As the march of AI continues, it is crucial that companies identify how to and who manages the opportunities it creates, as well as the risks it can pose.

Responsibility for AI strategy in a company is rarely restricted to a single person.  This is because AI impacts everything, from supply chains and product delivery to interpreting data, identifying new products and marketing them.

AI, if used effectively, can reduce costs, labour needs and increase the speed of “go to market”.  However, we all know it is a double-edged sword, with risks including misinterpreted data, not using an adequate population of base data and (un)ethical business practices.

As such, the responsibility for a company’s AI strategy must be a collaborative effort spanning the C-suite, board of directors, and specialised business unit leaders.

However, let’s be very clear – the ultimate ownership must lie with the CEO and the Board of Directors.

AI touches every aspect of business, and leaders need to fully understand the potential risks and opportunities it offers. Nearly 30% of AI-leading companies now have AI or generative AI formally on the board agenda. This reflects a growing recognition that AI isn’t a narrow IT or innovation topic; it’s a full-board issue touching risk, growth, and competitive positioning.

Top-performing enterprises have moved beyond using AI to improve existing processes. They are now focused on using AI to build new products, open new markets, and reinvent business models.

Where to Start?

The starting point for a board or CEO to consider the potential for AI in their company can come down to 2 basic questions:

• Where to deploy AI? and
• How to manage the risks that come with it?

The more effective companies have already made their choice.

In these companies, the CEO and the C-suite are setting the tone for AI. They acknowledge that AI is not a separate technical initiative but a strategic need that transcends all aspects of the business; AI strategy is a bridge spanning technical teams to the business, commercial, and operational strategies.

The leaders of respective teams, such as product offerings, customer experience, growth, and finance, whatever it may be, define their goals (much as in a traditional organisation structure), the AI lead and their team respond by making the goals achievable by best harnessing AI. This ensures that AI innovation will have an ultimate ROI focus rather than “AI for AI’s sake”. However, this only works when the CEO puts AI on the agenda and encourages the use of an internal team to enhance the business strategy with effective AI.

Final Thoughts

A strategy of “AI for AI’s sake” will not work – AI is a lever used to best achieve the ultimate business strategy. Whilst roles such as Chief AI Officer (CAIO) and Chief Data & Analytics Officer (CDAO) are growing in popularity and, indeed, need, the ultimate ownership for AI in a business must sit at the top. If a CEO or a Board delegates this responsibility, the tail (AI) will undoubtedly begin to wag the dog (strategy).

Barden Executive Search

Barden partners with Boards and executive teams to appoint leaders and build future-ready organisations. Our founders and senior leaders work directly with clients, bringing first-hand experience of scaling businesses and driving growth. Reach out to ed.heffernan@Barden.ie to connect. Your Leaders, found by Ours.

A well-established and highly successful Irish business have engaged Barden to identify a commercially-minded Financial Analyst to join their Finance team. This broad role is a great opportunity for an ambitious and commercially minded person to work closely with various stakeholders across the business.

This business is well known for its strong culture and work/life balance.

“Working within our commercial team, the ideal person for this role will be a driven individual who is not afraid to hit the ground running and get stuck in. I’m looking for a focused, commercial individual who is keen to contribute to the bottom line of our business. Individuals who can recognise opportunities, act on them and give recommendations that will make a positive impact is what we are looking for.” – Finance Manager

ABOUT THE ROLE:

• Conduct financial analysis in order to identify opportunities for profit improvement across the business;
• Coordinate and project manage various cost saving initiatives identified for the organisation;
• Provide detailed analysis and key financial insights to relevant stakeholders;
• Build and maintain cross functional relationships with both internal and external stakeholders providing support on new and improved ways to drive improvement & profit across the business;
• Promote cost awareness, saving opportunities and a continuous improvement culture throughout the business;
• Ad-Hoc Project work as required.

ABOUT THE PERSON:

• Qualified accountant with 1/2 + years PQE;
• Financial analysis experience is an advantage but not essential;
• Excellent attention to detail, numeric and analytical skills;
• Process, systems and controls focused;
• Excellent communication and relationship building skills.

Sound interesting? Feel free to get in touch with Siobhán Sexton in Barden (siobhan.sexton@barden.ie) for more information.

Here in Barden, we are proud to be working exclusively with a global technology business to identify an ambitious and smart Senior Financial Accountant to join their well-established and highly collaborative finance team.

The successful person will work closely with the Finance Manager on a range of areas including month-end reporting, statutory reporting, analysis and project work. This person will get broad exposure across the global business while liaising with multiple teams across finance and beyond on a daily basis.

“This person will join our growing Finance team and take on a wide range of responsibilities. This would be a great step for someone ambitious looking to progress in their career in the Finance & Accounting space. A fantastic opportunity for someone to expand their skillset for the long-term” – Finance Manager

Responsibilities include:

• End-to-end accounting for your assigned entities;
• Preparation of the month-end and quarter-end reporting processes;
• Responsible for supporting and preparation of the Statutory Accounting Activities for your assigned entities;
• Liaise with internal and external auditors and support the audit process by providing timely and accurate information and data;
• Evaluation of processes and recommendations and implementations of process improvements;
• The development of strong relationships with key stakeholders across the business;
• Involvement in key projects as required to support the continued growth of the business.

About the person:

• Recently qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA);
• Experience in a multinational environment is a strong advantage but not essential;
• Strong Excel and systems experience;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Strong team player with the ability to interact with stakeholders at all levels of the organisation.

Interested? Feel free to get in touch with Siobhán Sexton in Barden (siobhan.sexton@barden.ie) for more information.

Barden are proud to be working exclusively with a global manufacturing/technology organisation to identify an ambitious and smart financial accountant to join their well-established and highly collaborative finance team.

The successful person will work closely with the Finance Manager on a range of tasks including month-end reporting, variance analysis and ad-hoc project work. This person will get broad exposure across the global business while liaising with multiple teams across finance and beyond.

Responsibilities include:

• End-to-end accounting for your assigned entities within the EMEA region;
• Preparation of the month-end and quarter-end reporting processes;
• Completion of variance analysis and related reports for your entities;
• Liaise with internal and external auditors and support the audit process by providing timely and accurate information and data;
• Assistance with Corporate tax, VAT and payroll tasks;
• The development of strong relationships with key stakeholders across the business;
• Ad-hoc projects as required.

About the person:

• Recently qualified accountant with 1/2 years’ PQE;
• Experience in a multinational environment is a strong advantage but not essential;
• Strong Excel and systems experience;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Strong team player with the ability to interact with stakeholders at all level of the organisation.

Curious? Feel free to get in touch with Siobhán Sexton in Barden (siobhan.sexton@barden.ie) for more information.

Barden is proud to be partnering with the CEO of a manufacturing business to appoint a commercially minded and ambitious Part-Qualified Accountant to join their team on a full-time permanent basis.

This is a newly created position and joins at an exciting time as the business continues to grow. Reporting to the Financial Controller, this person will be involved in management accounting process, monthly financial accounts prep, various operational finance activity as well as various exciting projects.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

• Assisting in the preparation of monthly management accounts, including balance sheet reconciliations.
• Supporting senior leadership on strategic finance initiatives.
• Overseeing revenue-related processes.
• Supporting the year-end audit process.
• Contributing to projects to ensure compliance with relevant policies and procedures.
• Preparing ad-hoc reports and responding to queries.

ABOUT THE PERSON:

• Minimum 2 years’ accounting experience.
• Experience in month-end preparation or as audit senior for companies with turnover over €8m.
• Near completion of a professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, or CIMA).
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles with excellent attention to detail.
• Proactive, able to manage new processes and meet deadlines efficiently.
• Advanced Excel skills and proficiency in MS Office; experience with Xero.

Let’s explore a concept fundamental to working in a non-practice environment: organisational structure. Where you sit in the organisational structure of your next employer will have a key impact on the structures you can access in the future. To make this simple, we have broken down the market into four key structures: 3 of which tend to operate in Multinationals (MNCs), and the other in Small/ Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Multi Nationals

While you may think a role in a pharmaceutical or tech MNC is simply a role in a pharmaceutical or tech MNC, where your role sits within the structure of the organisation will have a huge bearing on your day-to-day and month-to-month, as well as the experience you gain from the role and how that may be perceived by future employers. Where you sit in the organisational structure of your next employer will have a key impact on the structures you can access in the future

• Group Functions: consolidation environments (HQ) where the Global/EMEA Group CFO and CEO sit. This is where decisions are made, but the finance function can often be at arm’s length from actual business activity. Any experience you have of group audits where you worked on consolidations is highly relevant to roles in Group Functions and should be highlighted in your CV. The job title you may see for these roles is Group Financial Accountant; it can come in many guises, but the key is to look for the term “group” in the title and consol in the job spec.
• Finance Hubs/ Shared Services: these have lots of different names but are fundamentally where accounting functions are centralised for a particular geography (EMEA/ APAC). All financial and statutory accounting for different jurisdictions is done here, and information is then pushed to HQ for consolidation. You may be tasked with looking after a specific account balance, such as Fixed Assets or Intangibles, for a specific entity. Alternatively, you could be tasked with owning the PL for an entire entity, such as several pharmaceutical plants somewhere in Europe. Job titles you typically see for these roles include General Ledger accountant.
• Strategic business units: this can be a trading entity for a multinational that serves Europe or focuses on the Irish (domestic) market. It can look like an SME from the outside but has the structures, systems and politics of a larger organisation. For roles in a SBU you may see the job title of Cost Accountant, where you are analysing costs in relation to variances and efficiencies. But it is important to remember that job titles don’t mean everything.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s)

The most common type of company, ranging from the small local store to very large, privately-owned companies that are not part of a bigger multinational. Over 80% of people in Ireland are employed in SMEs and they come in every shape and form imaginable; You may see a broad range of job titles of roles on these, A role in an SME can often include a blend of financial accounting through month end, year-end, accounts prep, financial analysis through involvement in the budget and exposure to other areas such as tax through CT, VAT and PAYE returns.

It is worth noting that it is easier to move from a larger to a smaller company as your career progresses than to move from an SME to an MNC. This is because larger companies face increased reporting requirements and tend to operate in higher-control environments due to their scale.

Final Thoughts

These structures (or a hybrid thereof) can be used to describe 95% of companies out there. And guess what? If you work in a Group function, do you know where you’ll be most likely to get a job in the future? In a Group function… the ‘like with like’ concept strikes again! Also, keep in mind that some structures are further away from each other than others. For example, small SMEs are very far away from Group functions – move to an SME and you reduce your chances of working in a Group structure in the future.

Finishing your training contract in 2026? Do you want to make sure you make the very best first step after qualifying? Do you want a coffee meeting with an expert talent advisor; someone who is a qualified accountant, just like you (meet our Leinster team here>>> and our  Munster team here>>>)? Do you want a little help to create your very own best financial future? No problem. Just drop us a line today on hello@barden.ie and we will take it from there. Simple.

Barden is proud to partner with a long-established, community-focused organisation to appoint an Accounts Administrator to their Dublin-based team.

Reporting to the Financial Controller, this is a hands-on role offering broad exposure across accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll support, bank reconciliations, and VAT. It’s an excellent opportunity for an experienced accounts professional who enjoys variety and ownership in their role.

Key Responsibilities

• Process supplier invoices and manage payments
• Raise sales invoices and monitor debtor balances
• Perform bank reconciliations and post journals
• Support fortnightly payroll processing and statutory submissions
• Prepare bi-monthly VAT returns
• Ensure accurate and timely month-end close

About You

• Proven experience in a similar accounts role
• Strong understanding of accounting procedures and compliance
• Experience with Sage or similar accounting systems
• Excellent attention to detail and strong Excel skills
• Organised, proactive, and confident working independently

For more information, get in touch with Phonsie Irwin in Barden (Phonsie.irwin@barden.ie).

That’s a tough question – one that is hard to get a candid and impartial answer on.  Why? Because the people you are likely to ask for advice might have a vested interest in your decision. A Partner will nearly always want you to stay on.  A previous colleague who left practice before you may encourage you to move to industry.

The best place to start is at the end… what are your long-term aspirations? Then, work back from there. We have compiled a number of pointers to help you think this question through carefully. Just remember – everyone’s situation is different, so make sure the decision you are making is in your best interests, not someone else’s….

Broadly speaking, people tend to have three types of answers to the big-picture question:

#1  “I want to become Partner”  If you have ambitions to become a Partner, the best route is to stay on in Practice after your training contract. It is very unusual for a Partner to come from industry, even if they have initially trained in Practice. Usually, becoming Partner is achieved by staying with your training firm or transferring to a competitor to get a step up to the next level. What is worth considering now is what area you want to become Partner in – for example, if you want to transfer out of Audit into Advisory or Corporate Finance, you should plan to make this transition as early as possible after you qualify… making a move like that as a Director or a Partner is far less likely.

#2 “I want to become a Financial Controller, and perhaps ultimately, a CFO or CEO” If you have the ambition to become a captain of industry, staying on in Practice after your training contract is less likely to get you where you want to go.  It is a misnomer that you will get “paid more” or access “better jobs” in industry if you get a few years under your belt as a Manager in practice.  Why?

Let’s look at an example: If a company is looking for a Financial Controller or Finance Manager, they will nearly always look first for a qualified accountant with “x” years of post-qualified experience doing the job they are looking to hire.  They will look first for Financial Controllers or Finance Managers that are in industry and look second (and a distant second) to Managers or Directors out of Practice.  The people in your intake who left Practice after they qualified will likely have a significant competitive advantage over you for these types of roles as their experience will be more relevant.  Fact.

Moving from Practice to industry is not easy. Staying on in Practice simply to receive a bump in salary or an Assistant Manager/Manager job title will likely make your move to industry more difficult than moving once your training contract ends.

#3 “I am not sure where I want my career to take me and want to keep my options open”  If you are not 100% sure on your end goal, consider the following questions:

• Enjoy the work you are doing? If yes, staying on for a little while until you feel more comfortable in your decision is not bad – just don’t leave it too long! (see #2 above)
• Not ready to leave but would like to do something new? It might be an idea to look internally and externally for different roles in practice such as consulting, FAAS or similar. This type of move can sometimes give you the best of both worlds and can open up alternative career opportunities down the line beyond Finance teams – don’t underestimate it!
• Torn because you feel a sense of loyalty to your team/Partner? You really need to put that to one side.  You have given 3 or 4 years to your team/Partner and now is the time to put yourself and your future first. Even if you sign on for “another 6 months” after your contract ends, remember that the employment relationship changes after your training contract.  Your new employment relationship is just like any other – you have a notice period and as long as you honour that, you are playing by the rules.  If your “dream” job comes up during your 6-month contract, while it might not be optimal timing for your Partner, you have the right to hand in your notice anytime.

The above only scratches the surface of our original question. The right answer for you might not be the right answer for the person sitting next to you.  Keep in mind that a good recruiter should be able to give you objective, personalised, advice on this and other questions.

In summary…

seek out different opinions, align your aspirations for the future with the decisions you make today and make sure you don’t just do what someone else wants you to do; do what’s best for you and your career.

Finishing your training contract in 2026? Do you want to make sure you make the very best first step after qualifying? Do you want a coffee meeting with an experienced talent advisor; someone who is a qualified accountant, just like you (meet our Leinster team here>>> and our  Munster team here>>>)?

Do you want a little help to create your very own best professional future? No problem. Just drop us a line today on hello@barden.ie and we will take it from there. Simple.

Barden is partnering with a well-established organisation to introduce an Accounts Payable Specialist to their Dublin based team.

This full-time, permanent role is ideal for a motivated finance professional with 1+ years’ AP experience looking to take ownership of supplier accounts and payments within a collaborative finance team.

Key Responsibilities

• Process supplier invoices and raise payments
• Manage key supplier accounts and resolve invoice queries
• Perform monthly reconciliations and support audits
• Assist with improvements to AP processes and workflows
• Support other finance tasks as needed

What We’re Looking For

• 1+ years’ experience in Accounts Payable or similar finance role
• Solid understanding of accounting principles
• Strong Excel skills and experience with accounting systems
• Hands-on, self-motivated, and organised
• Confident liaising with management and suppliers

For more information, get in touch with Phonsie Irwin in Barden (Phonsie.irwin@barden.ie).