066: Stewart Goodson – How Robotics Are Changing the Accounting Field

Stewart Goodson, Executive Director of Tax with Ernst & Young (EY) joined us for this episode of Life In Accounting: The Where Accountants Go podcast to discuss how EY is using robotics!

Early Background

Stewart knew after the first day in his high school accounting course that this would be his career path. After high school, Stewart worked full-time and went to UTSA full-time. Upon graduation he joined EY because he liked the people and the culture, and he has been at EY ever since. He enjoyed working with the clients and he knew he wanted to focus on tax. Since 2000 he has been in the role of Executive Director.

Setting a Path

When computers were becoming common place, Stewart saw that this was going to be a valuable tool so he became the tax department’s technology champion. The firm decided to put in a network, and while he wasn’t a computer programmer, Stewart knew how to ask the right questions and this led to his team doing the initial design.

Robotics!

EY has been involved with robotics for about three years. It all began with data analytics. Two of the key systems that EY uses are Blue Prism and Automation Anywhere. These are software programs that are used to perform certain repetitive tasks that don’t require critical thinking skills.

Robotics are increasingly being used for internal processes that involve administrative tasks, and external client processes such as in the sales tax field.

Soon robotics will be used more expansively in auditing as well. Since bots can focus on outliers, it will be very helpful in the audit realm.

Recommendation for Students

College provides you with a great foundation, but in addition you should learn as much as you can about data analytics and how/why it is used. Leadership skills are also key – make sure you develop them as well. Volunteering is a great way to develop these skills.

For more information on the organization that Stewart volunteers with and mentioned in the podcast, please click here to visit their website: Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Antonio

Have a great week! There’s more to come…