9.30 - 10.30
PLENARY 2 - Loughborough University
James Henry, Director of Finance, Loughborough University
After graduating from Loughborough in 2005, James trained as an accountant in Practice before moving into Financial Services with Experian. After seven years, and several commercially focussed roles, he moved into the Retail sector with Dunelm, as Head of Financial Planning and Investor Relations. James returned to Loughborough University in early 2019 as Deputy Director of Finance, before becoming Director of Finance in 2023.
Nicola Holt, Head of Financial Management, Loughborough University
Nicola started her career training as an accountant in Practice. Since qualifying, she has had various roles within private sector, public sector and higher education organisations. Nicola started with Loughborough University in late 2023 as Head of Financial Management.
11.00 - 12.00
WORKSHOP 4A - UKUPC
Julie-Ann Garton, Managing Director, NWUPC
Julie-Ann’s procurement career spans more than 30 years, she has had key roles in the police service, a university, as well as both FE and HE purchasing consortia. She progressed into corporate governance and compliance roles, utilising the broad range of skills acquired from her procurement leadership experience. She is now the Managing Director of the North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium, she is also the chair of UKUPC and sits on the HEPA Board. She is committed to delivering a first class, value for money service to her key stakeholder groups. She excels in leadership, corporate governance, change management, strategy development, risk management, and of course procurement!
Don Bowman, Director, LUPC
Don is the Director of London Universities Purchasing Consortium, he has been Director for the last 5 years. He has over 30 years procurement experience in both public and private sectors, including as Head of Procurement at The University of Kent and The House of Lords. Don is also Director of Ensemble Purchasing, the VAT exempt cost sharing group, which delivers a shared procurement service for 8 of LUPC’s members.
WORKSHOP 4B - UMAL
James Roberts, CEO, UMAL
James joined UMAL as CEO (Designate) in September 2023, and has the privilege as taking over as CEO in December 2023. He started his career at Eagle Star in 1990 (Zurich since 1997) carrying out a number of Underwriting, Distribution and Management roles across the Midlands, North West and South East. In 2007 James became Head of Navigators and General, the specialist Pleasurecraft insurance division of Zurich, before taking on the role of Head of Region for the Southeast and most latterly at Zurich the role of UK Head of Sales and Distribution, and a member of the Retail Exec. Having left Zurich in March 2020, James became Chief Commercial Officer and Director at ZavFit Ltd (a health tech start-up) along with establishing his own consultancy business supporting the scaling up of a number of commercial insurance brokers and Insuretechs across the UK. James has over 30 year experience in the insurance sector.
Paul Francis, Head of Claims, UMAL
Paul has worked in the insurance industry since 1987 including 17 years at Travelers where he performed several roles including Technical Claims Manager for a private and public sector book of business including NHS Trusts, private hospitals, local authorities, and utilities, generating EL, PL, products liability, medical malpractice, motor and property claims before becoming Senior Claims Manager for the EL and PL claims function across the UK and Ireland.
Paul then joined Haven Claims as their Technical Claims Manager, managing a large team of technical claim handlers responsible for high value and complex claims including personal injury claims of the utmost severity.
Paul has been Head of Claims at UMAL since 2020 managing a team of claim handlers covering EL, PL, professional indemnity, D&O, property and travel claims.
Paul is an ACII qualified Chartered Insurer.
Andy Peacock, Risk Manager, UMAL
Andy joined UMAL in December 2021. Throughout his career he has held various Health and Safety roles within the heavy metals sector, facilities management and the agriculture sector in both the UK and Europe. Most recently, eight years as a senior account coordinator with Travelers Insurance. Andy has a keen interest in delivering health and safety training throughout his career and regularly delivered IOSH, CIEH and NEBOSH courses in line with his customers’ needs.
Andy graduated from University of South Wales in 2002 with an engineering degree and gained a post graduate degree in Business in 2003 from the Welsh Business School. In 2005 he completed his NEBOSH Diploma. He is a Certified Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
WORKSHOP 4C - BUFDG
Andrea Marshall, Tax Specialist, BUFDG
Andrea’s career spans over 30 years, beginning in 1988 when she joined HM Customs & Excise as a VAT Officer. After 20 years in practice, she joined the University of Worcester in 2013 as its Tax Officer, before moving to BUFDG as its Tax Specialist in March 2020. Her BUFDG role involves updating the HE sector on current, relevant tax issues; providing training and resources; liaison with HMRC, advisors and other third parties; and arranging events, including the Annual Tax Conference. Outside work, Andrea can be found walking her beloved dog (Wilma), running (slowly!), and generally trying to organise her life!
Julia Ascott, Employment Taxes Specialist, BUFDG
Julia joined BUFDG in October 2019 as our Employment Tax specialist, after working at Deloitte, Grant Thornton and more recently, in her own business where she was first introduced to the HE sector. Her experience within the world of employment taxes spans over 20 years’ and she will happily chat about employment status issues for hours so don’t get her started. Her role at BUFDG is to inform and assist the HE sector on current, topical employment tax, pensions, payroll, CIS and global mobility issues as well as highlight broader issues to HMRC on behalf of the HE sector.
13.00 - 14.00
WORKSHOP 5A - KPMG
Simon Cooper, Partner, Accounting Advisory Services, KPMG
Simon is a Partner in KPMG’s Accounting Advisory Services practice. Simon has worked across various KPMG’s capabilities in his career including Audit, Deal Advisory and Accounting Advisory Services. Simon has over 20 years’ experience providing accounting advice to a range of clients, including within the further and higher education sector. Simon has significant experience of providing accounting advice in respect of changes to accounting standards including UK GAAP, IFRS and the SORP. Simon was at the forefront of the introduction of FRS 102; providing client training workshops, impact assessments and providing ad-hoc advice. He has also provided accounting advice to a range of Universities over the years on a variety of matters including income recognition, on and off-balance sheet treatments of lease arrangements and general application of the SORP.
Brendon Stansfield, Director, Accounting Advisory Services, KPMG
Brendon is a Director in the Accounting Advisory Services team. Brendon has 15 years' experience at KPMG and has been a part of the Accounting Advisory Services team for 10 years. Prior to this, he was part of the audit team and uses his experience as an auditor when providing accounting advice to clients. Brendon has a breadth of experience providing clear and concise technical accounting advice to both private and public sector clients in a pragmatic and practical way. Brendon has significant experience assisting clients with the adoption of IFRS 16 Leases and IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers and has supported on all aspects of the transition to IFRS 15 and 16, including the delivery of training workshops and impact assessments. Brendon has also supported Universities on accounting topics under FRS 102 and the SORP such as leases, service concession arrangements and financial instruments.
WORKSHOP 5B - Sempre Analytics
Stephen Pass, Sector Lead Higher Education, Sempre Analytics
Stephen is a Sector Lead for Higher Education, Financial Services and Retail at Sempre Analytics. Stephen brings with him a strong data and analytic background, having held positions in leading global companies such as Teradata and Lloyds Banking Group, this has awarded him valuable international experience in enterprise level software and services sales strategy. Stephen’s deep experience solving business problems helped numerous organisations make the best of opportunities from digitalisation. His strategic approach in identifying and understanding the market direction from the customer needs, alliances and the competitive landscape has enabled his clients to develop their data analytics roadmap to become more operationally efficient and truly data driven. Stephen has worked with senior execs in Higher Education Looking at market driving challenges in admissions and the future of planning in Higher Education and has sought to deliver solutions that drive business imperatives.
Dan King, Director of Planning and Organisational Performance, University of Surrey
Dan King is the Director of Planning and Organisational Performance at the University of Surrey, where he leads the alignment of the university's resources—people, finances, and investments—with its strategic objectives. The University of Surrey consistently excels, ranking 11th in the latest National Student Survey and 30th in the Research Excellence Framework out of approximately 150 institutions. Dan’s focus is on optimising resource allocation and planning processes to support the university's academic and operational goals. He drives critical discussions on workforce needs, financial investments, and sector-wide risks, turning complex data into actionable insights that enhance performance and strategic decision-making. Under Dan’s leadership, the university has transitioned from traditional spreadsheet-based planning to a streamlined, automated system, introducing agility, efficiency, and a unified source of truth. This transformation has strengthened planning capabilities, reduced manual effort, improved resilience, and empowered teams to deliver impactful outcomes aligned with the university’s mission.
WORKSHOP 5C - Cabinet Office
Jennifer Pallister, Head of Commercial Implementation (Procurement Reform), Cabinet Office
Jen joined the Cabinet Office TPP programme in 2024 as Head of Commercial Implementation. She has over a decade of public procurement experience, including operational, strategic and policy roles for local government, as well as central government commercial policy experience from her time at the DfE. Jen’s areas of responsibility include supporting the wider public sector in their readiness to implement the Procurement Act 2023.
14.30 - 15.30
WORKSHOP 6A - University of Nottingham
Helen Hammond, Head of Research Finance, University of Nottingham
Helen joined the University of Nottingham in 2015, and has been Head of Research Finance since 2019, managing a Research and Innovation Post Award team of around 30 that handled over had over 70 funder audits last year. A qualified Chartered Accountant and former Tax Adviser, she spent over 20 years working in the “Big Four” accountancy firms in a variety of roles including audit, tax (international assignment services) and fiscal valuation, followed by three interim finance roles outside of practice. Helen has an in-depth technical knowledge as a subject matter expert in research finance, and a strong working relationship with UKRI. Nottingham's timesheet system and risk-based approach were commended following a 2022 Funding Assurance visit and Helen plays an active role in the sector as co-chair of the BUFDG Research Finance Forum.
Kershnee Pillay, Senior Research Finance Manager, University of Nottingham
Kershnee joined the University of Nottingham in 2013, having previously in London as a Financial Accountant in the private sector and leadership roles in charities. Originally from South Africa, Kershnee earned a financial qualification that led to gathering extensive experience in various accountancy firms and in the banking sector as a Pre-Credit Analyst. As a Senior Research Finance Manager at the University of Nottingham, Kershnee has developed strong working relationships with external research funders and contributed to ensuring best practice and continuous improvement within the team by implementing rigorous processes that capture risk and ensure compliance with funder terms and conditions. Kershnee collaborated closely with the Head of Research Finance and UKRI on the last Funding Assurance Audit and on the European Commission Audit in 2023.
Kathryn Dancer, Research Finance Business Partner, University of Nottingham
Kathryn joined the University of Nottingham in 2017, having worked in the banking sector and then for a number of large insurance companies, specialising in Defined Benefit Pension Schemes. As Research Finance Business Partner at the University of Nottingham, Kathryn works closely with the research finance team and the schools and faculties, as well as interrogating data, to identify and mitigate risk within the externally funded research portfolio. Responsibilities also include forecasting Research Income and Margin, collating HEBCIS data and responding to the external audit requirements for the University’s Financial Statements as well as funder grant audits.
WORKSHOP 6B - Lloyds Bank
Kate Manku, Relationship Director, Higher Education, Lloyds
Kate is responsible for some of our largest university relationships across the country, managing their financing, liquidity, risk management and day-to-day banking requirements alongside the broader Lloyds Banking Group engagement with the Higher Education sector. With over 20 experience across Corporate Banking at Lloyds Bank, Bank of Scotland and HSBC, Kate has held roles in relationship banking, debt finance and restructuring. Kate has worked in the Higher Education sector Corporate Banking team for 6 years. As a leading provider of banking services to UK universities, Lloyds Bank understands the issues and opportunities the sector is facing. The Bank is committed to Helping Britain Prosper, and supporting the UK’s universities is at the heart of that aim.
Brian Owens, Director, Transaction Banking Solution, Lloyds
Brian joined Lloyds in October 2012 from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he had served for 18 years in a variety of roles. At Loyds, he plays a leading role in supporting our clients across the Services and Public Sector, both existing and new to bank in developing and maintaining their UK cash management and liquidity solutions. He has led our engagement across the Higher Education sector over the past 5 years, working closely with our clients to optimise working capital efficiency, reduce banking costs and implement process improvements driven by the ever changing and fast evolving regulatory and technical environment.
Geoff Taylor, Process Improvement Manager, University of Salford
Geoff is a CIMA qualified accountant with over 30 years’ experience, both in industry and in the HE sector. He is an advocate of “Continuous Improvement” and is a “Green Belt” practitioner of the Lean Six Sigma process improvement methodology. He has spent many years modelling within MS Office to automate tasks & processes. At Salford he rewrote their (at the time) sector-leading tool for academic workload management and has also created their online system to manage the contracts & payclaims for hourly paid academic staff. Working together with Lloyds, he embedded their Confirmation of Payee facility within Microsoft Office so that it can be seamlessly integrated into various processes.
Jeremy Hartley, CFO, University of Hull
Jeremy is a senior finance executive with over 30 years of experience and currently serves as the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) at the University of Hull. Jeremy trained with KPMG and worked in a FTSE 100 business in numerous finance departments and countries for nearly 10 years which provided the foundations for his financial expertise, a detailed and hands on work ethic and the ability to lead diverse teams. Also, has over 18 years working in environments of complex change, transformations and EBITDA improvement alongside over 5 years of international experience living and working in South America and Italy. In addition to his role as CFO at the University of Hull, Jeremy has lead responsibility for the Sustainability agenda, project sponsor for a number of major digital projects and also Chair of the University’s spin out companies and investments. Outside of the University, Jeremy supports a 6th Form college, a local primary school and is a board director for the university purchasing consortium, NEUPC.
WORKSHOP 6C - MHA
Sudhir Singh, Audit Partner, and Head of Not for Profit, MHA
Sudhir is an Audit Partner and Head of Not for Profit at Chartered Accountants MHA. He has worked in the Not for Profit sector for over 30 years. Prior to MHA he was a specialist Not for Profit Partner or headed the sector groups for three other top 20 firms, RSM, Crowe and Mazars. Sudhir has worked with a very wide range of not for profit and charitable organisations, providing a range of assurance and advisory services. This includes many high-profile organisations, universities and other higher education institutions, large educational bodies, public interest entities and top 250 charities. His personal sector commitment in a voluntary capacity also extends over 25 years in trustee, governor, treasurer, vice chair and audit; audit committee roles. Sudhir is currently a member of the Council of the Royal College of Art and chairs its Audit and Risk Committee.
Joe Sale, Audit Senior Manager, MHA
Joe is an Audit Senior Manager at MHA. He joined the firm nine years ago after graduating with a BSc in Geography and Economics from Queen Mary, University of London. His entire time with the firm has been spent working as an active member of the specialist Not for Profit team. Helping to produce regular sector publications, delivering technical update courses and being exposed to a wide variety of Not for Profit clients, means he is abreast of the key issues affecting the sector. Joe enjoys building professional and lasting working relationships with his clients. He has found his experience working with charities very valuable when advising universities and other HE institutions on matters resulting from their charitable status. Joe strongly believes in the role that Not for Profit organisations play in society and has made it his career ambition to support the Not for Profit sector through his work.
