About Heather Smith FCA

When Heather Smith was 14 she fell in love with the balance and tranquility of accounting when she saw her teacher draw a T-Balance on the chalkboard. Based in Meanjin (Brisbane), she’s an accountant and storyteller who helps our community embrace accounting technology and modern workflows.

Heather has authored 11 books, including several in the For Dummies series, and writes Accounting Technology columns for Acuity magazine and Accountants Daily. She produces the Accounting Apps newsletter, hosts the Accounting Apps podcast, and nurtures the Accounting Apps Mastermind Community. She also co-founded Global Women's Accounting Influencers, a safe and supportive community for ambitious women with a generous spirit.

After a decade working across the UK, North America, and Asia, Heather is now often on the road presenting at accounting conferences around the world. Known as a chameleon who adjusts the topic and talk to suit the audience, she meets people where they are and leaves them with practical next steps they can actually use on Monday morning.

Heather is a Fellow of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ), the ACCA, and the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers. She was the first Australian-born person to complete the ACCA qualification and later joined CA ANZ via an MOU. Her professional service includes Advocate for Smaller Practices Committee (since 2019), the Queensland Public Practice Panel (since 2019), Vice Chair of the Queensland Regional Council (2025), member of the Trans Tasman Public Practice Advisory Committee, Chair of the ACCA Global Forum for SMEs and SMPs (since 2020), and member of the ACCA Global Forum for Technology (since 2019).

Heather won the Australian Accounting Thought Leader of the Year Award and was recognised on Accounting Today’s (USA) list of 21 influential figures shaping the future of the profession. Her YouTube channel has exceeded 1.5 million views, and she has delivered key notes on four continents.

She is obsessed with how automation and integration can produce timely, clean data for brave, fast, data-informed decision-making, and she is an advocate about raising awareness of financial elder abuse. Her best work happens with a hot pot of tea and Chester the Border Collie lazing at her feet.

Heather hopes to use her position on council to ensure member support is practical, fit for purpose, and reflects member voices, with a focus on micro and small suburban accountants.