On Wednesday 31 October, the Finance Department at the University of Edinburgh hosted the Scottish Universities Finance Conference at the John Macintyre Conference Centre in Pollock Halls. Image The conference centre was packed with University staff from across the whole University, as well as external guest speakers and workshop presenters. Amongst others, Anne Adrain from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) presented on Integrated Reporting, and Karel Thomas from the British Universities Finance Directors Group (BUFDG) was a guest speaker. The conference was open to all Scottish Universities as well as businesses connected to the Higher Education community. As well as an impressive range of internal and external exhibitors throughout the day, there were key note addresses from Phil McNaull, Director of Finance, Professor Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University, and Hugh Edmiston, Director of Corporate Services, who shared their vision and ambitions for the future direction of the University. The University of Edinburgh was proud to host this year’s Scottish Universities’ Finance Conference and the range of speakers and workshops was very impressive. I was particularly pleased to hear that a key takeaway for delegates was that Finance isn’t just about money; it’s about enabling a better understanding of the interdependencies between all the different capitals that an organisation draws upon to create value; people, knowledge, networks and relationships, natural resources, finance, our physical assets and our reputation. Lee HamillDeputy Director of Finance Attendees chose from multiple workshops covering areas within Finance in the University setting, including how, at Edinburgh, we are focusing on socially responsible investments, how we are ensuring community benefit through our Procurement processes, insight into why all human beings make mistakes and examples of what we can do to reduce error. Money was raised for a cancer charity through a raffle, and there was even a Finance quiz for those who like a challenge. If you were unable to attend the conference, you can watch the Conference Keynote Speakers videos on the Finance Media Hopper Channel. Watch Keynote Speakers The conference happens annually, so we hope to see you at our 2019 event! This article was published on 2024-07-01
