Program

9:00am - 9:05am

Welcome by Dr Andrew Trnacek, HES CEO
Dr Andrew Trnacek, Chief Executive Officer, Higher Ed Services

9:05 am - 9:45 am

Making the Finances work in an Environment of Uncertainty, Ambiguity and Risk
Professor Tim Brailsford PhD FAIM FCPA FFin, Vice Chancellor & President, Bond University

Some commentators have argued that higher education is at a major cross-road and that the university sector is in for some extremely turbulent times. The advent of global competition, the emergence of new economies and the era of technological disruption have created a set of external challenges. Add to the mix an uncertain and rather gloomy domestic policy setting, and the question might be raised as to whether the perfect storm is headed our way. This talk will explore some of these factors in detail focussing on the strategic questions that universities should be asking. The talk will also discuss the implications for institutional finances, investment decisions, capex spending, labour reform and budget priorities.

9:45 am - 10:25 am

From transactions to transformation: Travelling at the speed of change and what it means for Finance and Procurement
Kate Christiansen, Director, The Adaptive Advantage Pty. Ltd

The role of Finance and Procurement is changing and success depends upon a fundamental shift in traditional ways of thinking. You’ll learn or discover:

- The new world of change: Are you driving trucks in Calcutta?
- From expert to sense maker: The journey to be travelled
- The four change leadership roles for Finance & Procurement and the secret to success
-How to ‘hack’ what’s happening in your head and be comfortable with being uncomfortable

10:25 am - 11:00am

Refreshment Break

11:00 am - 11:30 am

One step ahead: how the expectation of rich digital experiences drive transformation: A case study of Deakin University’s digital transformation
William Confalonieri, Vice-President and Chief Digital Officer, Deakin University

Deakin University is envisioning an ambitious future and has moved differently to create competitive advantage and ‘stay ahead of the game’. In this session, CDO William Confalonieri will share how Finance needed to adapt to support those movements through digital transformation.

11:30 am - 12:00 pm

Identifying the hidden drivers of your spending
Taryn Rulton, Chief Operating Officer , Monash College

We can learn from other sectors of ways to respond to financial pressures in services that are partially funded by government. In this session, Taryn Rulton, now COO and CFO of Monash college will regale us with her experiences turning around the finances of a service that was funded by both government and the user. Only by unpicking their financial accounts to reveal the real reason for their budget pressures and ‘underperformance’, was she able to identify cost drivers, develop new funding models, heal old wounds and restore financial health.

Delegates will hear about strategies to help them respond to budget pressures:

- Lift the conversation out of an emotional space
- Change embedded practices
- Engage with service delivery areas and non-financial managers
- Create sustainable practices
- Communicate simply and effectively

12:00 pm - 12:45 pm

Significance of Innovation and Technology in Higher education – How to solve the old challenges of workforce management with new technology
Kim Newcombe, Business Transformation & HCM Specialist, P&T Solutions
Kim Harrison, Director , P&T Solutions

There are a number of macro trends driving change in higher education, pointedly the emergence and adoption of new technologies and digital innovation. Disruptive technologies that will transform the way Universities think about productivity and deliver services via their workforce.

We will explore some of the challenges of workforce management (and expectations) of the workforce for the future. How the sector will need to adapt, and target investment to meet demands, become more professionalised, increasingly flexible, and specialised in future proofing the way in which the workforce will need to be structured, engaged and development.

This presentation will explore the new frontier of technology advancements as a lever for business transformation for Finance and other internal business partners via a single integrated platform. We will also take a look at some very cool advancements in Ai (Chatbots) and VR applications.

12:45 pm - 12:55 pm

Liquidity solutions for Higher Education in FY 18
Mathew Simpson, Head of Corporate Markets and Distribution – Managed Portfolios, FIIG
Bianca Burt, Associate Director, Money Market Sales, Short Term Money Market, FIIG Securities

A lightning bolt message from our Gold Sponsor FIIG on fixed income.

12:55 pm - 1:45 pm

Networking Lunch Incorporating Industry Pop Up

1:45 pm - 2:15 pm

Transactions of the future: innovations to meet the challenges of a changing world
Andrew Butterworth, General Manager of Innovation Management, National Australia Bank

Human centred design and partnering is key to responding to technology disruption. In this presentation, Andrew Butterworth, General Manager, NAB Labs will demonstrate driving innovations that could help universities and the higher education sector keep pace with change and adapt for the future.

2:15 pm - 2:45 pm

Fraud Protection Case Study
Alan Smith, Director, UniLink Data Systems
Robert Radley, National Director, Transaction Solutions Government & Education Global Institutional Banking, National Australia Bank

This session will focus on what universities can do to understand, identify and mitigate credit card fraud.
Criminals are using universities to steal and test credit cards to see if they are valid. The cyber-attacks they launch on universities lead to a significant amount of small value transactions being made in a short period. As a result, universities need to review thousands of transactions make refunds and often incur costs. Alan Smith and Robert Radley (NAB) will review best practices to help you stay ahead of this type of fraud.

2:45 pm - 3:15 pm

Living on the edge: Why teaching margins are important
Lea Patterson, CEO, Pilbara Group
Michelle Brooke, Pilbara Group

With the pressure on to account for the cost of teaching, this session presented by the team from Pilbara group will propose that knowing direct revenue and costs of each course isn’t enough to make smart decisions on the future of those courses.

3:15 pm - 3:45 pm

Refreshment Break

3:45 pm - 4:15 pm

Crunch Time: Finance in a Digital World
Justine Waddick, Director | Consulting , Deloitte Consulting Pty Ltd
You don’t have to look far to witness the spectacular chaos of cloud, robotics, analytics, artificial intelligence and automation. These are some of the digital disruptors that are changing how business gets done. What does all this mean for the future of finance in the context of higher education?

4:15 pm - 5:00 pm

Industry Pop Up Speed Networking Session
In this session, delegates will ‘speed date’ with industry partners who have been matched to their interests and like-minded colleagues who share common challenges in their workplaces. Designed to facilitate introductions and meaningful engagement, this session aims to prepare delegates for the future through conversation and encourage the exchange of ideas beyond the conference.

5:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Welcome drinks at University Club followed by Dinner at Mercure Gold Coast Resort

Sponsored by Grant Thornton

8:45 am - 9:40 am

The benefits of automating the Procurement & Contract Management lifecycle & The USQ Contract Management Journey
Jonathan Dutton FCIPS FCIM, Interim Sales & Marketing Director, Open Windows

Case Studies - Unimarket

The P2P implementation project
Peter Kane, CEO, Unimarket, Adrian Whiting, Charles Sturt University, Peter Brennand, University of Tasmania

Case Study - Open Windows
The USQ Contract Management Journey – More than just a System
Steve Ivey, Exec Director & Jacqueline Merritt, Mgr, Contracts & Systems, University of Southern Queensland

9:00 am - 09:30 am

Case Study: Necessity is the mother of invention: the development of a custom tool for financial reporting at CDU
Gerard Reid, Business Systems Analyst , Charles Darwin University

Following an upgrade of their Oracle Financials system to R12, Charles Darwin University found it necessary to develop their own financial reporting tool. The need to encourage ownership of financial transactions by faculties, departments and schools; How they supported this ownership with easy to use reporting tools and standardization; the role of data warehouse in the reporting environment; the approach taken to develop the tool; how they used Oracle APEX to create their reports and pages.

9:40 am - 10:10 am

World Class Procurement Transformation: a discussion on what constitutes best practice in Procurement.
Craig Lehman, Associate Director, Commercial Services, Financial Services Resources Division, University of Newcastle
Peter Morichovitis, Chief Procurement Officer, Gold Coast City Council

In this session, delegates will learn from two organisations who are actively demonstrating best practice in procurement.

In 2016 the University of Newcastle were shortlisted in the World Procurement Awards for Procurement Excellence and The Gold Coast City Council were winners in the Transformation category.

A Q & A session will follow these case studies as the delegate group explores these outstanding examples of world class procurement practices.

10:10 am - 10:40 am

The new ISO20400: what will be expected from Procurement in the short and long term.
Jean-Louis Haie, Managing Director, Planet Procurement

What changes for Procurement professionals with the recent publication of ISO20400 on Sustainable Procurement? Jean-Louis will share what’s happening in Australia and abroad and how it is changing the way leading organisations integrate social and environmental considerations in the way they manage their procurement activities and supply chains.

10:40 am - 11:00 am

Refreshment Break