Chris Hooper - Behind the Mask

Behind the Mask talks to Chris Hooper about drinking Scotch, Panterra concerts and Accodex's future plans.

Chris Hooper

CEO

Accodex

https://www.accodex.com/

@chrishooper87

https://au.linkedin.com/in/christopherhooper

So, who are you anyway, and what do you do?

I am the CEO of Accodex and my job is to make sure everyone here succeeds.

How did you get into this job?

I kind of give it to myself, but seriously after a couple of mergers of local accounting firms, I was appointed CEO of the consolidated entity. That company then went from being an accounting firm to a software company.

What song from your past still gets you moving today?

Left Foot, Right Foot - Hilltop Hoods

If you could go to one concert from the past, what one would it be? And what would you wear?

Panterra’s last concert in Adelaide. I passed up on the opportunity when they were in town and then they broke up and their guitarist died. I’m still devastated. I’d obviously wear a Pantera shirt, probably one stolen from Markus my business partner, because he had heaps.

A socio-economic question, but feel free to answer from your gut. If AI, automation and robotics are going to replace repetitive and laborious tasks, what impact will this have on your industry and profession?

It won’t have a huge impact on Accodex, because we’re really leading the charge in this space anyway. For the accounting profession as a whole, I think it will translate to a higher quality of service for clients and maybe, just maybe, accountants will enjoy their jobs a little more.

What other challenges face accountants, bookkeepers or SMEs today? And, how should they meet those challenges?

The challenge is and will remain technology. One, adopting it, and two keeping on top of an ever changing landscape. It is hard to keep up for your typical firm.

With all of this change, comes some opportunity. What opportunities do you see presenting themselves already?

Well the opportunity Accodex is positioning itself in is on the democratization of business intelligence. I think that today your average small business can have an equal to, or even great quality of business intelligence to a billion dollar company. The implications of that are quite profound when you think about it.

I don’t know about you, but I need a drink after that. If you could buy anyone a drink in a bar and chat to them about anything, who would it be, what would you drink, and what would you talk about?

I would have a drink with Henry Bloch of H&R Block fame (RIP). We would drink single malt and we would talk about his stories from World War II and the first 10 years of H&R Block.

And after you had that wee drink, if you could walk up to anyone, kick them in the shins and shout something at them, who would it be, and what would you shout? Go on...get it off your chest!

Probably my younger self for some of the dumb decisions I’ve made in the past.

What advice would you give to yourself at age 18?

Invest in Bitcoin.

If you could retire now, what would you do? Or not do?

Probably what I am doing right now. But I think I would be a little more selective about the type of work I am doing.

What do you want to achieve that you haven’t as yet?

I would like to build the Accodex network out to at least 1,000 partners before I retire.

What’s next for you, and your business?

Getting to 100 partners at Accodex is a good first step.