thoughtful, real-world answers to close out the conference.

Who better to tell firm leaders why it’s so hard to recruit and retain young people in accounting than the young professionals themselves? In this candid panel, early-career accountants share what they love—and hate—about the profession, what drew them to the accounting profession, and the best ways to catch and keep their interest.

Public accounting is in the middle of a talent reset.

In this session, we’ll break down the latest compensation trends, what candidates actually want, and what’s driving exits from the industry – all based on findings from a proprietary database with 21,000+ rows of crowdsourced data.

Attendees will walk away with practical strategies to attract, retain, and engage top talent, and to build a workforce model that supports sustainable growth and scale.

Everyone has a number. For some, it’s what their firm is worth. For most, it’s what they need or want to earn — and that number quietly drives decisions at every level of the organization, from entry-level staff to the managing partner. Career choices, investments, staffing decisions, risk tolerance — all of it flows back to that single target.

But what happens when you look beyond the number?

In this session, firm leaders will learn how to expand their vision, challenge traditional assumptions, and rethink what’s truly possible for their firm.

This panel session will explore practical, real-world applications of AI currently being used across accounting firms. Panelists will discuss how AI is being applied to streamline workflows, automate routine tasks, enhance data analysis, and support client service and advisory work. The session will focus on actionable use cases, implementation considerations, and adoption challenges, providing participants with clear guidance on where AI can be used today and how to integrate it responsibly into firm operations.

Advisory services represent one of the most significant growth opportunities for both small and mid-sized accounting firms, yet many struggle to scale them consistently across teams and clients. In this case study, Smith Marion & Co shares how they leveraged Wolters Kluwer’s CCH Axcess Advisor to embed structured advisory guidance directly into everyday client engagements—turning insights into actionable recommendations and building a repeatable advisory model.