Co-Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of the Board, Blackline
Search every verified Owen Ryan interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a 2021 discussion on technology in accounting and finance, Ryan said he was excited by the evolution of technology's role in the field, describing it as "rapidly become more integrated, more impactful, more relied upon to make decisions." He stated that this has created a new skill set that students and professionals need to be successful, and noted his own experience pairing business knowledge with technology knowledge through coursework in data analytics and data mining, as well as working with computer scientists and engineers on startups using machine learning and artificial intelligence. Ryan said he was grateful to explore this through the school of accounting and finance and that understanding both sides allows him to understand where he adds value in an organization. In a 2017 interview, Ryan discussed a shift in the business community from asking "is it legal" to "is it right." He said that in some industries, people previously interpreted rules and regulations to see if they could "get away with it," but that increased regulation, more aggressive regulators and boards, and diminished tolerance for poor behavior have led professionals to ask themselves "is it right." Ryan stated that this lens is "good for business and that's good for the capital markets and good quite frankly for the individual."
“Something that's really excited and interested me over the past few years is the evolution of the role of technology in accounting and finance.”
“Historically it's rapidly become more integrated, more impactful, more relied upon to make decisions.”
“This has really created a new skill set that students and professionals need to have going forward to be impactful and to be successful in these environments.”
“I'm incredibly grateful to be able to explore [this] through the school of accounting and finance and building up the business side of things.”
“Having the kind of dual knowledge of a CPA, CFA and pursuing both of those designations but also being able to explore the technology side through coursework and data analytics, data mining.”
“Being able to work with computer scientists and engineers through things like concept and velocity, developing startups, has been very fortunate.”
“I've been very fortunate to be involved in a product development space where we're using machine learning, we're using artificial intelligence and all of these different things.”
“Pairing the business knowledge with the technology knowledge and being the liaison between the two different worlds and understanding what both sides are talking about is incredibly exciting.”
“That really allows me to understand where I add value in an organization going forward throughout my career.”
“I think there was a period of time in some industries where people would sort of interpret the rules and regulations and the idea well can I get away with it because it's legal or just there's unclear rules and regulations and maybe it's growing up and that's really not the way business should be conducted in any way s...”
“What you see now from increased regulation, the regulator's becoming much more aggressive, boards of directors becoming much more aggressive, the tolerance for poor behavior significantly diminished.”
“Professionals are beginning to ask themselves is it right and I think that is in fact the question that people should be asking if this was in the light of day how would people think about it.”
“When you start to put it through that lens and a lens with a lot of light shining on it you certainly would start to think about things a little bit differently I believe anyway I think that's good for business and that's good for the capital markets and good quite frankly for the individual the kids are her life a lot...”
... of the role of technology in accounting and finance i think it's something that if you look back historically it's rapidly become more ...
Owen Ryan, CEO of AERS Advisory, Deloitte, describes a positive development he has noticed in the business community in ...
I was on a trip to Asheville NC when I sent this video message to Emma and Myung since they were visiting New York. Owen Ryan video hello to Emma Kim Ryan and Myung Sook Kim in New York City June 2009
Sign in to search the full transcript archive, filter by topic, and access every quote from Owen Ryan.
The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →