Women in Accounting Tech: Beyond Linear Paths

It was her external expertise that led Monica to shake up the approach to technology at Bové Montero (HLB Spain).

When she joined, the firm was interested in technology but wasn’t using data to manage the business. In practice, decisions were made based on data that was three months old and getting visibility of a project meant downloading and manipulating an Excel file manually.

Bové explained, “This approach was mind-blowing for me. I couldn’t understand it because I’d never worked in this way, but it was how things had always been done at the business. It gave me an opportunity to change how the firm was using technology little by little, and now in contrast, considering our size, we have a very forward-thinking approach to technology.”

In fact, Bové Montero (HLB Spain) now uses data dashboards to help it make decisions in real time, moving it from data visibility towards forecasting, integrating AI to exploit the data and achieving a much higher level of digital maturity. Crucially, this internal experimentation has also helped the firm develop client-facing technology solutions, creating a new commercial offering for clients and changing how the business operates.

At HLB CBS Group, the drive for change came from within. Janse van Vuuren became increasingly frustrated with how manual the audit process was, and rather than accept that this was simply how things were done, she helped build a digital audit department. Just as important was the space the firm gave her to innovate: “I’m really grateful I was given the space by the firm to develop my interest in enhancing what we could do.” It is a reminder that some of the most valuable tech talent may already be sitting inside the firm, waiting for permission to experiment.

So, if firms need to broaden their traditional hiring routes to attract tech expertise and for female talent, what do they need to look for?

In practice, it requires looking beyond qualifications and considering attitude and personality: in particular, a curiosity for how technology can be used to improve things, coupled with critical thinking and the ability to solve problems. Traits like these will help businesses attract a candidate who brings new ideas and connect the dots in ways that others might not have seen. Additionally, research has found that hiring based on skills rather than formal credentials grows the share of women in the candidate pool by 24% more than it does for men (LinkedIn Economic Graph, Skills-First report). In this way, formal qualifications in fields such as programming or engineering are less important than a curiosity to try new things and a desire to self-learn.

Janse van Vuuren sees this mindset as central to innovation: “People often ask me where I get my ideas. I tell them, ‘I don’t have ideas, I have problems and a solutions mindset.’” For her, innovation starts with identifying the weak points in a firm’s processes, then understanding where and how technology can be leveraged to fix them.

Attracting talent from different backgrounds will require firms to rethink their hiring processes, which can often be rigid and predetermined. As Janse van Vuuren puts it: “With tech, we need to be much more open-minded and focus on experience rather than specific qualifications.” In turn, this will mean broadening the idea of what a technology career even looks like, and opening the opportunity for non-linear career paths, for example, enabling women in auditing or accounting roles to sidestep into a tech role.

Hybrid roles are also important, enabling staff to spend part of their time in technology and exploring how it can be used, while maintaining their technical accounting or advisory role. This could also make accountancy and audit careers more attractive to younger talent, by combining traditional professional training with AI, technology and innovation. The AICPA/CIMA survey supports this. It found that 61% of respondents prefer on-the-job training to close the gap (AICPA/CIMA, 2025)

Mentorship schemes can also help women see what’s possible. Through its internal mentorship and advocacy initiatives, Rehmann (HLB USA) has successfully reached 37% female representation among its partners and principals, and is currently under its first female CEO, Stacie Kwaiser. The impact of this visibility and support shouldn’t be underestimated. When women and men get the same sponsor/mentor support, the gap in ambition disappears McKinsey/LeanIn via WeAreTechWomen.

Bové also believes that the increasing use of AI is going to open up opportunities for women: “I think there is the potential for AI to ‘level the playing field’ for technical roles because it will be more about understanding problems and processes rather than being familiar with the technology itself.”

Culture also plays an important role here. Amy Spillard, Head of Technology Partnerships, HLB Global, notes that at HLB, the network has uncovered many people who have come up with ideas or improvements independently and the potential for that information to be expanded across the firm.

On the flip side, women also need to be ready to seize those opportunities and take the non-conventional route. Asked what she would tell her 18-year-old self, Janse van Vuuren sayed: “Don’t be scared of new challenges. Moving into a new field was incredibly daunting, but be confident, learn and speak up, and don’t let imposter syndrome prevent you from taking an opportunity.”

Bové echoes this, noting that a career doesn’t need to follow a straight line and that the detours that make a CV look unconventional can become your biggest advantage. As we look ahead to adapting to and maximising the role of technology in the sector, staying curious and continual learning are going to be vital for firms, and the individuals working in them, to have the vision, ideas and the desire to change things.