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This event is for anyone that is aspiring to be the very best finance leader such as: Finance Managers, Financial Reporting Managers, Finance Business Partners, Financial Accountants, Heads of Finance.
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Adaptable and Resilient

The tools you need to develop to overcome adversity and stress, whilst staying mentally, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually healthy.

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Business spotlight

Hear how your peers have managed to overcome adversity during the past 12 months.

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Performance

Be the best in your finance role and elevate yourself.

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Technical

Direct support from our experts in tax, financial reporting and business performance.

Explore the programme

Morning sessions

Welcome and opening remarks
09:15
Business spotlight: Leadership in adversity
Focused on key leadership skills and real-life experience, this session will sit down with three business leaders to discuss how they have managed and overcomes adversity in the past 12 months, as well as looking forward to the recovery. Panellists include: Claire Edginton (Financial Controller at Oliver Bonas) and George Acquah (Finance Business Partner, Civil Ops Purchasing, Rolls Royce).
09:20
Headline sponsor: Creating a reporting automation strategy - Workiva
During this session, Andromeda Wood (Senior Director of Data Modelling) and Conor O'Kelly (Senior Director of Product Marketing) from our headline sponsor Workiva will discuss how to create an effective reporting automation strategy. They will cover identifying opportunities for financial close, consolidation, and reporting automation, as well as data design and system integration for efficient reporting. Finally, they will look at the types of reporting that can be improved using automation.
10:05
Refreshment break
10:35
How the FC can be a future data leader
The experience of FCs in leading and engaging in digital transformation in their organisations. The session from Franki Hackett (Head of Audit and Ethics at Engine B) and Harry Pampiglione, (Portfolio Analytics and Data Science Manager at Lloyds Development Capital) will offer key insights into becoming a future data leader.
10:55
The Long Win: redefining success to maximise motivation and performance
Olympic rower and former senior conflict diplomat, Cath Bishop, will look at what it really means to win at work, drawing on findings from her book “The Long Win”. Join to get insight into how you can work towards a culture of true success for yourself and your team. You’ll also get the opportunity to ask Cath questions in the Q&A.
11:30
Sponsor: VAT update - MHA MacIntyre Hudson
MHA MacIntyre Hudson’s Glyn Edwards (VAT Director) and John Rossiter (Director for Indirect Tax) will give a high-level VAT update, covering the following areas: HMRC’s new regime for late filing and payment; domestic reverse charge two months on; COVID and partial exemption; case law update – Balhousie Holdings and Prudential Assurance.
12:05
Lunch break
During the break you are invited to join fellow delegates for a networking session.
12:35
Sponsor: Best practice for managing remote finance team and the close - FloQast
Hear from Mike Whitmire (CEO, FloQast), Jerry Raphael (CFO, Stack Overflow) and Brandt Kucharski (CAO, Grubhub) will share best practice on how to speed up and streamline the close in a remote environment.
On Demand
Sponsor: Planning protection into your agility - FISCAL Technologies
Ray Welsh will describe how building a risk detection safety-net to identify any exceptions in your accounts payable processing, supports greater agility, and provides the confidence to make bold and timely changes.
On Demand

Afternoon sessions

Sponsor: Going beyond the back office. Finance as strategic business partners - Sage
Today’s finance leaders have a unique opportunity to play a central role in business transformation, ensuring they have the right skills, tools and expertise required to predict and adapt to the ever-changing landscape and ultimately gain a competitive edge. Central to this transformation has been the rise of business partnering, with finance leaders breaking down operational silos and supporting strategic decisions across the business. In this panel discussion we will share real-life examples, explore how the role of the financial controller is changing, the rise of business partnering and how technology can set you up for success. The speakers are Christopher Ewen, Finance Director at Sage UKI and Nathan Keeley, Partner and Head of Cloud Accounting at ‎Carpenter Box.
13:20
Attending to our mental health and well-being in these changing times
The importance of well-being and self-care has been more readily talked about than ever before. As we cautiously look forward to a life without restrictions, Sharon Bell (Chief Executive at ‎Services For Education), explores how we can prioritise our well-being and be in tune with the needs of our colleagues - during a time when the professional demands on us and our organisations will continue to be significant.
13:55
Sponsor: Balancing cost optimisation with investing in the future - Serviceware
Events over the past year have increased pressure to accelerate digital transformation, while simultaneously cutting costs. For many IT and Shared Services teams, the initial focus was enabling a virtual workforce overnight and fast-tracking digital initiatives to support customers. Moving forward it’s imperative that organisations have a transparent view of costs associated with services and, ultimately, value delivered. This will enable a more agile approach, where scenario planning will underpin wise investments for the future. Serviceware’s Joe Wilson (Director, Global Accounts and International Sales Strategy Development) and Jo Hart (Strategic Advisor), will provide their insight.
14:30
Refreshment break
15:00
Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on business strategy and reporting
This session will help you think systematically about the consequences of COVID on your business. It will introduce a tool to help you structure your planning and communications, for example to the board. The session will cover six questions on key business areas potentially affected and suggest areas to consider in evaluating the impact and planning next steps. It will also help you to link business strategy to the annual accounts. John Boulton (Director, Technical Policy, ICAEW)
15:20
How can mentoring help your career?
Many finance professionals have found the support and guidance of a mentor invaluable in building a successful career. In this panel discussion we will cover: what mentoring is (and is not); how to find a mentor; what makes for a good mentoring relationship; and how mentoring has helped people develop their careers. We will also cover questions from the audience. With Chair: Rick Payne (Technical Manager, Business and Management Faculty, ICAEW); Catherine Clark (Executive Mentor, ICAEW Leadership programmes, Winmark); Leonore Lord MBPsS, FRSA (Director, True Measure Limited); and Helen Price (CFO, EFG Bank).
15:55
Closing remarks
16:35
Event close
16:40

* Please note that the programme is subject to change.

Testimonials

Very informative and enjoyable.

Past Financial Controllers’ event delegate

An excellent investment of time to keep yourself up to date with current trends and practice in finance.

Past Financial Controllers’ event delegate

This was an excellent event, informative and well presented with very helpful advice on the topic of career development.

Past Financial Controllers’ event delegate

Excellent event! A good mix of technical updates and personal development sessions with engaging and passionate speakers.

Past Financial Controllers’ event delegate

Our speakers

George Acquah
George Acquah Finance Business Partner, Civil Ops Purchasing, Rolls Royce

George trained with PwC in their Derbyshire office, before moving to Rolls-Royce, in late 2015. George has had a long history of volunteer involvement in ICAEW, having previously served in the student society in Nottingham, and is a Past-President of ICAEW Nottingham, Derby and Lincoln. He is also a member of ICAEW’s Council, Business Committee and Diversity Committee.

Sharon Bell FCA is Chief Executive at Services For Education and a speaker at ICAEW's Financial Controllers' Conference 2021
Sharon Bell FCA Chief Executive, Services For Education

Alongside her role at Services for Education, Sharon is Chair of Trustees of mental health charity Renew Wellbeing. Her passion for mental health and well-being comes from seeing a close family member suffer a breakdown. She has recently launched a blog exploring topics related to the charitable sector, arts, education and mental health

Cath Bishop is a speaker, author, Olympic rower and Former Senior Conflict Diplomat. She's speaking at ICAEW's Financial Controllers' Conference 2021
Cath Bishop Speaker, Author, Olympic Rower and Former Conflict Diplomat

Cath competed at three Olympic Games. As a diplomat she specialised in conflict issues. These experiences equipped her with leadership, negotiating skills, resilience, and the ability to deliver outstanding performance under extremely challenging circumstances. Her book “The Long Win: The Search for a Better Way to Succeed” examines our cultural obsession with winning.

John Boulton, Director of Technical Policy, is a speaker at ICAEW Virtually Live 2020
John Boulton Director of Technical Policy, ICAEW

John is a chartered accountant and has worked as a preparer, auditor and analyst of listed company financial information. He joined ICAEW as Director of Technical Policy in 2015, having previously worked as a Manager, Corporate Reporting between 2010 and 2013. He’s also worked for the Financial Accounting Standards Board and Fitch Ratings.

Catherine Clarke
Catherine Clarke FCA Executive Mentor, ICAEW Leadership programmes

Catherine is a highly experienced CFO, Director, and business leader with over 20 years of experience working in global commercially focused organisations, with over 10 years at Board level. As an Executive Mentor, Catherine is passionate about supporting and inspiring finance professionals to grow into the best leader they can be.

Claire Edginton is Financial Controller at Oliver Bonas and a speaker at ICAEW's Financial Controllers' Conference 2021
Claire Edginton Financial Controller, Oliver Bonas

Claire joined lifestyle retailer Oliver Bonas six years ago as Financial Controller and has seen significant company growth and retail industry change in that time. Prior to this she worked in FMCG in a range of roles covering business partnering, technical accounting and systems implementation. Claire trained in audit with Grant Thornton.

Sona Davda is head of strategy and development for communities at ICAEW
Sona Davda FCA Head of Strategy & Development for Communities, ICAEW

Sona is a Chartered Accountant with more than 14 years' experience in practice and industry. She trained at PwC, gaining experience in audit, cost transformation and business valuation before moving to Vodafone Group. At Vodafone, she worked closely with the Group CFO and Deputy CFO in her role as Valuations Manager.

Glyn Edwards
Glyn Edwards VAT Director, MHA MacIntyre Hudson

Glyn’s VAT career started with H.M. Customs and Excise in 1989 and he spent seven years in the Department before moving to consultancy. His specialisms include land & property; the not-for-profit sector, health and agriculture. Glyn has an enviable record in VAT litigation and dispute resolution representing clients in Tribunal and Alternative Dispute Resolution as well as instructing barristers in leading VAT cases.

Christopher Ewen
Christopher Ewen Finance Director, Sage UKI

Christopher previously held the role of Financial Controller for UKI operations of the Sage Group. He is passionate about building finance teams that operate as key strategic partners to the business, focussing on developing talent and leading process improvements through enabling technologies, to support profitable growth and organisational change.

Megan Fitzpatrick – Business Engagement Executive, ICAEW
Megan Fitzpatrick Business Engagement Executive, ICAEW

Megan is part of ICAEW’s Business and Industrial Strategy team. Her role is to ensure that members working in industry are supported by and engaged with their Institute. Megan is particularly focused on ensuring that ICAEW’s younger business members can influence ICAEW as the leaders of tomorrow.

Franki Hackett
Franki Hackett Head of Audit & Ethics, Engine B

Franki Hackett is Head of Audit and Ethics at Engine B, a purpose-led AI company delivering data and analytics for professional services. Franki is also a 20/21 Policy Leader Fellow at the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute, researching multinational tax transparency. Franki is a trained data scientist and auditor, and a member of the ICAEW.

Jolyon Hart is Strategic Advisor at Serviceware and a speaker at ICAEW's Financial Controllers' Conference 2021
Jolyon Hart, ACA Strategic Advisor, Serviceware

Jolyon has strong commercial awareness and business acumen gained in large fast moving service orientated organisations highly focused on performance, quality and results. A specialist shared services practitioner, he has with a proven track record in delivering improved performance, quality and service in underperforming centres.

Leonore Lord
Leonore Lord Director, True Measure Limited

Leonore is a commercially minded business psychologist experienced working with pre-start-up, start-up and trading commercial SME’s and social enterprises. She has a track record of mentoring and coaching a wide range of diverse entrepreneurs. Leonore holds an MSc in Psychology and an MSc in Occupational and Organisational Psychology.

Nathan Keeley is Partner and Head of Cloud Accounting at Carpenter Box and a speaker at ICAEW's Financial Controller Conference 2021
Nathan Keeley Partner and Head of Cloud Accounting, ‎Carpenter Box

Nathan specialises in offering advice to the SME business sector by looking at accounting and tax solutions, alongside cloud software options, to drive efficiency. Nathan heads the cloud team within the firm and advises clients on the benefits of add-ons and integration opportunities now available.

Conor O'Kelly
Conor O'Kelly Senior Director of Product Marketing, Workiva

Conor has over 20 years of experience as a senior finance executive for multinational corporations. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (FCA). He was also a Member of Council at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland from 2002–2005.

Harry Pampiglione
Harry Pampiglione Portfolio Analytics & Data Science Manager, Lloyds Development Capital

Harry leads the digital transformation of portfolio analytics at Lloyds Development Capital. Previously, he was a Manager in PwC's Data & Analytics team, where he focused on advanced analytics, data driven value creation and building Machine Learning models to support Private Equity clients. He was named Rising Star of the Year at the 2019 British Accountancy Awards, for innovation in the profession. Harry is also an ICAEW Council member.

Rick Payne Technical Manager, ICAEW Business and Management Faculty

Rick Payne, FCA, is ICAEW's expert in building effective finance functions. A former divisional CFO he has a keen interest in helping others develop their careers. Rick is a trained coach with an MSc in organisational behaviour and is currently a mentor on the Birkbeck College Pathways Programme.

Helen Price, CFO, EFG Private Bank Limited
Helen Price CFO, EFG Private Bank Limited

Helen is responsible for finance and treasury at EFG Private Bank Limited (the UK part of the Swiss Private Banking Group). Prior to joining EFG, Helen was the Group Financial Controller of 3i Group plc, responsible for 3i’s corporate reporting, and Close Brothers plc, where she held a number of group and subsidiary finance roles. Helen trained as an accountant at Moore Stephens LLP and qualified in 2008.

John Rossiter
John Rossiter Indirect Tax, MHA MacIntyre Hudson

John works with businesses of all sizes from owner managed to listed multi-nationals in a broad range of industry sectors. He has a particular focus on supply chain and international indirect tax matters, real estate and construction, financial services, and tax risk management.

Ray Welsh is Head of Product Marketing at FISCAL Technologies and a speaker at ICAEW Financial Controllers Conference 2021
Ray Welsh Head of Product Marketing, FISCAL Technologies

Ray is a market development leader with 25 years of experience in enterprise business-to-business software vendors, focused on go-to-market strategy and product strategy. He has worked extensively with advanced analytics solutions in the finance and healthcare sectors.

Michael Whitmire
Mike Whitmire Co-founder & CEO, FloQast

Mike is CEO and Co-founder of FloQast, a provider of accounting workflow automation software created by accountants for accountants to help them work smarter, not harder.

Joe Wilson is Global Account Director at Serviceware and a speaker at ICAEW's Financial Controllers' Conference 2021
Joe Wilson, ACA Global Accountant Director, Serviceware

Joe qualified with PwC and then moved into the world of finance technology. Leveraging his experience he worked to enable organisations to better use technology to run more effective and efficient finance functions. Joe now works with organisations to enhance and plan their IT and shared service costs.

Andie Wood
Andromeda Wood Senior Director of Data Modelling, Workiva

Andie’s main area of interest is the role of technology and data in the future of corporate reporting. She is an experienced data and semantic modeller and has been working with XBRL® for over 15 years. Andie is co-chair of the Entity-Specific Disclosure Task Force.

Sponsors and partners

Find out more about headline sponsor Workiva and the other ICAEW commercial partners supporting this event.

Logo of Workiva The CABA logo and slogan 'with you for life' Logo of FISCAL Technologies partner at ICAEW's Financial Controllers Conference 2020 Logo of MHA MacIntyre Hudson ServiceWare partner of ICAEW Virtually LIve 2020 Sage Floqast
Find out more

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