Want to know what to watch? The table below shows what sessions might be of interest depending on your job role. You can then find out more using the session drop-down tabs below. Please note that the plenaries have been chosen because they are relevant for everyone.
| Area | |
| Cash, Treasury and Investments | 1A, 2A, 6C |
| Commercialisation & Subsidiaries | 4C, 5B, 7C |
| Fraud, Risk & Assurance, and Internal Audit | 1C, 2C, 3A, 4B, 6A, 6B |
| Economy and Strategy | P1, 1A, 3B, 5B, 8A |
| Finance Technology | 1C, 3C, 5B, 6B, 7A |
| Financial Reporting & External Audit | 1B, 5A, 6C, 8C |
| Funding | 8A |
| Income & Collection Management | 7B |
| International | 3B, 7C |
| Management, Teams, and L&D | P3, P4 |
| Management Accounting | P2, 5B, 7A |
| Payroll & Employment | 4C, 7C |
| Pensions | 2B |
| Procurement | 4A, 5C |
| Research Finance | 6A |
| Sustainability / ESG | 1B, 2A |
| Planning and Efficiency | 3B, 3C, 5B, 7A |
| Tax | 4C, 7C |
Click to expand each of the sessions below and find out more about them.
9.30 - 10.30
The team at CIL will kick-off the Finance Festival by exploring the state of UK Higher Education, looking at the current financial health of the sector, the key challenges facing universities, and the regulatory and policy environment. The session will also examine trends in domestic student recruitment (demographics, application rates etc.) and international student recruitment including the appetite to study in the UK relative to other Anglophone destinations. It will also hazard a guess at the sector’s future, and where growth opportunities might be hiding.
11.00 - 12.00
In today’s evolving financial landscape, declining interest rates present both challenges and opportunities for investors seeking to optimise cash returns. This session would explore innovative strategies and best practices for effectively managing cash in a falling rate environment.
Participants will gain insights into alternative investment vehicles, such as certificates of deposit and short-duration bonds including treasury bills, that can enhance yield without sacrificing liquidity. We will also discuss the importance of asset allocation and diversification in minimising risk while aiming for better returns.
Additionally, the session will address the implications of current monetary policy trends and economic indicators, helping attendees understand how to adapt their strategies accordingly. The panelists will share case studies and real-world examples, demonstrating how institutional investors have successfully navigated these challenges.
Join us to discover actionable strategies and tools to maximise cash returns, ensuring your investment portfolio remains resilient and profitable, even in a declining interest rate environment. Whether you’re a seasoned investor or new to cash management, this session will equip you with the knowledge to thrive in today’s market.
Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) was established by HM King Charles III in 2004, when he was The Prince of Wales, and aims to inspire action by finance leaders to drive a fundamental shift towards resilient business models and a sustainable economy. A4S and a recent HE sector graduate of the programme will talk about the importance of:
The technological changes in how higher education institutions operate internally and deliver their services to students mean that more and more institutions are using (or considering using) cloud-based software solutions within their organisations.
This "migration to the cloud" promises significant financial benefits to higher education providers, including making long-term cost savings on IT infrastructure, improving the efficiency of staff and reducing the need for physical space due to being able to deliver more course content digitally.
However, all IT projects come with considerable legal, commercial and financial risk. It is important that these risks are managed in order for institutions to fully enjoy all the silver linings that cloud solutions offer.
In this session, we will:
• outline the benefits of migrating to the cloud;
• explore the legal, commercial and financial risks that need to be overcome;
• set out the commercial steps you can take to mitigate those risks, with a particular focus on:
o the practical steps you can take within your organisation to reduce risk; and
o the terms you should consider including in your contracts with your cloud software providers; and
• answer your questions on migrating to the cloud.
13.00 - 14.00
The impact of biodiversity collapse dwarfs that of climate change. While climate policies are well reflected and articulated at most HEI's, the understanding of, and policy response, to biodiversity is not widespread.
This session will help FD's be at the vanguard of the debate.
The session will begin by contextualising nature within investments. It will detail the mitigation hierarchy, which includes stages such as measuring biodiversity impact, avoidance, minimization, restoration, and fostering a positive impact. These stages are essential for integrating biodiversity considerations across asset classes in investment portfolios
Additionally, the session will explore collaborative strategies to address the complex issue of biodiversity loss. For instance, it will discuss initiatives like Nature Action 100, which fosters collective action. The session will also delve into the role of advanced tools such as geospatial mapping and AI, which help in making stewardship and engagement activities more informed and effective
Finally, the session will provide a platform to share best practices and examine the role of finance teams in addressing biodiversity challenges, equipping them with insights and strategies to drive biodiversity initiatives.
How can we offer meaningful pension benefits to our employees, while controlling costs and volatility featured in many pension arrangements provided by universities?
With the implementation of new funding and governance regulations, alongside significant changes in pension scheme funding levels following the 2022 'mini-budget fallout,' the UK pensions market is encountering fresh challenges and new opportunities. This session will highlight key topics and offer independent insights from industry professionals on how higher education institutions can address these challenges and seize the emerging opportunities.
This will cover consideration of the following types of pension arrangements:
1. Your own defined benefit scheme (self-administered trusts (SATs)) – managing risks and creating cost certainty on your scheme funding journey (partnered with Durham University)
2. Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) – employer considerations and moving from deficits to surpluses
3. Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) – the next chapter
4. DC arrangements and the future (partnered with University of Manchester)
This presentation will provide an overview of Jisc, its mission, and its role in supporting the education sector. We will explore the current threat landscape facing education institutions, highlighting the evolving challenges in cybersecurity. The session will also discuss strategies to balance security investments with managing business risks, ensuring institutions can protect their assets while staying cost-effective. The presentation will conclude with an open Q&A session to address any specific concerns or queries.
14.30 - 15.30
The insight and assurance provided by the Internal Audit function plays a crucial role in supporting the efficiency and effectiveness of universities. This role can be more difficult to perform in challenging times - when funding is scarce and staff are under pressure. How can IA be seen as a key resource and a trusted advisor, and not just a 'blocker'? How can finance and IA work together to add real value?
Income from international students is an important revenue stream for many universities, many of whom heavily rely on international student fees. However, student recruitment remains challenging with restrictions on student visas, and upcoming changes impacting on the attractiveness of the UK as a destination for international students.
The HEPI reported that, applications from January to July 2024 were 16% lower than the same period in 2023 and visa applications for family members of student dropped by 89% due to restrictions from January 2024. These figures have prompted concern within the sector over the financial health of UK universities. In addition we’ve seen a number of changes to the UK immigration rules resulting in more scrutiny on compliance obligations for universities.
In this session Tijen Ahmet, (Legal Director specialising in Immigration at law firm Bevan Brittan), will cover:
• Impact of UK’s sponsorship system on higher education revenue streams
• Recent changes in the Immigration Rules and what this means for Finance Directors
• Sponsorship obligations, compliance issues and how to prevent them
With the current pressures of technical debt due to legacy systems and inefficiencies, coinciding with the immediate need to upgrade or migrate several key systems, along with the pressure on technology and institution wide budgets, this session will look at how the sector can look at technology holistically and use this as an opportunity to drive change.
It will discuss how better, joined up solutions can drive efficiency, effectiveness and cost reduction through rationalisation and modernisation, using flexible solutions that can support automation and embed AI into operations. It will also discuss how more joined up technology can provide better data and insights to support growth and provide commercial initiatives to improve revenues.
9.30 - 10.30
Effectively communicating financial performance has arguably never been more critical, it’s about more than presenting the numbers – it’s about crafting a compelling story that engages stakeholders, provides clarity and drives meaningful action. This session will explore strategies when using key performance indictors (KPI’s) to give clear, impactful insights such as tailoring the narrative to suit the audience, highlighting critical metrics and creating a call to action.
TBC
There is no doubt the higher education sector is facing challenging financial times. This can result in decisions being taken which are aimed at increasing income generation or cutting costs. These decisions can on occasion give rise to the risk of unintended adverse consequences that may not have been previously anticipated.
In this UMAL session, we will focus on some of these risks, including both the traditional hard facility management risks and other emerging risks, some of which we have seen materialise in real terms. We will start by introducing the financial challenges being faced before our claims and risk teams explore some of the unintended consequences which can include financial, impacts to the student experience and reputational. To close, we will talk through the range of available controls and how reviewing risk appetite can help positively influence the decision-making process.
BUFDG’s tax team, Julia Ascott and Andrea Marshall, will outline the top UK tax issues that are common concerns in the university sector at the moment and provide their thoughts on what action you may need to take to address them.
Join experts from KPMG’s Accounting Advisory Services team to explore the key changes in the forthcoming Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), effective from 1 January 2026, and how they will impact the sector. This session will highlight the most critical updates, explore the implications and proactive strategies for addressing them, and provide practical guidance on preparing for the new SORP.
Effective long-term planning has never been dull in Higher Education, but it’s no longer just research revenue and student income that finance teams need to tame. Stretched resources have seen Universities diversify their income streams offering everything from events management to student housing, food and beverage outlets to veterinary clinics. In this presentation, Sempre Analytics will discuss how data analytics can help even the most wily of “Dragons” to back the investment that will deliver the greatest returns. The presentation will use the University of London as a case study and showcase how they have used planning tools to help manage investment plans to maximise returns
The session will include:
TBC
Join Helen Hammond (Head of Research Finance, University of Nottingham), co-chair of the BUFDG Research Finance Forum for a deep dive into navigating UKRI funding assurance. Helen will share insights from Nottingham's journey, including practical tips on managing timesheets and reporting requirements. This session will help research finance teams stay up to date on compliance requirements, and learn how to navigate them efficiently and effectively.
During times of financial pressure and against a very competitive market backdrop finding ways to become more efficient, to improve the student experience and to mitigate against key institutional risks such as fraud should be at the very top of a University Finance Team’s priority list. There are now a range of new capabilities available for universities, driven by open banking, that can save time and effort, improve the student experience and streamline supplier payments.
We will bring this opportunity to life in this session by sharing how some universities are already using embedded payment technology to:
• Save time and reduce risk through a Confirmation of Payee API:
• Transforming the payment journey for students via PayFrom API
• Making irregular payment seamless through PayMe API
Finally, we will look to the future and talk about what’s coming down the track and sharing the next Open Banking advancements that will soon be available to universities.
Many HE institutions hold significant numbers of restricted funds, and charity fund accounting is highly complex, requiring a high level of understanding of charity and trust law, as well as the statutory reporting requirements of the F&HE SORP. This sesson will cover a wide range of key topics to enable participants to better manage the funds held by their institutions.
This will include:
This will be an introductory session for those with limited knowledge of these topics but a need to understand the basic requirements, compliance obligations, and strategic opportunities.
Recruitment is a challenge across professional services in Higher Education and finance teams are feeling this. In this session we explore how we can make our finance teams appealing to a diverse range of individuals and how we can foster an environment that ensures this diverse workforce want to stay in HE. We’ll hear the views of a recruitment specialist, training provider and HE colleagues invested in created a diverse team.
Financial forecasts are far from gazing into a crystal ball. When prepared with careful consideration, they are a powerful planning tool that provides valuable insight and scenarios to ensure financial stability, identify opportunities, manage risks and projections of future cash flow and borrowings.
The worsening financial situation for most institutions puts a focus on ‘what needs to be forecast’ and ‘how it is done’. What may have worked well in the past is now inappropriate for coping with today’s financial threats, competitive pressures, and regulatory uncertainties.
Many existing financial forecasting models are cumbersome and slow. They frequently involve excessive detail but fail to model multiple choices and risks in the way that is required now. This means that the Executive Team and Heads of School lack the best timely information, both in-year, and for longer term strategic planning.
In this Session, Account-Ability will draw on its experience from both our work with higher education and commercial organisations, to highlight common problems in financial forecasting and how they can be overcome quickly and easily to support more informed decision-making. This Session aims to deliver key, practical insights to adapting the financial forecasting process to meet the urgent needs institutions face today.
We know HEPs are under financial pressure, and we know students are too. In this session we’ll explore with our HEP panel members how they balance the need and desire to support students who are in financially difficulty, whilst maintaining a process that is robust against abuse, to support financial sustainability. There may not be a perfect answer, but in this session will explore different approaches and their varying levels of success.
BUFDG’s tax team, Julia Ascott and Andrea Marshall, will outline the top International tax issues that are common concerns in the university sector at the moment and provide their thoughts on what action you may need to take to address them.
Universities are experiencing increasing demand for high-quality, affordable student accommodation. Meanwhile, private PBSA development has been squeezed by higher construction and funding costs in many locations, and often cannot be relied upon to deliver new supply. Universities are therefore considering how to ensure accommodation is available to meet their core strategies and provide a good student experience. This session will explore the various partnership models available for developing new student housing, focusing on two main “off balance sheet” approaches: Design-Build-Finance-Operate (DBFO) and Joint Ventures (JVs). We will discuss the pros and cons of these third-party structures using real world examples and compare their characteristics with university-led “self-financed” development.
The session will cover:
TBC
Building on our session from last year, Buzzacott will present an audit and accounting update for 2025, focusing on opportunities for universities to demonstrate best practice and compliance in their annual report and financial statements, together with considerations arising from the Office for Students’ focus upon providers’ financial sustainability and updates to FRS 102.
As external auditors operating in the sector, we will provide an update on the latest financial reporting and auditing matters, tackling those areas that auditors are likely to consider as issues of greater audit significance or complexity. The session will include discussion on the following areas:
This session builds on last year’s session where HW Fisher explored creating a culture of inclusion but delving into the area of Creating a Growth Mindset. A growth mindset is the ability of taking feedback, learning from experiences and embracing challenges as a path to mastery.
We will explore how cultivating a growth mindset can significantly enhance the effectiveness and impact of your institution.
Participants will gain insights into the specific benefits of a growth mindset focussing on adaptability, resilience and continuous learning.
The discussion will also address the importance of embracing mistakes as learning opportunities and incorporating coaching-style leadership to drive engagement, innovation and as a result, positive, sustainable change.
