‘Become the most important influencer for entrepreneurs’. That’s the slogan of the Flemish ‘Accountants Of Tomorrow’ campaign, which aims to put the accountancy profession back on the map among young people. Because accountancy today is much more than just dull number crunching.

Until now, a job as an accountant often entails a stuffy image and a host of other prejudices. And what’s more, there are currently 4 times as many vacancies in the job market as the number of graduating accountants. But an accountant today does much more than just check annual accounts or prepare invoices. And you too, if you have a financial background, can apply.

Reason enough then to boost this image and show that accountancy is indeed an interesting and attractive career. That’s the main goal of the ‘Accountants Of Tomorrow’ campaign launched by BDO and 7 other accountancy and consultancy firms: Baker Tilly, Decupere & Partners, Moore, SBB, Vandelanotte, Van Havermaet, and VGD.

More than ever, accountants today (and tomorrow) are the confidants of businesses – partners who provide personal advice founded on data. Dirk Vandendaele, Managing Partner Accounting & Reporting at BDO Belgium, realises this: “The accountancy sector is full of misconceptions. While some experts claim that accountancy has a bleak future in tomorrow’s digital world, that opinion does not reflect reality.

In fact, the digital transformation, and the automation of time-consuming tasks, have opened up new possibilities for accountants to serve as reliable strategic business partners for our clients. This allows us to focus more on assisting our clients with a multidisciplinary approach. Entrepreneurs value our proximity and today we can offer them both financial and non-financial expertise.”

The help of various ambassadors was enlisted to promote the campaign and make it attractive to young people. One such spokesperson is ‘Bockie De Repper’ or Jonas Van Boxstael. As an entrepreneur, digital creative and participant/jury member of De Slimste Mens, Bockie is well-known among young people. Which means he’s the perfect person to put the accountancy profession in the spotlight. As a promo for the campaign, a YouTube video was recorded, in which Bockie, together with his own accountant, Bert Van der Veken, goes on a trip through Flanders in search of Bockie’s lost VAT receipts. With numerous visits to restaurants…

The other faces of the campaign are Nour and Fatma Daghbouj: two sisters with more than half a million followers on social media, a mini-series on VTM GO, and a clothing collection at JBC. They too recognise accountancy’s added value and know how to bring the profession into focus. Together with their accountant, Jill Van Landeghem, they made a promotional film (along the lines of their other TikTok films) to show that a job as an accountant is indeed exciting and creates impact.

Not only large multinationals need the expertise and advice of an accountant – many companies can benefit from these things. Regardless of size – from start-ups to SMEs to corporates. And regardless of sector too – from content makers (such as Bockie De Repper) to IT companies.

In addition to the contribution of the campaign’s ambassadors, there is a series of other stories on the ‘Accountants Of Tomorrow’ website. Businesses, entrepreneurs and accountants give their perspectives on the accountancy profession and what it means for them. For instance, Jan Verlinden of Ritchie shares the story of the relaunch of his father’s Belgian lemonades with the help of his accountant. You can also read how Belgian music group Goose has made the right financial decisions over the years thanks to their accountant’s advice.