Bekka Prideaux takes to the Bookkeepers Stage on Wednesday 14 May 2026 at 4pm to share a practical framework that could change the way you think about your practice and your clients.
If you are heading to Accountex London this May, you will know the feeling. Two days, dozens of sessions, more exhibitors than you can comfortably visit in a week, and that nagging question as you plan your schedule: which sessions are actually going to be useful when I get back to my desk on Friday morning?
We may be biased, but we think Bekka Prideaux’s session on the Bookkeepers Stage deserves a place in your diary. Here is why.
First, a bit about Accountex
Accountex London is the UK’s largest accounting and finance technology event, held annually at ExCeL London. It brings together bookkeepers, accountants, software providers, and finance professionals for two days of learning, networking, and discovery.
This year the show runs on 13 and 14 May 2026. For bookkeepers and accountants it is one of the best opportunities of the year to step away from the day-to-day, get inspired, pick up practical ideas, and connect with others in the profession.
The Talk: The Curious Bookkeeper: Building a Connected, Client-Centric Practice
Bekka’s session takes place on Wednesday 14 May 2026 at 4pm on the Bookkeepers Stage.
The talk starts from an honest place. In an increasingly automated world, many bookkeepers find themselves feeling isolated, staring at a screen and quietly wondering whether technology is slowly making them irrelevant. You set up your practice to make a difference. But somewhere along the way, the work became more transactional and less human.
Bekka’s answer to this is not to fight technology or to ignore it. Her answer is to lean into what technology cannot easily replicate: genuine human curiosity.
The session introduces the Applied Curiosity Model, a practical framework built around three simple principles: Research, Reflect, React. It is designed to help bookkeepers unlock their own curiosity, develop new services, build deeper client relationships, and approach their work with renewed confidence. She will also give an example of a service developed using this methodology that any Bookkeeper could replicate in their practice, Accountability Partnering.
The talk is practical rather than theoretical. Attendees will leave with ideas they can apply immediately, and a clearer picture of what a future-proofed, people-centred practice could look like for them.
About Bekka Prideaux
Bekka is Head of Accountability Partnering at SME Clutch and has spent over 30 years helping leaders navigate complexity with clarity. Her background is in leadership development and change management, and she has worked across industries, organisations, and virtually every kind of change you can imagine.
She is the creator of the Applied Curiosity Model, and her approach is practical and people-first. She understands the tension that many professionals feel between delivering results and actually developing meaningful relationships, and her work is focused on helping people do both without losing themselves in the process.
Bekka is also a proud dyslexic thinker, which perhaps explains the fresh perspective and sharp pragmatism she brings to everything she does. If you have ever sat in a session and thought this is genuinely useful, this is the kind of talk Bekka delivers.
Why this matters for bookkeepers right now
The bookkeeping profession is changing quickly. There are compliance changes, such as Making Tax Digital. Then there are the changing requirements from our clients, as they navigate an economy that demands they adapt to the world around them at an ever-increasing pace to survive.
And all that is before the technology changes, such as Cloud software, AI tools, and automation, are handling more of the transactional work that used to take up a significant chunk of the working week. That is largely a good thing.
But it also raises a real question for anyone running a bookkeeping practice: if the compliance work becomes increasingly automated, where does the value of my role come from?
The answer, increasingly, lies in building advisory and business partnering relationships. In asking better questions. In genuinely understanding what a client is trying to achieve and helping them stay on track. In short, in the kind of curious, connected partnership that no software can replicate.
This is exactly what Bekka’s talk explores, and it is also at the heart of what we do at SME Clutch. Our Accountability Partnering model is built on the idea that bookkeepers and other professional service providers are exceptionally well-placed to offer something beyond compliance: a structured, supportive relationship that helps business owners stay focused, take action, and build businesses that actually work for them.
The connection between Applied Curiosity and Accountability Partnering
Bekka’s Applied Curiosity Model and the SME Clutch approach to accountability partnering are closely connected, and not by accident.
Good accountability partnering starts with curiosity. It starts with a genuine interest in understanding what a client is really trying to achieve, what is getting in the way, and what they actually need rather than just what they have asked for. The Research, Reflect, React framework maps naturally onto the way an effective accountability partner works: gathering the right information, thinking carefully about what it means, and then responding in a way that helps the client move forward.
For bookkeepers who are thinking about adding Accountability Partnering to their services, Bekka’s talk is a genuinely useful place to start. It will give you a framework for thinking about how you engage with clients, and it will likely spark some ideas about how you could deepen those relationships in a way that adds real value for both of you.
Come and say hello
If you are attending Accountex, we would love to connect. Whether you are curious about accountability partnering, want to hear more about what SME Clutch does, or simply want to have a conversation about the future of your practice, we are always up for a good chat.
Make sure you catch Bekka’s session on Wednesday 14 May at 4pm on the Bookkeepers Stage.
And if you miss it or want to carry on the conversation afterwards, get in touch or connect with Bekka directly on LinkedIn.
Want to find out more about becoming an Accountability Partner?
Book a free consultation call with the SME Clutch team and let’s explore what this could look like for your practice.