Finance BI Forum 2020 - On Demand

Executive Breakfast Panel Session
Future of Work – How to build a finance team around your business’s intelligence capabilities
Join a panel of finance and data analytics experts as they discuss how they would build the future finance function in the current technologically disruptive environment. Learn why the demand for data analysis skills will only grow, prompting the creation of new roles within finance. Hear insights on why organisations need to embrace the power of emerging technologies to build their data intelligence capabilities. Finance leaders will need the right talent, skills and teams to be able to use data and technology to effectively serve their business. Ask the experts your questions on their visions for skills sets that are needed in the finance team of the future.

S1: Business intelligence as a source of competitive advantage for your organisation
When aligned with an organisation’s objectives and strategy, business intelligence can provide valuable insights, create new opportunities and guide your decisions. This session explores current and developing landscapes, analytics tools, technologies and methods that allow you to anticipate the impact of key decisions from the outset. Learn more about gathering intelligence and translating data into deeper insights that can create greater competitive advantage and deliver stronger business outcomes.

S2: Garbage In, Garbage Out. How to source good data for your analytics with automation
On average, finance departments spend almost 80% of their time collecting and preparing data through manual processes. Not only does this limit time for analysis, it can also lead to inconsistencies and errors. Join this session to learn how high-performing teams enhance the accuracy of their data and speed up collection through automation. You'll also learn five simple ways to immediately start improving the quality of data within your team.

S3: Using customer insights to drive business growth
Data-driven decisions take the guesswork out of business strategy and lead to stronger commercial and customer outcomes. This session covers how organisations have transformed subscription-based and ‘as-a service’ operating models using data, customer insights and strategies to drive customer and revenue growth. Learn how to harness the power of data to increase business value. Hear practical case studies about how customer data has been optimised and applied in practical and profitable ways.

S4: Improving performance using intelligent supply chains and inventory management analytics
For manufacturers, wholesalers and distributers, supply chain efficiencies are central to success. But how can business intelligence help to manage inventory more accurately? This session explores BI tools and techniques that can predict stock levels in supply chains dynamically, efficiently and accurately. Hear real-world insights on best practices and discover the latest technologies that can improve supply chain performance. Identify how to save costs and tackle just-in-time methods in an on-demand connected world.

S5: Intelligently transforming finance to dynamic budgeting, forecasting and reporting
Discover how you can create new value for your organisation by moving to a connected, cloud-based analytics and reporting environment. This session presents a real-world case study of how finance leads GPT's digital transformation strategy, which has significantly enhanced planning, budgeting and forecasting through continuous real time reporting. It also explains how new Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business applications can create new opportunities for seamless integration, data visualisation and risk reduction.

S6: Embedding data, cyber and reputational resilience into your organisation’s DNA
With cyber criminals constantly developing new techniques to target vulnerable organisations, data security is an ever-present issue. This session focuses on how to build organisational cyber resilience and manage the risks of significant financial harm in an age of corporate reputation warfare and ‘fake news'. This session provides practical steps that you can take towards protecting your valuable financial data assets and maintain resilience in an environment of cyber disruption.

S7: Quantitative modelling techniques for business decision making and value creation
One of the key roles of a Chartered Accountant is to help organisations maximise shareholder value. But without the right tools and resources, forecasting the impact of events on a company's performance is notoriously challenging. Utilising simple concepts of mathematical probability, this session reviews innovative financial modelling techniques. Through practical examples, it demonstrates how to increase the accuracy of your projections so that you can make decisions with greater confidence.

S8: Exploring the future of data-centric storytelling and behavioural finance technologies
Corporate communication methods used by organisations, regulators and stakeholders are critical in building brand reputation, customer loyalty, trust, credibility and business value. This session explores how the rise of big data is supporting and driving analysis, strategies and techniques such as storytelling and impression management. Hear about the latest trends in corporate communications that can enhance trustworthiness, and the important role that AI technologies play in making informed financial decisions.

Liam Bastick FCA
Liam is a Fellow Chartered Accountant and Fellow Chartered Management Accountant, who specialises in financial modelling and strategic advice. During his career he has worked in the UK, EU countries and in Australia, and currently writes monthly articles for the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Liam is also a highly experienced and respected facilitator with Chartered Accountants ANZ and a regular presenter with the Certified Practising Accountants (CPA) accounting body.

Rebekah Morgan CA
Rebekah is currently Head of Finance at GPT, an ASX Top 50 real estate investment trust managing over $20 billion of assets. In her 20 years in property sector roles at EY, Dexus, New City (Japan) and Rawson Homes (as CFO) Rebekah has worked on numerous process implementations including two ERP systems, while also managing daily finance functions. She believes that optimally-operating systems reduce error risk while enabling finance teams to drive value in their organisations

Rachel Alembakis
Rachel’s communications expertise is demonstrated in financial journalism, research and reporting, and as the managing editor of The Sustainability Report, a weekly digital publication reporting on how environmental, social and governance issues are integrated into investment strategies and how ASX-listed companies integrate sustainability into their operations and strategies.

Hema Patel CA
Hema was most recently General Manager of Lightbox, New Zealand’s own subscription streaming TV service, prior to its sale to the Sky Pay TV Network. In her many senior roles, Hema has been responsible for strategy and business results. Her forte is getting to the core of business challenges and utilising technology and data as problem-solving enablers. Hema has strong commercial and strategy expertise and experience matched by a powerful curiosity about data as a driver of business results.

Cameron Ford CA
Cameron is the CFO at Unleashed Software. In addition to beginning his career in professional services at PwC, he has over 10 years experience in senior finance roles across a range of New Zealand’s best technology businesses that export all around the world. Unleashed Software gives businesses the freedom to better make, manage and move their products. It is cloud-based and gives good product businesses clarity and control across suppliers, production, inventory and sales.

Dr Andreas Hellmann FCA
Andreas is an expert in interdisciplinary research adopting innovative technologies, such as eye-tracking, advanced brain monitoring, virtual reality and cognitive assessment tools, to refine the comparability and quality of accounting information for decision-making. He is a Chartered Accountant, holds a PhD from Macquarie University, Sydney, and is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Behavioural and Experimental Finance. Andreas publishes extensively in leading international journals and is the co-author of a best-selling accounting textbook.

Esther Monks CA
Esther is a Chartered Accountant with 15 years’ experience in professional services and industry. From working in audit at EY (Melbourne and New York), she has built her career as a commercially astute business partner deriving impactful insights from finance into the broader business of financial services, manufacturing, FMCG and online media sectors. Her unique perspective – both industry-specific and agnostic – of the opportunities and challenges is based on her comprehension of finance’s strategic importance to continuous improvement.

Marise Maltman
Marise is a Chartered Accountant with more than 28 years’ professional service experience working with clients in various sectors in Australia, the UK and South Africa. Marise helps finance executives improve the effectiveness of their function and to save time in the financial close process. Marise understands the strategic importance of the finance function to business success. She works with clients on current challenges and issues in finance to create effective solutions and efficiencies.

Catherine Dunn CPA
As Head of Corporate Technology at leading real estate investment trust GPT, Catherine is the Corporate and Customer technologies business partner responsible for the operation and development of business applications including Anaplan, SAP, Oracle Hyperion and Salesforce. Leading a range of finance functions in the property industry over 15 years, including as Director, Real Estate Accounting Services (Pacific region) at CBRE, Catherine transitioned to her technology role in line with her passion for continuously bettering business outcomes.

Dr Laura Rusu
Laura is a standardisation expert and founder of LENSELL®, a digital platform for corporate performance democratisation that makes finding and accessing corporate financial and sustainability data easy for consumers. A lecturer and author with over 20 years’ experience in industry, academia and research, Laura’s passion is using technology to solve pressing problems. Her expertise in devising business intelligence systems that support decision making has earned Laura two patent awards from IBM for innovation in digital technologies, data analytics and AI.

Dr Suresh Sood
Suresh is a leading Australian big data and machine learning expert. An Honours science graduate with an MBA and a PHD in social media analytics, his current interest is understanding human behaviour gleaned from mining unstructured data and real-time physiological inputs. He also advises Silicon Valley-based Priza Technologies on AI augmented documentation. Previously, with TIBCO Finance, Suresh was instrumental in systems implementation for Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore and Hong Kong, and innovative online services across Asia Pacific.

Daniel Johns
Daniel is a Chartered Manager through the Institute of Managers and Leaders. He is currently Head of Services at ASI Solutions and vice-chair of CompTIA ANZ, a not-for-profit industry association. Recognised for staying ahead of emerging technologies and developments in cybersecurity, Daniel combines a business-oriented approach with over two decades of IT experience. His current focus includes leading, planning and managing change while leveraging technology to support the company’s strategy, mission and vision.

Adem Turgut
Adem is currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at SolveXia, an Australian software company specialising in process automation for the finance and accounting industries. Having started his career in tax technology, he has spent the last decade helping companies like NAB, Westpac, Macquarie, TAL and others to enhance their productivity by automating their reporting and analytics. Adem is an experienced B2B technologist with a passion for process efficiency and improvement.

Ben Jiang CA CISA
Ben Jiang leads the Data, Analytics, and Systems Assurance team in the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO). A Chartered Accountant and a Certified Information Systems Auditor qualified in Accounting and IT, Ben’s career began in public sector auditing and includes initiating and leading the Queensland Audit Office’s (QAO) data analytics unit, working in the Australian National Audit Office, and implementing processes for streamlining reconciled data collection across 110 audit clients using 20 different accounting and HR systems.

Tim Bryden CA, MBA
An accountant who codes, builds data warehouses, and help businesses transform business decision making. Tim started with PWC, worked in several senior Finance and General Management roles then transitioned to Business Intelligence consulting. He is now an Engagement Director with Calumo, a software and professional services business, started in Australia. In this role Tim leads the design, implementation and ongoing support of Planning, Analytics, and broader Business Intelligence Solutions. Some of his current clients include Zip Money, Allens Law, Mainbrace Constructions, Geocon, SmartGroup, Acumentis, Medacs Global and Xref.

Sek-Mun Wong
Sek-Mun Wong is a Chief Technology Officer at Hey You. He is also the Founder of Connecting Space and Tech Founder of Locate Load/Eclectic Webware Solutions. He was formerly a Development Manager at Alive Mobile Group and CTO at Pay&GO. Sek-Mun graduated from the University of NSW with a bachelor of science in Information System.

Dave Moss
Dave Moss is the Head of Digital Finance at Qantas where he is responsible for driving process, technology and capability improvement across the Finance function that supports Qantas Airlines, Jetstar and Qantas Loyalty. Prior to joining Qantas Dave was a Partner at Deloitte in their Finance Transformation practice where he worked with CFOs and Finance teams across a range of industries. Dave is passionate about the potential for Finance to add value in business decision making, and for Finance professionals to thrive in a digital and data driven business environment.

Dr Lawrence Ang
Lawrence is a marketing expert who has worked on a diverse range of marketing projects, including advertising pretesting, campaign tracking, pricing, brand health assessment, market sizing, new product evaluation, and customer satisfaction. He has research interests in advertising effectiveness, media studies, customer relationship management, and consumer behaviour.
He has a first-class honours in psychology and holds a PhD from the Australian Graduate School of Management. He also teaches on executive MBA programs, and conducts in-house training for corporations.