2010 NUFPC Preliminary Program

All Presentations from the 2010 NUFPC are now available for download from the resources section on the right of this page.

Day 1 - Monday July 26

• AUPN Executive Meeting 11.30 - 1.30pm (AUPN Executive Only)
• Conference Registration will open at 1.00pm in the Pavillion, Hyatt Regency on Monday 26th July.
• Conference sessions commence at 2.00pm
• Cocktail Reception, sponsored by Agility Consulting, will commence at 5.25 pm on the Pavillion Lawn and conclude by 7.00pm.

Day 2 - Tuesday July 27

• AUPN meeting will commence at 7.30am - 8.30am - Open to all university procurement staff.
• 8.55am - MC to Open conference proceedings for Day 2.
• Opening Keynote session commences at 9.00am.
  It would be appreciated if all delegates are present and seated by 8.55am.
• Conference Dinner, sponsored by ANZ, will commence at 7.00pm Poolside at the Village Square.

Day 3 - Wednesday July 28

• 8.55am - MC to Open conference proceedings for Day 3.
• Opening Keynote session commences at 9.00am.
  It would be appreciated if all delegates are present and seated by 8.55am.
• Sessions Conclude 1.15pm
• Lunch, Networking & Exhibition opportunity - 1.15-2.15pm

CONFERENCE CLOSE 2.15pm

Presenter Biographies

Please find below a list of confirmed presenters for the 2010 National University Finance and Procurement Conference. Additional presenters and biographical details for each will be listed as confirmed/received.

Opening Keynote:
Professor Michael Hefferan, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Regional Engagement), University of the Sunshine Coast

Professor Mike Hefferan is the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Regional Engagement) and the Professor of Property and Development at USC. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Queensland University of Technology.

His current role involves providing a primary link between the University, its primary stakeholders and its regional community in achieving the teaching and learning and research priorities of the USC. He also heads the University's graduation and post-graduation teaching and research initiatives pertaining to the property and development sections.

Mike was previously the Director of the Institute for Sustainable Resources at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, a cross-faculty organisation of almost 200 researchers with particular interest in resources management, sustainable built environments and social dimensions of change.

For the previous 15 years, he was an Executive Director within the State Government with industry development, property development and asset management responsibilities. He had a major role in Queensland's Smart State program, particularly related to regional development and research initiatives and funding.

Mike has a PhD, Masters of Applied Science and Postgraduate Management qualifications. He is a Registered Urban and Rural Valuer, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a member of the Property Council of Australia and Urban Development Institute of Australia. He is currently Vice-President of the Australian Institute of Valuers, Queensland Division and a member of that organisation's National Education Board.

International Keynote:
Selvan Govender, Chief Executive Officer, PURCO

Selvan Govender, the Chief Executive Officer of Purco (Purchasing Consortium Southern Africa), joined the company in 2008. He comes with a wealth of experience gained in the private sector, after spending many years in laboratories as an Analytical Chemist and progressed into general management positions for Multinational organisations such as Shell and BP, Henkel, Hoechst and Air Liquide. He holds a National Diploma in Analytical Chemistry, B.Com and an MBA. He has a passion for business and is always ready to tackle the challenges that accompany our ever changing world.
Interests include keeping up to date with current affairs, keeping fit and playing golf when the time permits. He is married to Praia, who is an equally successful business woman and they have 3 children together.

 

Keynote: Mr Bob Kotic, Principal, Business Performance Group Pty Ltd

Bob Kotic - a highly respected senior executive with experience at CEO, COO and CFO level in higher education and financial services sectors, with proven strategic planning and implementation skills where performance recovery and change management were critical objectives in achieving business performance improvement within demanding timeframes.

A successful history in developing distribution networks and revenue growth strategies, expense reduction and cost management programs, operational reconstruction and redesign to increase performance in service and profitability.

An experienced leader in the implementation of effective change in sectors undergoing paradigm shifts where organisational performance had to improve to sustain effective and efficient performance in light of increasing competition.

A Fellow of the Australian Society of Accountants, with a Bachelor of Business Studies Degree (Accounting) ,UTS, formerly NSWIT, and a Master of Economics (Finance), Macquarie University.

Career highlights:
Chief Operating Officer & Deputy Vice-Chancellor, The University of Sydney
Chief Financial Officer, The University of Sydney
Chief Financial Officer, ING Australia Group Ltd.
Chief Financial Officer, Zurich Australia Group Ltd.
Managing Director, AMPAC Ltd. (J/V: AMP Ltd. & Westpac Corporation)
Managing Director, Lumley Life Ltd

International Presenter: Mr Harvey Gannon, Chief Executive Officer, CampusGuard

Mr. Gannon is the Chief Executive Officer of CampusGuard. He also serves as Executive Vice President of New Ventures for 5280 Solutions LLC, a leading provider of software and services to financial institutions and government agencies nationally.

Previously, Mr. Gannon was Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of infiNET Solutions, the largest provider of Automated Billing, Payment Processing and Campus Commerce solutions for higher education institutions in the United States, until its sale to Nelnet, Inc. in 2006. After its sale to Nelnet, Inc. in 2006, he became President of the Nelnet Business Solutions - Higher Education Group, which is focused on providing full-service business office automation, campus commerce, enrollment management and information delivery solutions for colleges and universities. Mr. Gannon is a dynamic speaker that provides a clear vision for the future of technology as an enabler of solutions, and their effect on society, business and education. His unique ability to apply practical thinking to technology's role in people's lives and work has made audiences around the U.S. applaud, laugh, and walk away with a fresh perspective on technology and its impact on them. He has shared his vision and insight as a speaker and on Higher Education industry panels throughout the United States.

In addition, Mr. Gannon had served as the President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lake County, IL, where he managed all the activities of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors. He holds separate undergraduate degrees in Electrical Engineering and Management.

William Aukett, Adelaide University

Bill Aukett is the Manager, Strategic Procurement for the University of Adelaide, a position he has held for some years. He has previously worked in professional development and organisational development for the University of Adelaide. Prior to this he worked for many years in the public education system in South Australia as a secondary teacher, school manager and internal consultant.

Bill is the immediate past Chair of the Australian Universities Procurement Network (AUPN) and the National Steering Group Chair for the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) (ANZ). In 2008 he was a winner of the CIPSA national procurement Leadership Award.

Harry Banga, Director of Procurement Services, University of Sydney

Harry holds a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering and a Bachelor of Laws Degree having held senior roles in the property, retail, construction and water resources industries.

Harry's business development skills and business acumen have bought about innovative approaches to the continuing growth and bottom line returns for those organisations in which he has been involved.

Harry is currently a director at the University of Sydney influencing an outgoing spend in the vicinity of $1.1 billion. Harry is developing and implementing holistic opportunities for best practice business processes, policies, systems and strategic sourcing.

In Harry's previous role as the Group General Manager, NSW Procurement at the Department of Commerce, now Services, Technology & Administration and also General Manager of Strategic Sourcing & Client Services, Harry led significant change within the market interaction environment and brought about improvement and innovation to the way government business has traditionally been conducted. NSW Procurement is a self funding business within government which generates close to $50 million per annum in revenue and delivers ongoing annual savings of $330 million across a $4 billion goods and services portfolio.

Darren Busine, Chief Financial Officer, ENERGEX Limited

Darren joined ENERGEX as the Chief Financial Officer in October 2007. In Darren's role at ENERGEX he is responsible for the financial, regulatory and strategic functions for the group. Darren has over 20 years experience in finance and strategic management roles predominantly in the finance and energy industries.

Prior to joining ENERGEX, Darren held the position of Chief Financial Officer at Ergon Energy since 2006 where he had responsibility for Finance, Strategy, Commercial Management, Business Planning, Office of Chief Information Officer, Process Management and Tax. Darren joined Ergon Energy in July 2000 as Group Financial Controller.

Prior to joining Ergon Energy Darren spent 10 years in Suncorp Metway in a range of finance and strategic and commercial management roles.
Darren has a degree in Economics from Macquarie University and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment. He has a Diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Darren is a Fellow of the Australian Society of CPA's, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Banking and Finance and a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Vivienne Buss, Manager, Sustainable Procurement, Queensland Government

Vivienne Buss is currently the Manager - Sustainable Procurement in the Queensland Government Chief Procurement Office. In this role, she is leading Queensland Government's sustainable procurement implementation program.

Possessing a combination of financial, business and corporate sustainability qualifications and experience, Vivienne's credentials include an Honours in Commerce, qualification as a Chartered Accountant, an MBA (Corporate Sustainability) and a Masters in Environmental Management - Economics and Policy.

Her career includes roles at, among others, two `Big Four' firms (KPMG and Deloitte), the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, Suncorp and the Australian Institute of Management (where she continues to sit on the faculty in the Graduate School).

Vivienne has 22 years professional experience within the private, public and education sectors, and combines strong business and financial skills, analytic capability, strategic sustainability knowledge, change management understanding, and experience in education and facilitation. She is a passionate and committed educator, facilitator, mentor and coach, and seeks to utilise her experience and skills to facilitate transition towards more sustainable patterns within business and society.

Ian Clifton, Supply Chain and Procurement Manager, Deakin University

Simon Crunden, Travel, University of Melbourne

Marc Diaz, Director Strategic Procurement, Curtin University

Matt Easdown, Chief Financial Officer, University of Canberra

Prior to assuming his current role as Chief Financial Officer at the University of Canberra, Matt worked in senior Finance leadership roles with leading global organisations like Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch, AT Kearney and Marubeni in Australia and Japan . He has led a number of key initiatives around global shared services implementation and transformation of Finance Operations. He brings an operational insight into the complexities of formulating and delivering these strategic change initiatives.

Mr Daniel Flaherty, Director Financial Services, Flinders University

Daniel Flaherty is currently the Director Financial Services at Flinders University and has been with the University since 1999. From 1993 to 1999 he worked in a senior finance role with the University of South Australia. Prior to this Daniel had extensive experience in the Commonwealth Public Sector where he worked in a range of departments in the facilities, human resources, finance and administration fields. During his time with the Commonwealth, Daniel completed the 12 month National Personnel Management Scheme that involved a mixture of formal coursework and work placements in a number of different organisations. Daniel earned his economics degree from Adelaide University and is a CPA. In 2000 Daniel received the President's Award from CPA Australia.

Mr David Henderson, Managing Director, UniQuest Pty Limited

David Henderson has more than 25 years experience in technology transfer, new venture establishment, marketing and the growth of technology-based businesses.

Prior to joining UniQuest, he managed high- growth software companies in the USA and Australia, consulted for a number of globally recognised companies with Booz Allen and McKinsey, and established an export centre for Queensland Information Technology and Communications firms, which supported a tripling of exports over three years.

Mr Henderson was appointed Managing Director of UniQuest in 2001. The company has since established some additional 50 start-ups and the UniQuest portfolio has raised over $340 million of investment and grants. Global sales of products that use technologies licensed by UniQuest now exceed $5 billion per year, and the company has grown to be one of the largest university technology transfer operations in the world.

Mr Henderson has a Bachelor of Engineering from The University of Queensland and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has represented UniQuest on the Boards of a number of venture capital- backed companies, including two which moved to the USA, and Australia's largest biotech IPO to date.

Ms Susan Kinobe, Manager Finance, Faculty of Medicine Health & Molecular Sciences, James Cook University

Susan Kinobe is a graduate of James Cook University where she was awarded a Bachelor of Commerce and is an active CPA.
Susan is the Finance Manager for the Faculty of Medicine, Health & Molecular Sciences at James Cook University and has been in this role since February 2010. In this role, Susan is responsible for the operational, regulatory and strategic financial management for the Faculty and plays a key role in the management of the entire Financial and Business Services unit at James Cook University. One of Susan's most important tasks is providing leadership and mentoring to her team particularly in the pursuit of continuous improvement, efficiency and reliable and superior customer service.

Prior to this role, Susan served as a Manager, Financial Operations for James Cook University where her portfolio included accounts payable, travel, purchasing, credit card management, accounts receivable, taxation, payroll and salary packaging.

Susan also spent five (5) years living in Canada (2004 - 2008) where she garnered a wealth of experiences including her service as the Financial Controller for a US owned Heating and Cooling company, and the Senior Financial Reporting Officer at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Her experience at a foreign university has assisted her greatly in providing superior leadership in the higher education sector.

One of Susan's non-work highlights is fulfilling her selection as a basketball Technical Official (scorer and timekeeper) at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games and the 2001 Brisbane Goodwill Games.
Susan is married and a mother to a 3 ½ year old daughter (Yanique).

Mr Craig Lehman, Associate Director, Commercial Services, University of Newcastle

Mr Scott Logan, Director, Financial Services, The University of Western Australia

Scott has been in the Higher Education Sector as Director, Financial Services for 8 years. Formally working with Coca-Cola Amatil for over 6 years located both in Perth and overseas as Finance Manager - Fiji. Scott has driven a change strategy to transition the finance function from the traditional transactional and compliance focused environment to a team providing value adding decision support processes and services.

Qualifications & Membership: FCPA, Australian Society of CPAs, Master of Business Administration, Deakin University, Bachelor of Business (Accounting), Curtin University of Technology

Scott's current responsibilities include:
* Supporting the University's Financial Management and Budget Management responsibilities
* Departmental leadership and management of approximately 65 Financial Services staff
* Compliance with legislative reporting and accounting requirements
* Leadership and development of University's financial information systems
* Overseeing University investment portfolio
* Provision of accounting and transactional services to the University
* Provision of advice and support to executive and committees
* Development of budgeting, monitoring and reporting processes
* Strategic Procurement

The University in 2010 has budgeted revenue of $730M pa and has in excess of 3,500 staff

Dr Daniel McDiarmid, CEO Asia Pacific, Global Philanthropic

Dr Daniel McDiarmid is an experienced and innovative fundraising professional with nearly 30 years of success in raising funds for higher education, research and religious organisations. His expertise includes research and analysis, training, international strategy, campaign preparation and implementation, prospect identification, donor stewardship and alumni relations.

Daniel McDiarmid began his career in fundraising in 1982 as National Secretary for Education and Promotion with the Australian Board of Missions with significant success in developing the bequest program, establishing an international aid capacity, and running a campaign to raise funds for a boat for the Anglican Diocese of New Guinea Islands. This position was followed by seven years advising Christian churches on how to raise funds for their work.

After 10 years of raising funds for religions organizations, and a PhD from the University of Queensland ― the first Australian doctoral dissertation that examined fundraising and philanthropy ― he established fundraising and alumni offices at Central Queensland University and RMIT University and was Development Manager at QUT from 1998 to 2003.
Dr McDiarmid is a Fellow of the Fundraising Institute - Australia (FFIA), Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), and Adjunct Professor in the Centre of Philanthropy and NonProfit Studies (QUT). He also serves on the Board of CFRE International the accrediting body for senior fundraising professionals.
His current university clients include Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand), Murdoch University, and the National University of Singapore.

Mr Barry Munns, Chair, Corruption Prevention Network & Chief Internal Auditor, ANSTO

Mr Wayne Myers, Conference Master of Ceremonies

Wayne Myers OAM, Financial Systems Manager, Financial & Business Services, Deakin University
Wayne Myers has 40 years experience in the Higher Education sector. His roles within Deakin University have been within central administration in the Computer Department, Internal Audit and Financial and Business Services Division.
Wayne looked after the implementation of Oracle Financials at the university in 1999 and then subsequent upgrades.
Wayne has been a member of the Finance Systems Network (and its predecessors) since its inception.

Wayne has a commerce degree and postgraduate computing certificate, and is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA).


Ms Angelina Pillai, Head of Education, CIPSA

Angelina Pillai is Head of Education at CIPSA and is responsible for the development and delivery of the CIPS education strategy across Australasia and for all assessment services in the region. She also manages CIPS engagement with the public and tertiary sectors. Angelina's focus prior to joining CIPSA has been to support the development and promotion of academic and business strategies that contribute to successful outcomes for international students in Australia, in particular by establishing relationships with domestic and international educational institutions for articulation purposes.

Peter Shipp, The Australian National University

Peter Shipp is the Chief Accountant, Deputy Director Finance & Business Services at The Australian National University, a position he has held for the past 9 years. Prior to this Peter was employed by the Australian Maritime College from 1993 and previously spent the first 16 years of his career in banking and finance in the accounting and administration operations. Prior to relocating to Canberra in 2000 Peter was heavily involved in the Uniting Church holding Board of Management positions with a Tasmanian based Nursing Home, Chair of the Home's Finance Committee, and for a period held the position of Honorary Treasurer for the Tasmanian Synod and represented Tasmania on the National Assembly Finance Committee. Peter's current role sees him responsible for financial and management reporting, including grant accounting, together with taxation, investment, and special project accounting functions. Peter holds specialist representative roles on behalf of the University on the Board of the ANU Union Association and ANU Enterprise Pty Limited Audit Committee. Peter holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) from the University of Tasmania and is a Fellow of CPA Australia.

Dr Brian Spencer, Higher Ed Services, Board Chair

Dr Spencer has over 45 years of experience in university administration in Australia. He is a graduate of the University of New South Wales in Commerce and of Macquarie University in Education.

Until his retirement in July 2007, he was Registrar and Vice-Principal of Macquarie University for 21 years. As a member of the University's Senior Executive, he was responsible to the Vice-Chancellor for supporting the academic administration of the University, for the management of student services and for corporate governance.

Brian was a member of the original CASMAC Steering Committee which established standards for the development of information-technology based enterprise systems in Australian Universities, particularly student systems. He continued as a member of the Boards of Union Pty Ltd and its successor Higher Ed Systems Pty Ltd.

Over the years, Brian has been involved in a large number of projects for the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee ranging from Administrative Staff Training Courses in Australia to Shadow and Leadership programs in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Austria and Hong Kong.

Brian is currently:

• Chairman of the Board of Higher Ed Services Pty Ltd, the professional services company owned by Universities Australia
• Director of the nation-wide Universities Co-Op Bookshop Ltd
• Chairman of the Board of the travel company Odyssey Edventures Ltd
• Chairman of the Board of Australian Institute of Business and Management Ltd
• Member of the National Board of Advisors of AIESEC Australia.

From 2000-2005, Brian was Vice-President of the International Leadership Council of the Golden Key International Honour Society. In 2005, he received the President's Award for service to the Golden Key International Honour Society in Los Angeles and was admitted to the AIESEC Alumni Hall of Fame in Agra, India. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.

Brian's interests include sailing, bushwalking and rugby union.

Henry Sammut, Manager, Contracts and Procurement, University of Melbourne

Henry Sammut is currently employed at the University of Melbourne as Manager, Contracts & Procurement. With over 25 years experience in procurement, Henry has worked in a variety of roles within the corporate environment with companies such as Amcor and PaperlinX. His responsibilities have included managing purchasing teams and stores with up to 28 staff and annual expenditure in excess of A$250 million.

Henry holds a Bachelor of Business (Management) from Monash University which was completed in 2004. He went on to undertake post graduate study and in 2009 completed a Graduate Certificate in University Management at University of Melbourne. He is an Executive Committee Member of the Australian Universities Procurement Network (AUPN) and is an active participant and contributor to the Victorian Universities Procurement Forum (VUPF). Henry is also an Affiliate Member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply Australia.

When he is not at work, Henry enjoys travel and adventure to unusual and interesting places where he can experience different cultures and lifestyles. He has travelled extensively through out South and North America, the Pacific and Asia and his most recent trip was a successful trek across the Kokoda Track. Henry also enjoys boating, theatre and exploring the many fine restaurants that Melbourne has to offer.

Joanna Watts, Executive Officer, La Trobe Foundation, La Trobe University

Joanna Watts completed a Russian Degree at the University of Birmingham in the UK and enjoyed University life so much she decided to pursue a career in Higher Education administration. She started her career at the University of Birmingham and over the course of 8 years held a variety of administrative positions. In 2001 she had the opportunity to undertake a 12-month job exchange at La Trobe University in Melbourne at the School of Business and after falling in love with Australia she applied for permanent residency at the end of her job exchange. Since that time she has worked in the Faculty of Law and Management at La Trobe and has held a number of Executive Officer roles working for senior managers of the University. Joanna is currently Executive Officer for the La Trobe University Foundation, an office set up to generate and manage philanthropic funding for the institution.

Joanna is also the Secretariat of the La Trobe University Fair Trade Steering Committee. She was asked to take up this role by the Vice-Chancellor of La Trobe because she is a passionate advocate for Fair Trade in her local community. In 2008, together with two friends she started the Nillumbik Fair Trade project, a community action group focussed on promoting Fair Trade products within the Nillumbik Shire. The group is also working to encourage Nillumbik Shire Council to register as a Fair Trade Council. Her work with the Nillumbik Fair Trade project made her ideally suited to coordinate the project for La Trobe to achieve registration as a Fair Trade University. Work on achieving Fair Trade registration for the University commenced in the second half of 2009 and the University successfully lodged its submission to with the Fair Trade Association at the end of December 2009. Registration was announced in the New Year and Fair Trade at La Trobe was formally launched in March 2010.

Gary Zlnay, Systems Manager, Finance & Business Services, Edith Cowan University

Gary Zlnay has over 25 years experience in the Higher Education sector. His roles within Edith Cowan University (ECU) have been within central administration and faculties and involved such diverse positions as Budget Officer, Faculty Accountant, Faculty Manager and Financial Systems Manager

Gary was Project Manager for ECU's upgrade to Oracle Financials 11i (v11.5.10), a $1.8m project that spanned 14 months. He is currently Manager, Resource Planning and Financial Systems for ECU a position that oversees the University's strategic and operational budget process and the enterprise financial and human resource systems along with several smaller finance-related applications.

Gary is the current Chair of the HES Finance Systems Network.

Gary has a business degree with a double major in accounting and finance and is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA).