Insights

For accounting and finance teams, the end of financial year is simply part of the job. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make it any less relentless. Reporting deadlines, year-end journals, audit preparation, reconciliations, budget planning for the year ahead, all lands at once, on top of the day-to-day work that doesn’t stop just because the calendar is demanding.  Although most finance teams get through it, there is often an unexpected hidden cost that shows up months later. Finance professionals rarely resign in the thick of the EOFY rush because they’re too busy, and there’s a certain solidarity in surviving a high-pressure period alongside colleagues. However, when the dust settles in July, something shifts. People come up for air, reflect on the past few months, and start making decisions.

The legal industry is no stranger to disruption. From AI-powered research tools to automated document review, technology has reshaped how lawyers work. It’s no surprise then, that recruitment is undergoing its own transformation. Platforms promising algorithmic matching, automated screening, and data-driven hiring are gaining traction. Yet, when it comes to placing lawyers – professionals whose success hinges on trust, judgment, technical knowledge and cultural alignment – the debate between tech-driven recruitment and the traditional agency model becomes far more nuanced. The Promise of AI-Driven Legal Recruitment  Technology-based recruitment platforms offer undeniable advantages. AI can sift through thousands of CVs in seconds, identifying candidates who meet predefined criteria with speed and scale that no human recruiter could match. Algorithms analyse patterns in career history, skills, and even writing style to predict potential fit. Automated systems also promise to reduce the financial overhead associated with manual sourcing and screening. For high-volume hiring or roles with straightforward requirements, these tools can be incredibly effective. However, the legal profession is rarely straightforward, so is lightning-fast recruitment really necessary or the correct approach in this industry? Experience shows that clients usually ask for the right person, not the fastest outcome. The Hidden Costs of Technology-First Recruitment This isn’t the first time technology organisations have tried to disrupt the recruitment market, promising dramatic improvement in “speed to hire” and direct access to thousands of CVs. Yet the reality is more complex than the marketing materials suggest. Most legal recruitment technology providers appear to offer what amounts to an industry-specific version of LinkedIn. This access comes at a cost and requires a human to give it instructions and interpret the data. These humans, mainly Talent Acquisition (TA) Consultants, then go through the manual process of contacting candidates anyway. Here we encounter several problems: an upfront cost with no guarantee of return, an AI-generated long list of potential candidates that may or may not have the correct technical skills, and further financial investment to pay for the TA Consultant, again, with no guarantee of success. What Technology Cannot Measure Lawyers are not interchangeable units of labour. A technically brilliant solicitor who thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial boutique may struggle in a conservative, hierarchical global firm, and vice versa. These nuances are impossible for algorithms to capture. AI can evaluate what a candidate has, within the bounds of a CV, but it cannot possibly understand who they are as a person. Technology can only interpret what it reads, so if one writes the right things about oneself, it can be fooled. Furthermore, with an increasing number of candidates using AI to write their job applications, we find ourselves in an almost perfect cyclical storm. A CV doesn’t reveal how a candidate handles pressure, collaborates with colleagues, or navigates interpersonal dynamics. Soft skills like empathy, communication style, and professional maturity are critical in legal practice but notoriously hard to quantify. Even bias can creep in, as algorithms are only as objective as the data they’re trained on. Without human oversight (a human in the loop), tech-driven recruitment can unintentionally reinforce existing inequities, meaning we still need human influence to give AI guardrails, adding to the cost. In a profession built on relationships, deep knowledge, and trust, relying solely on technology risks reducing candidates to data points. Why Cultural Fit Matters More in Law Cultural fit cannot be measured by data. Recruitment is a professional service but also a very personal service about humans, and humans are individuals with their own personality, drivers and desires. Cultural fit isn’t about hiring people who all look or think the same. It’s about ensuring that a lawyer’s working style, communication preferences, and professional ethos align with the firm’s environment. Law firms are ecosystems. Their success depends on collaboration, shared values, and trust. A single misaligned hire, especially at senior levels, can create friction, destabilise teams, or drive attrition. The Agency Advantage: Knowing the Person Behind the CV A seasoned legal recruiter brings something no algorithm can replicate: human insight. Traditional agents (at least the good ones) invest time in understanding candidates as people. They meet them, talk to them, challenge them, and get a feel for their motivations and values. This depth of understanding allows recruiters to make placements that go way beyond skills matching. A recruiter can sense whether a candidate is driven by partnership prospects, work-life balance, intellectual challenge, or team culture. Body language, tone, and rapport reveal far more than a digital profile ever could. Recruiters often work with candidates over years, witnessing their growth and career evolution. Because recruiters also know their client firms personally, they can identify subtle cultural alignments that technology simply cannot detect. This human-centred approach often results in placements that last longer, perform better, and strengthen the firm’s culture rather than disrupt it. The Best Approach: Technology as a Tool, Not a Replacement The debate isn’t really about choosing between AI and traditional recruitment. It’s about recognising their strengths and limitations. Technology excels at efficiency. Humans excel at understanding people. The most effective legal recruitment strategies blend both: using technology to streamline processes while relying on experienced recruiters to make the final decisions. AI can process CVs faster than any human and identify keyword matches, but it cannot sit across from someone and understand their career aspirations. It cannot gauge whether they’ll thrive in your firm’s particular culture. It cannot build the trust that turns a placement into a long-term success story. When you’re hiring lawyers, professionals whose work depends on discernment, judgment, and interpersonal skills, doesn’t it make sense to use a recruitment process that values those same qualities? If you’re looking to strengthen your legal team, our highly experienced consultants are available to discuss your hiring needs and provide tailored recruitment support for your business. Contact us to find out more.

As recruiters, we are often asked: “Why should we engage you exclusively when we could work with multiple agencies and expand our reach?” At first glance, it sounds logical: more recruiters should mean access to more talent, right? Actually, this is one of the most common misconceptions in recruitment. In most cases, the opposite is true. Engaging a single recruiter on an exclusive basis generally delivers a deeper search, stronger engagement with talent, and ultimately a better hire. Here’s why… Understanding the Requirement With an exclusive arrangement, your recruiter can take a deeper dive into understanding your business and specific hiring needs, building a true partnership rather than a transactional relationship. The process will be more thorough and consultative, guided by a clear project plan and agreed timeline. This collaborative approach ensures greater engagement at every stage and ultimately leads to a stronger hiring outcome. Effort & Resources When a role is entrusted exclusively to one agency, the team can commit their full energy and resources to the search. They know their work will be recognised, which drives greater focus, stronger candidate engagement, and a better overall result. By contrast, when multiple agencies are competing, the uncertainty of reward discourages full investment. Effort is spread thin, resources are held back, and the quality of the outcome is inevitably compromised. Quality With an exclusive arrangement, your recruiter can take the time to thoroughly understand your brief and focus on delivering a carefully vetted shortlist of high-quality professionals for you to consider. Instead of rushing to be first to present a shortlist, the priority is on accuracy, alignment, and fit, ensuring the talent you meet is the best possible match for your role and organisation.  Shared Accountability With an exclusive arrangement, the recruiter is fully accountable for delivering results. If they don’t find the right candidate, they are held to account, creating a true partnership built on responsibility and commitment. Market Exploration When recruiters are competing against other agencies, the time pressure means they tend to only focus on active job seekers, limiting the talent pool. Exclusive assignments allow for more thorough market exploration, including reaching out to passive candidates who aren’t necessarily actively looking for work, but are often the highest-calibre talent. Candidate Engagement Candidates respond more positively when a single agency manages a role. Time and care are taken by the consultant to support and communicate with them through each stage of the process. As a result, there is greater candidate buy-in and commitment, increasing the likelihood of successful placements. Brand Advocacy When a recruiter is engaged exclusively, they will act as an advocate for your brand. They will take the time to know your company inside out, understanding its culture and values and ensuring all messaging in the market is delivered positively and consistently. Consistency in Approach Exclusivity with a single recruitment agency ensures a uniform, structured approach to the market. Every candidate is assessed against the same criteria, providing you with a high-quality, consistent shortlist that is easier to assess. Enhanced Confidentiality With only one agency dedicated to the talent search, sensitive information and candidate identities are protected more effectively. This is particularly important when dealing with executive level positions. Efficiency and Ease Exclusive engagements streamline the process and save valuable time. Instead of juggling multiple consultants, comparing overlapping shortlists, and sifting through an array of candidates, you work with one dedicated partner who manages everything end-to-end. Partnering with a recruitment agency is a critical step in securing the right talent for your team. While it may be tempting to engage multiple agencies, experience shows this approach is often counterproductive. Exclusive recruitment arrangements consistently deliver stronger outcomes for all parties. Candidates benefit from a clear and consistent experience, while employers gain confidence that their brand is represented accurately and their assignment is being managed with focus and diligence to achieve the best possible result.

Is your organisation in serious need of a finance dream team? Finance is changing, becoming more tied to tech, Big Data analysis, and automation. Sadly, while exciting new talent is arriving on the scene, there is a significant gap between finance teams that are fully conversant in the latest technological advances and what organisations desperately need. Step one: technology The right people can deliver radically superior results, and keep you operating at maximum returns. How do you identify the best people to create a strong finance department? A blend of financial and tech savvy is key, and you don’t just need people – you need tools. According to a recent Deloitte survey, artificial intelligence (AI) for finance is what frontrunners who succeed have committed to. There are three main areas you need to look at and invest in before assembling your finance dream team. Machine learning (ML) Seventy per cent of all financial services respondents were using machine learning, for one or more of the following functions: Predicting cash-flow events. Proactively advising customers on spending and saving habits. Building advanced credit models. Detecting fraud by spotting patterns in transactional data. Natural language processing (NLP) Sixty per cent of all financial services respondents were using NLP, for one or more of the following functions: Reading documents and identifying errors in information verification or user identification. Improving the underwriting process. Understanding customer queries via voice. Deep learning More than half of all financial services respondents said they were using deep learning, for one or more of the following functions: Reading claims documents and ranking them for prioritised attention. Building user dashboards for simple and intuitive data analytics. Developing innovative trading and investment strategies. Identifying where you can use ML, NLP, and deep learning is the starting point. From there, you can seek the right candidates to form the human side of your finance dream team. Step two: people In order to succeed, it is crucial to have an agile, competent team that is capable of integrating with the latest technology, and not averse to continually working to build new skills. As finance departments play an increasingly strategic role inside their organisations, and automation is entering the field, it’s vital to find candidates who can think beyond the spreadsheet. Cultivate technical fluency in your teams by committing to a solid onboarding and training process, and providing each team member with the best tools possible. AI and ML are aids for their human counterparts, not replacements. Your finance dream team needs to be half human and half AI to keep you competitive. Risk management  By integrating risk professionals into your company’s transformation processes, you introduce massive benefits for the long-term. Find people who can implement these tools for fraud detection, forecasting and prediction of cashflows and revenues, process automation and full-scale audits. By enhancing your employees’ talents with the capability to spot patterns in enormous data sets, you empower them to do their job twice as well.

Any form of analytics is useful for generating consumer preferences. However, streaming analytics takes it one step further by dealing with real-time information from multiple sources. A company that learns to effectively harness this information, has the power to react to consumer behaviour immediately and encourage the actions they want. The importance of real-time analytics in consumer behaviour Perhaps the most discussed benefit of real-time analytics in consumer behaviour is the ability to react immediately and be constantly relevant. As soon as consumer interests or values change, you can adapt your marketing tactics or even the products you sell. As a result, you’ve always got what customers want, are talking to their needs, and encouraging them to buy. What streaming analytics adds to the picture Combining multiple points of data With such a variety of ways of gathering consumer data, organisations aren’t limited to what they can collect themselves. With the Internet of Things, data is being collected in various locations throughout the day. From mobile phones, to fridges, computers in cars and a plethora of other devices, there is no shortage of ways we can gather detailed information about the habits of consumers. There is no shortage of ways we can gather detailed information. Insurance companies, for example, buy data from the companies who sell vehicles as well as from businesses that track how the car is used. Not only can insurance companies tailor their policies according to real-time consumer behaviour, they can adapt their offer according to how the vehicle is used and likely risk. This variety of data also makes historical forecasts more powerful, as they now contain information gathered from multiple sources. Always building a picture Data collection tells us what consumers are excited about, what they’re concerned about and what’s generally occupying the thoughts of thousands. Organisations are capitalising by using that data not only to tailor their campaigns in the moment, they’re also using it to build a picture and look ahead. With constant access to real-time analytics, these predictions are constantly updating and tweaking so that even companies that can’t react the same day, can ensure that what they plan for the next few weeks or months is right on point. Adapting your marketing tactics Real-time analytics means you can post on social media and encourage shares by being highly relevant. Be the first of your competitors to react to what consumers want, understanding the latest trends and using them today, not next quarter. But streaming analytics allows you tailor your message even closer. Right down to the location of the consumer or the technology they’re using. Send visitors offers or surprises according to their location and profile. For example, by tracking where your users are through their mobile phones, you can send offers or notifications through to their device when they’re close by. Send a discount voucher for example, to get them into your store. Disney do something similar by giving resort users wristbands as a form of pre-payment. They send visitors offers or surprises according to their location and profile – keeping consumers happy and encouraging them to keep interacting with the brand. Handling streaming analytics One of drawbacks of trying to use streaming analytics to inform your marketing and sales tactics is having the infrastructure to make sense of the data. There’s no value in the data as a table of numbers. Information becomes valuable when it’s properly analysed and translated. Today though, a number of software options are available for non-technical users, presenting useful insight that businesses can act on. These tools deal with large-scale data management and present advanced analysis.

Today’s business world is changing fast. Finance functions have to adapt like anybody else by ensuring they prepare for the risks that change can bring. However, McKinsey’s Value and Resilience report concludes that risk management has not kept up with business change. They say risk management is underdeveloped. So, no matter how resilient you think your finance function is, how can you maintain their strength in an ever-changing landscape? Stay on top of digital transformation Don’t stop looking at how you can keep improving and adapting. Most finance functions that are resilient to change have already kept up with digital transformation. But don’t stop looking at how you can keep improving and adapting. Decision makers expect faster information and new ways of analysing the company health across integrated platforms. You might have the latest in financial software, but does it allow you to plot your data against other departments, such as the marketing team? This kind of integrated, collaborative approach to digital transformation is just one example of what it takes to keep moving forward. Predict and expect regulatory changes Finance rules and regulations change, as does best practice. Auditors expect finance functions to hit higher targets, work smarter and better protect their customer data all the time. While your team may have hit today’s targets, you never know what kind of change is coming next. By analysing and sensing changes in the regulatory landscape, you can adapt your systems to reflect best practice well before it becomes regulation. This means you’re constantly adapting, rather than standing still until something changes, which involves a huge investment of both money and other resources. Take a broad view of potential risks For your finance function, risk comes from all angles. From political change and geographical circumstance, to compliance and many more – it doesn’t matter where the risk comes from, it can have significant impact if an organisation isn’t looking out for it. In fact, the Australian Government’s Organisational Resilience report asserts that it’s accepting that not all risks can be identified and that risk is to be expected, that makes a team resilient in the first place. However, resilient functions should have an approach to business that means you have a greater chance of recovering from disruption when it does happen. In practice, this means that finance functions must develop advanced approaches to identify what risks they may face and then develop plans to react and protect no matter the disruption. They must build a line of defence, knowing what resource they’ll turn to when change is needed. Leaders must have the capability and experience to identify what risk is for their team. Leaders must have the capability and experience to identify what risk is for their team, business and industry before it arrives. However, those at the centre of the day-to-day operations should also be aware of what’s happening, how they can better protect their practices. The Australian Government describes resilient teams as “those which have developed their approaches to the management of risk to the point that they have an almost organic capacity to respond to, and even capitalise upon, change whenever it occurs.” Will your finance function be ready when risk arrives?  Health Check: Do you know the signs of a high performing finance function? The modern finance function does much more than maintain the numbers. With the right tools, finance functions spearhead strategic analysis for the whole business. Compliance, funding, risk, growth and innovation – all key elements of a top finance team. With this health check you’ll know if your team has what it takes to succeed. How’s your process complexity? Over time, finance function processes can evolve into unnecessarily complex structures. Utilise retrospectives to standardise and streamline these systems. 37% of high performing funcions are also investing in decision support tools. Are you relying on legacy systems? Outdated legacy systems hold finance functions back. 53% of high performing teams have a deployment or expansion of ERP software in the next two years. Does HR know what your goals are? 25% of finance functions believe reporting to other teams is the most difficult aspect of their role. Foster cross-departmental reporting, regular meetings and align both departments’ goals to keep the teams closer. Are you neglecting talent management? 61&% of top performers deem talent management more important than other factors – compared to 44% industry-wide. Rework your recruitment, onboarding and exit processes to create a fluid and flexible finance unit. Can managers communicate with the board? Only 49% of senior finance executives rate their capacity to communicate with their boards or managers. Like with HR, this relationship must be fostered over time through collaborative meetings and goals. How did you go? Generally finance functions are exceptional strong in analysis and strategy delivery, providing crucial input into overall business direction. Yet collaboration and a focus on people remain a thematic weakness. A healthy, high performing finance function is one that has a plan for everyone it engages with. What’s yours?

Achieving organisational goals in today’s fast-paced financial landscape means being able to effectively leverage innovative technology developed precisely to solve problems and improve the speed of resolution. For cloud success, leaders in the finance sector must both recognise the full range of benefits of moving away from on-premise. Failure to embrace cloud-based technology – including applications – increases the chances of stagnation while competitors adopt technology like blockchain and AI that sends them into the future. Keeping everything on-premise means continuing to deal with a rapidly obsolescing legacy system, instead of embracing the power of cloud-based applications. Best practices to select and implement cloud apps The key to a successful cloud deployment for finance rests with financial experts and IT professionals being able to work together to create compliant, effective systems that are secure and easy to use. The business objectives, skills, and role requirements implicit in the financial services sector drive the selection process when it comes to which apps are viable and which are too risky or clumsy to provide any meaningful benefit. Finance application leaders seeking the best fit when it comes to cloud apps will do well to keep things simple: The more complex an app is, the more vulnerabilities it may have. Moving to the cloud should increase security, not diminish it. Check to ensure that applications you are considering match the overall strategy and organisational structure. Limit customisation and keep the implementation of systems as neutral as possible. Understand that using cloud apps is tantamount to outsourcing, and perform due diligence to ensure end-to-end compliance is maintained. When you select a partner for implementation, work alongside them to make the shift to cloud apps as seamless as possible. Many financial experts are extremely devoted to their current way of doing things, and you must be prepared to show them the advantages and benefits of making the switch. Avoid technical jargon and make change management rules as clear as possible. Migrate in groups, team by team or department by department, with the least vital parts of your organisation going first. This will give you time to identify any issues and fix any problems before the full organisation-wide rollout. Train each team in the use of your new cloud-based apps, and listen to feedback. Some resistance to new ways of doing things is normal, but early groups provide test cases and allow you to present proof of benefit to later teams making the transition. Cloud app adoption In finance, accountants are moving swiftly towards the implementation of cloud apps, citing security and functionality as key reasons for adoption. Cloud computing is also a major factor in modern investment management.  Once your new cloud applications are fully integrated, you can continue to enhance the benefits by evaluating organisational abilities and identifying new areas where technological investment can drive enhanced productivity. The results can provide benefits far beyond what a few simple applications can deliver.

At its core, augmented reality is an enhanced version of reality utilising overlay technology and a digital device. It may look and sound like science fiction on its face, but AR is very much in use today, across multiple industries. Augmented reality uses overlays to create a different reality filtered through a lens. Virtual reality, by contrast, involves the complete disconnection from reality, as the user will be immersed in a completely alternate, synthetic environment through the use of technology like a headset. Mixed reality, as you might imagine, involves a mix of both VR and AR technology. Augmented reality in the real world We see augmented reality utilised in businesses all around the world. Take for example Thyssenkrupp, lift manufacturers whose products many of us ride each day. These lifts helped lead the industry in AR applications using Microsoft’s HoloLens. The AR tech enables tasks like lift maintenance to be observed by experts around the world in real time. Being able to see the exact piece of machinery and how it works through an overlay that shows how it should work is clearly a game changer. But Thyssenkrupp wasn’t done there. It continued its work in AR by creating a step-by-step guide for stairlift engineers to use when customising accessibility lifts in people’s homes. Visualising the different aspects of a staircase allows the installation to fit the individual staircases directly without the need for costly and time-consuming renders. Integration with existing tech Even more so than VR or MR, the tech needed for AR is already at our fingertips. Take for example IKEA Place, the mobile app that allows users to “bring it home before you buy it.” With this service, customers can select a piece of furniture or room decor and “place” it in the space virtually using their phone’s camera and gauge if the item works for the size, shape or colour of the space, in addition to reviewing other aesthetic concerns. IKEA, meanwhile, know that it’s offering customers better perspective on the viability of a purchase. Augmented reality is being utilised more and more as it becomes integrated with a wider range of existing technology. Whether used through a mobile phone app or through the headset of a HoloLens, the sky is truly the limit with AR.