Mark Hickman on AI, Adoption, and Why 70% Right Isn’t Good Enough

April 22, 2026

48 min

In this episode, Doug, Emily, and Matt sit down with Mark Hickman, Managing Director of North America at Sage, to talk about what’s driving Sage’s fastest-growing region, an AI strategy built around trust, transparency, and human control, and Sage Future 2026 in San Francisco.

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About this episode

Mark Hickman on AI, Adoption, and Why 70% Right Isn’t Good Enough

In this episode, Doug, Emily, and Matt sit down with Mark Hickman, Managing Director of North America at Sage, to talk about what’s driving Sage’s fastest-growing region, an AI strategy built around trust, transparency, and human control, and Sage Future 2026 in San Francisco.

Mark is back on the show. The through-line is the bar for finance software: he argues that “70% right” might be fine for an essay, but it will never fly in accounting. The hosts get his read on what finance leaders are actually saying about AI adoption, including how long that adoption really takes, plus the hype cycle, the rebrands, and the dotcom comparison.

A large stretch of the episode is a Sage Future tease. Mark walks through keynotes and speakers, what super sessions are, enablement that continues after the conference, the marketplace and sponsors, Sage Fest, attendee goals, and a hint that surprise announcements are coming.

They close on ROI and community, then the usual wrap and dad jokes.

CHAPTERS

Listen to learn more about:

(00:00) Welcome to the Unofficial Sage Intacct Podcast
(00:41) Hosts Life Updates
(02:32) Welcome Back Mark Hickman
(03:33) Sage North America Scale
(05:22) Life on the Road
(09:16) Sage Future Tease
(09:31) AI You Can Trust
(13:10) Finance Leader Feedback
(15:12) AI First Competitors
(17:15) Beyond AI Initiatives
(20:46) Adoption Reality Check
(22:58) AI Adoption Takes Time
(23:22) AI Hype and Rebrands
(24:00) Dotcom Comparisons
(25:40) Future Event Recap
(28:12) Keynotes and Speakers
(30:37) Super Sessions Explained
(33:33) Enablement Beyond Conference
(34:15) Baseball Banter Break
(35:24) Surprise Announcements Tease
(36:20) Experience and Sage Fest
(38:20) Marketplace and Sponsors
(39:53) ROI and Community
(41:08) Attendee Goals and Networking
(45:29) Wrap Up and Dad Jokes

Related Industries

SaaS
Financial Services
Technology
Corporate Finance

Speakers

Doug Lewis
Host | Consultant
LinkedIn

Emily Madere
Host | Solutions Architect
LinkedIn

Matt Lescault
Host | CEO, Lescault & Walderman
LinkedIn

Mark Hickman
Guest | Managing Director, North America, Sage
LinkedIn

Related Resources

FAQ

Questions from this episode

What does "70% right" mean?

Mark's bar for finance software. Essay-grade accuracy is fine for writing. It will never fly in accounting.

What is Sage Future 2026?

Sage's conference in San Francisco. Mark walks keynotes, marketplace, Sage Fest, enablement after the event, and a hint that surprise announcements are coming.

What is a super session?

A conference format Mark explains in a dedicated chapter. Not a keynote, not a regular breakout.

What is "AI you can trust"?

Sage's pitch in this episode: trust, transparency, and human control, not a generic chatbot drop-in.

IN THIS EPISODE

Host

Doug Lewis

Managing Director at The Visionary Group

Host

Emily Madere

Host

Matt Lescault

Founder & CEO at TydeCo

Managing Director for Sage in North America

Guest

Mark Hickman

Managing Director for North America at Sage

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Mark Hickman on AI, Adoption, and Why 70% Right Isn’t Good Enough