Mark Hickman on AI, Adoption, and Why 70% Right Isn't Good Enough

Why Sage Is Building Its Own AI Instead of Just Plugging In an LLM

Taylor Brown, CPA and director in CLA's digital practice, joins Matt and Doug to break down Sage Intacct's latest release: cash management and three-way matching, the new Financial Intelligent Agent, the MCP AI gateway, and fixed asset and audit trail updates. Drawing on her years as a Sage solutions consultant and her work teaching accounting at UT Austin, Taylor makes the case for why Sage is building AI into the product itself and why a foundational understanding still matters when AI gets accounting wrong 30 to 40 percent of the time. * (00:00) - Meet Taylor Brown * (01:45) - Can Teachers Do * (03:09) - Accounting Paths Beyond Big Four * (04:57) - Why Release Notes Matter * (05:32) - Cash Tracking AP AR * (07:03) - Three Way Match Upgrades * (08:50) - Cash Is King Lessons * (12:16) - Finance As Profit Center * (13:49) - AI Copilot Enters Finance * (14:26) - Training AI For ROI * (16:10) - Sage Copilot Deep Dive * (19:51) - Why Build Sage AI * (22:47) - MCP And AI Gateway * (23:13) - MCP Use Cases And Data * (25:25) - MCP Access And Licensing * (25:56) - MCP Licensing Questions * (27:17) - Agent Marketplace Gatekeeping * (28:12) - How Agents Get Sold * (29:38) - Why Agentic AI Matters * (30:11) - Customer Built Agents * (31:38) - Worst AI Misuse Risks * (33:47) - AI Accuracy in Accounting * (35:26) - Fixed Assets Release Focus * (36:04) - SFAM vs SIG Evolution * (37:52) - Reversals and Audit Trail * (40:01) - Splitting Assets Efficiency * (40:58) - CIP and Migration Advice * (43:58) - International Release Differences * (46:05) - One Thing to Do Next * (48:21) - Crawl Walk Run Change * (49:48) - Dad Joke Sendoff Connect with the Hosts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybmadere [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybmadere/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlescault [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlescault/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlewis715 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlewis715/] Get free CPE for listening to this podcast https://www.earmark.app [https://earmarkcpe.com/] Download the Earmark App Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728 [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728] Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app]

A CFO Who Chose Intacct on Day One (And Would Do It Again)

David Westbrook, CFO of Robertson Stevens, joins Emily and Matt live at Sage Future 2026 to share what eight years as a Sage Intacct customer actually looks like from the inside. A former Deloitte auditor who chose Intacct when building the firm from scratch in 2018, David reflects on scaling from $500M to $9.5B in assets, how he's using AI to cut a week of quarterly close work down to a single day, and what he still wishes the platform would tackle. * (00:00) - Live Stage Kickoff * (00:47) - Meet David the Customer * (01:41) - South Africa Roots * (03:18) - Auditor to CFO Journey * (05:27) - Robinson Stevens Story * (07:06) - Choosing Sage Intacct * (08:51) - Modules and Integrations * (12:34) - Power Features Revenue AI * (14:30) - AI Close and Copilot * (16:32) - Finance as Business Partner * (18:32) - Planning for Acquisitions * (19:24) - Scenario Planning Goals * (20:26) - Rolling Forecasts In Practice * (21:12) - Under The Hood Improvements * (21:31) - Vendor Onboarding Due Diligence * (23:58) - Wishlist Investments And UI * (25:18) - Top Loves And Bank Feeds * (28:33) - Implementation And Reimplementation * (32:12) - Advice For New Users * (36:04) - Reporting For Non Accountants * (37:22) - Closing Gifts And Life Advice Connect with the Hosts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybmadere [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybmadere/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlescault [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlescault/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlewis715 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlewis715/] Get free CPE for listening to this podcast https://www.earmark.app [https://earmarkcpe.com/] Download the Earmark App Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728 [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728] Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app]

Trust Arrives on Foot: Sage's AI Philosophy with Manav Thiara

Recorded live on the main stage at Sage Future in San Francisco, Emily and Matt sit down with Manav Thiara, SVP of Data & AI and Technical Fellow at Sage, to unpack the wave of AI announcements coming out of the conference. Manav breaks down the Sage AI Factory, the new AWS Agent Core partnership, and what the "black box to glass box" shift actually means for partners and customers navigating an increasingly noisy AI landscape. The conversation also tackles the bigger philosophical question head-on: will AI replace humans, and how close are we to mass adoption? * (00:00) - Live at Sage Future * (01:13) - Meet Manav Thiara * (02:11) - Trust and Democratizing AI * (03:48) - What a Technical Fellow Does * (05:37) - One Platform Across Products * (07:23) - Sage AI Factory Explained * (09:46) - AI Announcements Breakdown * (10:50) - Will AI Replace Jobs * (15:31) - AWS AgentCore Partnership * (17:22) - Agent Marketplace for Partners * (19:03) - Trust Leaves on a Horse * (22:34) - Trust First AI Strategy * (24:29) - Cutting Through Market Noise * (26:22) - When AI Becomes Normal * (28:21) - Multimodal AI and Agents * (31:54) - AGI Hype and Real Value * (33:25) - Learn by Building * (36:25) - Developer Portal and Academy * (38:29) - Final Takeaways and Farewell Connect with the Hosts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybmadere [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybmadere/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlescault [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlescault/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlewis715 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlewis715/] Get free CPE for listening to this podcast https://www.earmark.app [https://earmarkcpe.com/] Download the Earmark App Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728 [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728] Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app]

The 2026 Nonprofit Outlook: What the Data Actually Says

Sage's nonprofit marketing lead Natalie Anderson joins alongside Julie Raskin, CFO of WMHT Public Media, to break down the findings of Sage's 2026 Nonprofit Outlook report — and what it actually felt like to live through the disruptions it documents. Julie shares how WMHT navigated a $1.5 million revenue hit, from hiring their first grants manager to accepting donations of cars, real estate, and parking spaces. The conversation covers why the smartest nonprofit finance leaders have stopped chasing certainty and started building for resilience instead. * (00:00) - Welcome to the Unofficial Sage Intacct Podcast * (02:43) - Meet Today Guests * (03:18) - Natalie's Role At Sage * (04:59) - Nonprofit Outlook Report * (06:54) - Julie WMHT Intro * (08:18) - WMHT Programming Streams * (13:24) - Report Impact And Funding Shock * (20:14) - Diversification Ripple Effects * (23:52) - Grants and Earned Income * (28:04) - Budget Discipline and Net Focus * (30:17) - Which Sectors Got Hit Hardest * (32:05) - Tech as a Resilience Engine * (33:44) - AR Automation Wins * (37:02) - Forecasting and ROI Mindset * (39:50) - Tools That Make It Easier * (42:39) - Key Takeaways and KPI Advice * (46:11) - Dad Joke and Farewell Download Sage's 2026 Nonprofit Outlook Report Here! https://www.sage.com/en-us/industry/non-profit/reports/responding-to-disruption-2026-nonprofit-outlook/ [https://www.sage.com/en-us/industry/non-profit/reports/responding-to-disruption-2026-nonprofit-outlook/] Connect with the Hosts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybmadere [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybmadere/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlescault [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlescault/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlewis715 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlewis715/] Get free CPE for listening to this podcast https://www.earmark.app [https://earmarkcpe.com/] Download the Earmark App Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728 [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728] Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app]

Mark Hickman on AI, Adoption, and Why 70% Right Isn't Good Enough

Mark Hickman, Managing Director of North America at Sage, returns to break down what's driving Sage's fastest-growing region — from the company's AI strategy built around trust, transparency, and human control, to the upcoming Sage Future 2026 conference in San Francisco. The conversation covers what finance leaders are actually saying about AI adoption, what's coming in the keynotes and super sessions, and why Hickman argues that "70% right" might be fine for an essay but will never fly in accounting. * (00:00) - Welcome to the Unofficial Sage Intacct Podcast * (00:41) - Hosts Life Updates * (02:32) - Welcome Back Mark Hickman * (03:33) - Sage North America Scale * (05:22) - Life on the Road * (09:16) - Sage Future Tease * (09:31) - AI You Can Trust * (13:10) - Finance Leader Feedback * (15:12) - AI First Competitors * (17:15) - Beyond AI Initiatives * (20:46) - Adoption Reality Check * (22:58) - AI Adoption Takes Time * (23:22) - AI Hype and Rebrands * (24:00) - Dotcom Comparisons * (25:40) - Future Event Recap * (28:12) - Keynotes and Speakers * (30:37) - Super Sessions Explained * (33:33) - Enablement Beyond Conference * (34:15) - Baseball Banter Break * (35:24) - Surprise Announcements Tease * (36:20) - Experience and Sage Fest * (38:20) - Marketplace and Sponsors * (39:53) - ROI and Community * (41:08) - Attendee Goals and Networking * (45:29) - Wrap Up and Dad Jokes Connect with the Hosts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybmadere [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilybmadere/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlescault [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlescault/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlewis715 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlewis715/] Get free CPE for listening to this podcast https://www.earmark.app [https://earmarkcpe.com/] Download the Earmark App Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728 [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728] Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app]