Executive Catch Up: Terry Fox

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What part of the Finance Department do you manage and what do they do?

I look after ‘Specialist Services’, which is a collective of fairly small (but perfectly formed) teams in Finance that do very specialist things. The teams are: Insurance, Tax, Payroll, Pensions, Business Partnering and the Cash Office. The teams are often involved in very complex issues which regularly require engagement with senior colleagues across the University (and beyond). From looking after our sizable cash balances, paying all our staff on time every month, insuring our aircraft or complicated clinical trials or our 550+ buildings, managing 9 pensions schemes – all with different rules, assessing tax risks as our staff and students visit or work in 143 countries around the world, preparing business plans for new buildings or collaborations overseas, there is plenty to do!

What have you and your team got coming up in 2019?

2019 will be as busy as ever, as well as supporting the Core Systems project through design and implementation we will also be working to ensure that the Service Excellence recommendations are effectively implemented. On top of these crucial projects we have some big challenges ahead on Pensions in particular, with regular staff engagement and formal consultations as we navigate the triennial valuations of our main schemes. We are also going through an unprecedented period of investment in our capital programme: refurbishing some of our existing and acquired buildings as well as building new teaching, research, student and accommodation facilities – all of this needs professional financial support, both from our Finance Business Partners and from the Tax team. 

What does an average day look like for you?

I’m not sure there is an average day, but a very regular feature is meetings! I meet some very interesting people both internally and externally, all who are very keen to do new and exciting things. Whether it is innovate ways to make investments which have a positive social impact or clever ways to structure our deposits, or fascinating proposals to spend some of the University’s money on new ventures, I can genuinely say that no two days are the same. Having a lot of small specialist teams means that there are a lot of things going on all the time, it’s impossible to stay on top of it all, luckily my teams all superb at what they do!

What do you like to do in your spare time?

For me it is really important to stay active, I get to the Pleasance gym when I can and am constantly out walking my dog in the evenings and weekends (even when she is not very keen and the rain is lashing down!). I very occasionally play golf and also enjoy cycling. My family have just joined the world of Caravanning we plan to go and explore a lot more of Scotland and enjoy the hills, beaches and forests, we have to be careful though, the midges seem to love my blood!