Speakers

For more than thirty years, John presented and reported the TV news on the BBC.

He now helps businesses by revealing in eye-watering detail how journalists communicate complicated things to their audiences so quickly and clearly — so that businesses can communicate better with their clients, leads and stakeholders.

One of his very first clients was CIMA, hosting an event about GDPR in 2017 … and topics don’t come much more complicated than that!

His clients now include EasyJet, American Express, Gatwick Airport, the NHS, the DIT and various local authorities.

Outside of work, John volunteers as a driver at a local foodbank at his home in Brighton, and helps young people with employability skills in local schools.

He’s delighted to be invited back this year, hosting his sixth CIMA event — which he hopes will leave you 'engaged', informed, and amused, about the issues that keep us all busy at work.

Sessions:

Host, Welcome and introduction

Date: 14-Jun & 15-Jun

Time: 9:30

Level: N/A

Bronwen took up this post in August 2022, having previously been a Director at the Institute for Government (2016-2022) - an independent think tank based in London promoting better government.

From 2010 to 2016 she was Editor and Chief Executive of Prospect - the monthly current affairs magazine. Before that, she served as Chief Foreign Commentator, Foreign Editor, and US Editor, at The Times, after a period at the Financial Times where she ran award-winning investigations and wrote economics editorials.

Before becoming a journalist, Bronwen was an investment analyst in the City and a Director of Kleinwort Benson Securities, where she ran its highly-rated team analysing world media stocks.

Bronwen is a Visiting Professor in the Policy Institute at King’s College London, Honorary Governor of Ditchley, an honorary Fellow of the British Academy, and a Council Member of Research England - one of the research councils of UK Research & Innovation. She writes frequent op-ed columns for the Financial Times and broadcasts widely.

Bronwen has a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from St John’s College, Oxford.

Sessions:

Keynote - title to be announced.

Date: 14-Jun

Time: 9:45

Level: All

Synopsis:

Bronwen will be sharing her insights into the UK political and economic outlook.

During her talk she will be exploring:

• The UK’s instability and the contributing factors.
• Implications of the next UK general election.
• Tax and public services.
• Foreign policy.
• The monarchy and the church.
• The UK’s capacity for change.

Michelle is a qualified finance professional with over 15 years industry experience, including Barclays, and professional training at Deloitte. Michelle harnesses the power of data and analytics to provide commercial support in decision making, and is passionate about driving business value and profitability. She volunteers as a speaker and mentor to The Techy Accountant in Nigeria to ensure those finance professionals are future-fit.

Sessions:

Data analytics - decoding the numbers

Date: 14-Jun

Time: 11:20

Level: Rising Stars

Synopsis:

Michelle’s lively and interactive session will help you to explore what data analytics means. Bringing plenty of real-world examples from her own experiences, Michelle will share tools, techniques and skills to keep you relevant in the workplace, while adding greater value by supporting decision making more effectively - something robots can’t yet do!

Learning outcomes:

• Why data analytics for finance – the business case.
• How to use data analytics in the day-job to add value.
• What that means for you and your organisation.

Jeremy is an accounting iconoclast with deep experience of how sustainability catalyses systems change. In his current role, he supports the accountancy profession through AICPA & CIMA’s members, students and engaged professionals, in 196 countries and territories, to embed sustainability into their organisations, then measure and communicate the value this is creating for their investors and other stakeholders.

Prior to joining the Association, Jeremy worked for the Value Reporting Foundation (since consolidated into the IFRS Foundation) and the International Integrated Reporting Council, working with a wide variety of stakeholders and organisations to support the scaling and global adoption of sustainability accounting, integrated reporting and integrated thinking. Jeremy has also worked for EY, Accounting for Sustainability (founded by HM King Charles III), Accenture, and Unilever, advising organisations across a wide range of sectors on how to integrate sustainability into their business model, operations and value chain, then measure and communicate the multi-capital value which this creates.

Jeremy holds a D.Phil. on the history of the East India Company, and graduated with First Class honours in Modern History from Oxford University. He was honoured to be named by Accounting Today, in November 2022, as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting.

Sessions:

Sustainability and the accountancy profession – the next great epoch?

Date: 14-Jun

Time: 11:20

Level: Change Makers

Synopsis:

Sustainability underpins long-term value creation for an enterprise, its investors, and other significant stakeholders. In this session, Jeremy will discuss how sustainability is shaping the future of the accountancy profession, giving an overview of:

• International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), the first two exposure drafts S1 and S2, and the creation of a ‘global baseline’ for sustainability-related financial disclosures.
• EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRSs).
• Evolution of the UK’s Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDRs).
• How integrated reporting connects financial and sustainability-related financial disclosures.
• The role of accountants in audit, business, and industry, in accounting for the sustainability performance of an enterprise.
• How external reporting requirements will drive behavioural change within enterprises and herald integrated thinking.
• IFRS Foundation’s Integrated Thinking Principles.
• New opportunities this creates for sustainability accountants.
• How the accountancy profession has proved itself so adept at change over the centuries.

Learning outcomes:

• An understanding of these significant developments in the corporate reporting environment.
• Clarity on the structure of the Integrated Thinking Principles, and practical tools for embedding integrated thinking into an enterprise.
• Greater awareness of the new career opportunities for accountants able to bridge accountancy and sustainability.

Stephen is a Certified Fraud Examiner and expert trainer with over 20 years’ experience providing services to the private and public sector in fraud (cyber) risk management, data security/protection, also internet investigations and open-source intelligence.

He is a honorary member on the steering committee of the London Fraud Forum, and sits on the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) UK Chapter committee. Stephen is the co-director of Fraud Training Ltd an ACFE ‘Authorised Training Organisation’, and the exclusive provider of the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) Exam Review Course for the United Kingdom.

Stephen has trained UK and European police forces including the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorist Group (SO15), Lithuania’s Cyber Crime Unit, Home Office, private-sector fraud units, not-for-profit organisations, and major world banks.

He has spoken at conferences in the UK, Europe, UAE, and SE Asia aimed at both corporate and regulatory sectors, including running a special cyber security and OSINT course in Abu Dhabi for ADAA (Abu Dhabi Accountability Authority). Stephen has toured Australia and New Zealand training clients from the DFK Australia New Zealand (DFKANZ) network, which is the regional arm for DFK International.

Sessions:

Cybersecurity - protecting your organisation

Date: 14-Jun

Time: 11:20

Level: Pioneers

Synopsis:

The rapid pace of technological change and globalisation have profoundly transformed the scale and way we work today. Individuals and organisations in the UK reported losses of £3.9bn to fraud and cybercrime in 2022, with reported instances of cybercrime activity – including ransomware attacks, increasing by 17% last year.

Cybersecurity experts predicted that in 2022, there would be a cyberattack incident every 11 seconds – double the amount from the previous year, and mainly coming in the form of ransomware, with predictions for 2023 to follow this trend. As the ongoing pandemic has seen more of us working from home than ever before, the setting is ripe for exploitation. The humble home router has become the surface attack, and the ‘work at home’ employee the target of choice.

Today, criminals will target any business – regardless of size, by exploiting weaknesses both internal and external. Understanding the weaknesses in your organisation is the best way to protect your business against fraud and cyber risk, allowing you the opportunity to implement effective control mechanisms before it’s too late.

During this session, Stephen will consider the cybersecurity risks in business, and review the practical steps that can be taken to reduce the risks at the earliest possible stage.

Learning outcomes:

• Phishing attacks – why they are still so successful.
• Malware including ransomware.
• Exploited and vulnerable passwords.
• Social media exploitation – giving away too much information.
• Looking at new threats including AI, and hybrid working.
• Creating a secure culture – IT governance and controls.

Stephen has 43 years’ experience in finance operations, advisory, and management, with his last 30 years at InfoCat - a specialist corporate performance consultancy that helps customers improve their budgeting, forecasting, and reporting needs.

Sessions:

Practical finance strategies to manage volatility and uncertainty

Date: 15-Jun

Time: 09:45

Level: Partners

Synopsis:

The pace of change, along with its high level of unpredictability, is plaguing finance teams.

In this session, Stephen will outline practical strategies for your teams, your technology, and your organisation to implement, to assist your reactions.

Learning outcomes:

• Teaming strategies.
• Technology to apply to assist.
• Organisational areas on which to focus.

Steven is a technologist with over 16 years’ experience in financial technologies, including FP&A, consolidations, financial close, and analytics.

He is currently leading Vena’s UKI business - a FP&A application designed for finance users and tightly integrated with Excel to provide a cost-effective solution to your needs.

Sessions:

Practical finance strategies to manage volatility and uncertainty

Date: 15-Jun

Time: 09:45

Level: Partners

Synopsis:

The pace of change, along with its high level of unpredictability, is plaguing finance teams.

In this session, Steven will outline practical strategies for your teams, your technology, and your organisation to implement, to assist your reactions.

Learning outcomes:

• Teaming strategies.
• Technology to apply to assist.
• Organisational areas on which to focus.

Nick is a widely experienced director who is committed to helping organisations, their leaders, and their teams, deliver sustainable performance improvement, through the integration of strategy, process, organisation, culture, and leadership.

Following a 40 year career in aerospace, embracing senior leadership roles, and a decade in consultancy, Nick heads up the steering group leading the development of CIMA UK’s Mentoring Programme. He brings a wealth of experience to the scheme having mentored individuals from early career to C-suite across a wide range of sectors and disciplines. He developed his mentoring skills through in-house programmes, the Arbinger Institute, and Warwick Business School.

Sessions:

How to make the most of your mentoring relationship

Date: 14-Jun

Time: 11:20

Level: Mentoring

Synopsis:

Effective mentoring can significantly improve your career prospects. Whether you are a mentor or a mentee, using your mentoring relationships effectively will significantly enhance the benefits you gain from your personal development plan.

In this session, Nick will help you to use mentoring as part of your personal development plan, outlining the role mentoring plays, demonstrating how to build an effective relationship, which will deliver lasting long-term results.

Learning outcomes:

• How mentoring can aid your development.
• How to build mentoring into your personal development plan.
• How to access the CIMA UK Mentoring Programme.

Ann has enjoyed a long and varied career holding senior level roles in finance, programme management, and workforce development, and now a career development coach and trainer for Finance Training Academy.

Ann is also the founder, chair, and award winner, of various personal development networks for finance and other professional groups.

Sessions:

Bridging the gap - putting into practice, skills you learnt from your qualification

Date: 14-Jun

Time: 13:30

Level: Rising Stars

Synopsis:

Bringing plenty of real-world experience and examples, Ann will help you learn how to bridge the gap between being a newly qualified accountant - congratulations!, and being a value-adding finance professional. Her session will include, being a corporate team player, the importance of customer value, building your support network and, very importantly, aligning your continuing professional development with real world dynamics.

Mark qualified with KPMG in the 90s, and worked in the transport industry as a group financial controller and CFO for 10 years. For the past 30 years he has worked in various consulting roles, building an expertise in the technologies that can be used in and around the finance team. Mark has an in-depth knowledge of the solutions market, and continues to help software vendors develop and sell their products, as well as helping organisations improve their performance through digital transformation.

Sessions:

Future-proofing the finance function in an age of digital transformation

Date: 14-Jun

Time: 13:30

Level: Change Makers

Synopsis:

Mark will take a detailed look at the software market for the finance team, helping you to understand the different solutions that can digitally transform and future-proof your organisation.

He will discuss how technology can play a pivotal role in improving the performance of your finance team. From the different genres of software to trends in the market, he will lead you through solutions that help improve productivity, increase visibility and control over processes, and increase the capabilities of the finance team.

Mark will share with you how to differentiate between solutions, and touch on the much discussed best-of-breed versus single platform debate.

Learning outcomes:

• Productivity boosting ideas from the simplest techniques to the fanciest new apps.
• Identify specific changes and tactics to improve personal productivity and wellbeing.
• Reflection, inspiration, and motivation for your team.

Hayley helps people who have too much work and not enough time.

Hayley is an experienced Productivity Ninja, who discovered the world of productivity while working as a stressed-out CEO. She has learnt to implement tools and techniques that will work for anyone whose role gives them some level of autonomy over deciding what they can do next; she has trained thousands of people to help them do the same.

Hayley is the Co-Author of 'How to Fix Meetings' - shortlistsed for the Business Book of the Year Awards 2022. She is especially interested in habits, and how different people can create habits and motivate others to do so too.

Sessions:

Maximising productivity within your organisation

Date: 14-Jun

Time: 13:30

Level: Pioneers

Synopsis:

Overwhelmed?

Struggling with constant distractions, information overload, a rapidly changing business environment?

Struggling to juggle productivity and wellbeing?

We’re here to help.

Join this session to learn of the nine characteristics of the Productivity Ninja® - an approach which turns traditional time management on its head. Time is not your most precious resource - it's your attention.

A Productivity Ninja® is calm and prepared, but also skilled and ruthless in how they deal with the many enemies of productivity and wellbeing.

Hayley will help you to identify specific ways to implement the characteristics for yourself and your organisation, which will help you to manage attention and focus, projects and actions, as well as choices and habits.

Learning outcomes:

• Understanding how technology can improve performance.
• Understanding of the software market for the finance team.
• How to differentiate between solutions.

Gary has a diverse background of experience, having previously held roles including senior executive at Johnson and Johnson Ltd, and leading finance, strategic marketing, business strategy and insights, also IT, over a 16 year period in EMEA.

During this period, Gary helped achieve geographical growth by developing and leveraging capabilities across finance, business intelligence, and commercial functions. He introduced a worldwide mentoring scheme to help build a highly skilled future workforce, followed his passion, and is now a full-time coach and mentor.

Gary delivers coaching sessions to help senior leaders develop capabilities within their organisation. He also mentors individuals to help them advance their careers, and give a wider contribution in their work environments. He worked on the UK Government's 'Help to Grow' scheme, as a SME Business Mentor.

Gary is an award-winning mentor who currently supports Leeds University and the AICPA & CIMA. Also, he is a Trustee at Ethos Academy where he supports the executive team to deliver life-changing learning and education to SEMH pupils.

Sessions:

Reverse mentoring - a dual growth programme

Date: 14-Jun

Time: 13:30

Level: Mentoring

Synopsis:

Business leaders have the challenge and opportunity of managing a multigenerational workforce. Gary will demonstrate how you can harness the skills, diversity of thinking, social awareness, also generational experiences, to help the leadership teams develop the organisation both internally and externally.

Gary will show you how you can connect the employees to the leadership teams through a reverse mentoring program. Implemented correctly, with the right leadership commitment, this can bring multiple and tangible benefits. He will go quickly from the concept stage, moving you through the practicalities of choosing the right candidates, setting the ground rules, and ensuring the sessions are objective based, open, and bring new learnings to the senior team. He will explain how you can promote this through the organisation to ensure you attract a good blend of diversity. The biggest challenge can be the senior leaders feeling uncomfortable about the process of being mentored by junior members of staff. Gary will explain from experience how this quickly disappears and the conversations become enlightening with the mentor building a new level of trust with the senior leadership team.

Learning outcomes:

• The power that exists in a multigenerational workforce, and the capabilities you can build from it.
• How you can develop, implement, and benefit from, a reverse mentoring programme.
• The impact that reverse mentoring will have on individuals, and the culture of the organisation.

Barry joined the AICPA as CEO in 1995, and is the longest serving CEO in the organisation’s 133-year history.

He has directed numerous initiatives to benefit the profession, including audit quality centres, private company reporting standards, and the computerised CPA exam. Additionally, Barry serves as Chairman of the Board of CPA.com - a for-profit subsidiary of the AICPA which was his brainchild in 1998. He also spearheaded the formation of a nearly $100 million consortium to reinvent the traditional audit, called Dynamic Audit Solution (DAS).

Under his leadership in 2011, the AICPA and CIMA jointly created the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation. Then, in 2016, Barry led a process for members of the AICPA and CIMA to combine and form the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. Under his tenure, the Association has become the largest membership body of professional accountants in the world.

Barry has spent his professional life as an advocate for the profession, extending its reach globally and building relationships with governments around the world.

He is Chairman of eXtensible Business Reporting Language-US, Board Chairman of the Global Accounting Alliance, and a Board Member of the Center for Audit Quality. He serves on the Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness, and is a member of the delegation to the International Federation of Accountants. Barry is the former Chair of the Board of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), prior to its merger with SASB to form the Value Reporting Foundation (VRF). Inside the VRF, he chaired the Strategy Committee and co-chaired a Deal Team to merge VRF into the IFRS Foundation which formed the basis for the formation of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).

Sessions:

Panel discussion: The impact of AI on finance

Date: 14-Jun

Time: 15:00

Level: All

Synopsis:

Join our expert panellists – Barry Melancon, Cecelia Fadipe, Vic Arulchandran, and Lucy Etherington, for a discussion on the impact of AI on the future of finance.

Cecelia is a qualified accountant of 25+ years, and is a cost consultant. Her consultancy specialises in delivering cost assurance and audits on infrastructure projects in the rail, water, technology, defence, and renewable energy sectors, also in providing sustainable strategy advisory to innovative businesses.

Her experience is in leading cost assurance and audits on major projects such as HS2, Hinkley Point C, and Crossrail, and delivering protocols and training on cost assurance and ESG finance. She has delivered training on commercial and financial controls to 300+ professionals.

Cecelia chairs the multi-disciplinary cost assurance steering group - an ESG governance initiative that comprises global experts from diverse professions and backgrounds, driving change and transformation industry-wide on infrastructure and construction projects.

Cecelia’s vision is to lead a top global consultancy, and her aim as a CIMA member in practice (MiP) is to support leaders with cost assurance and strategy. She is a CIMA Fellow, an ambassador in AICPA & CIMA's Women in Leadership forum, and an advisor on AICPA & CIMA's R&D and sustainability advisory panel.

Sessions:

Panel discussion: The impact of AI on finance

Date: 14-Jun

Time: 15:00

Level: All

Synopsis:

Join our expert panellists – Barry Melancon, Cecelia Fadipe, Vic Arulchandran, and Lucy Etherington, for a discussion on the impact of AI on the future of finance.

Lucy is a qualified chartered accountant with experience across a number of financial control and finance transformation roles and has experience working at multi-national FTSE 100 companies.

Her areas of expertise are financial control, record to report process ownership, process improvement, system implementations, and overall improvement of the effectiveness of a finance function.

Sessions:

Panel discussion: The impact of AI on finance

Date: 14-Jun

Time: 15:00

Level: All

Synopsis:

Join our expert panellists — Barry Melancon, Cecelia Fadipe, Vic Arulchandran, and Lucy Etherington, for a discussion on the impact of AI on the future of finance.

Vic is a former mathematician, and current entrepreneur, with over 10 years of experience in investment banking and technology. His previous start-up - Nivaura, was the first to issue compliant tokenised and cryptocurrency denominated securities, setting the precedent for the legal and operational structure for tokenised assets globally. Nivaura gained investment from tier one institutions including LSEG, A&O, Linklaters, L&W, Santander, and more, and was acquired in 2023.

Vic is currently working on strategic projects across banking and healthcare. In banking his company Arrowhead Technology, provides strategic consulting with niche subject matter expertise of DLT, machine learning, and market operations. In healthcare, Vic cofounded Anubix with two leaders in radiology, providing the UK’s leading post-mortem imaging expertise to NHS trusts and coroners, and forensic services to police forces and courts.

Finally, Vic is studying for the Chartered Tax Advisor qualification to provide tax advice to ultra-high-net-worth clients.

Sessions:

Panel discussion: The impact of AI on finance

Date: 14-Jun

Time: 15:00

Level: All

Transforming banking - unveiling the power of fintech, and blockchain, and dispelling the myths

Date: 15-Jun

Time: 11:10

Level: Pioneers

Synopsis – 14 June:

Join our expert panellists — Barry Melancon, Cecelia Fadipe, Vic Arulchandran, and Lucy Etherington, for a discussion on the impact of AI on the future of finance.

Synopsis – 15 June:

Join this session to hear from Dr Vic Arulchandran - an entrepreneur with specialisms in investment banking and technology, as he discusses the latest developments in capital markets distributed ledger technologies (DLT) exploration, including what banks and market infrastructure are hoping to achieve, and dispelling myths in the use of the technology. Vic will also share lessons learned from the acquisition of his blockchain company.

Learning outcomes:

• Latest developments in the DLT landscape in capital markets.
• Overview of tax considerations when dealing with crypto assets.
• Pros and cons of using DLT.

Vithya Visvendra is an International Hair and Makeup Artist with nearly 15 years’ experience in the Bridal Industry.

An honours graduate in biology and psychology, she changed her career path and qualified from the prestigious London College of Fashion, worked for MAC Cosmetics, and has been featured in UK’s top Asian Bridal Magazine KHUSH, India’s Magazines Manamagal, Verve Magazine, WE Magazine, Deccan Chronicle, and Daily Mail Sri Lanka.

In the last few years Vithya has taught over 20 masterclasses all over the world; from Sydney, Australia to Montreal, Canada, and taught at Bobbi Brown, and Nars Cosmetics in their flagship stores in London.

She has amassed over 600K followers on social media, and not only well known as a YouTuber, influencer, and content creator, but uses her platform to advocate mental health and speak about taboo subjects within her community. Vithya was a keynote conference speaker for American Express Malaysia, and her articles on mental health have been featured in Huffington Post Canada, and the Sun Malaysia.

Vithya, who is of Tamil descent, was born in Sri Lanka, and took refuge in Europe with her family at a young age. She is currently based in London, UK.

Sessions:

Starting an online business, and building a brand

Date: 15-Jun

Time: 11:10

Level: Rising Stars

Synopsis:

From her own life experiences, of having started work as a make-up artist working in a wide range of mediums, through to having become an influencer and vlogger, Vithya will discuss how to start your own online business, build your brand, also how to grow that business.

Vithya will share with you all the steps from registering your business, through to taxes, insurance, and contracts. She will then share her experience of building a brand online using an example of creating content, editing, and posting, on YouTube.

Learning outcomes:

• How to start a business.
• How to create an online brand.
• How to grow your online presence.

At the University of Salford, Andy is also the Institutional Lead for the Metaverse Special Interest Group. His research focuses on examining the ethical, social, and cultural impacts of new technologies.

His career has spanned the areas of science, technology, art, media, and culture. Author of 10 books, and over 150 academic articles, Andy is a frequent media commentator, having written for Vogue, BBC, Wired, and many other outlets. Recent publications focus on the ethical deployment of XR, AI, drones, and esports, with contributions to the UN ITU agency on the AI for Good programme.

Andy is currently Commission Member for the Global Esports Federation, and sits on its Metaverse Council, along with holding Board Memberships of British Esports, also the Science and Industry Museum.

Sessions:

Preparing for the metaverse

Date: 15-Jun

Time: 11:10

Level: Change Makers

Synopsis:

The metaverse is the frontier of digital experience, but what does it feel like to step inside? More importantly, what will it change for how people interact with each other, and with the companies that provide services and goods in digital worlds?

During this session, Andy will give insight into key metaverse experiences, how they are forging new experience communities, and what this means for how people’s behaviour in digital space is changing.

Learning outcomes:

• Understanding what the metaverse looks like, and feels like, to be inside .
• Learning how various industries are harnessing the metaverse to create new client journeys.
• Understanding the convergence of technologies that are making the metaverse possible, and how this sits in a wider innovation portfolio.

Oliver is a renowned personal impact coach with over a decade of experience in the field. With a deep passion for helping individuals achieve their full potential, he has built a reputation for delivering results-driven coaching that empower his clients to excel in their personal and professional lives.

Sessions:

Smashing through mentoring roadblocks - the ultimate guide to breakthrough success!

Date: 15-Jun

Time: 11:10

Level: Mentoring

Synopsis:

Oliver will be providing practical strategies to overcome the challenges that mentors and mentees face when engaging in a mentoring relationship.

He will discuss the different types of mentoring relationships and provide insights into the benefits of each type.

Many leaders face challenges in their relationships. Oliver will highlight the barriers that can prevent mentoring relationships from being established, effective, and successful. These include, a lack of trust, communication issues, hybrid working, cultural differences, and conflicting expectations. He will provide practical strategies to overcome these barriers, such as setting clear goals and expectations, establishing effective communication channels, and building trust through transparency and vulnerability. Diversity and inclusion in mentoring relationships are also discussed, and strategies are provided to create a more inclusive mentoring environment.

Oliver will conclude by emphasising the benefits of effective mentoring relationships, including personal and professional growth, increased confidence, and improved job satisfaction, and he'll encourage you to establish meaningful mentoring relationships to help you achieve your goals.

Learning outcomes:

• Increased awareness and understanding of the common barriers that mentors and mentees face when engaging in a mentoring relationship.
• Practical strategies and tools to overcome these barriers and establish more effective and meaningful mentoring relationships.
• Enhanced personal and professional growth for both mentors and mentees, leading to improved job satisfaction and increased confidence in their respective roles.

Duke has extensive financial services experience in a wide range of areas.

He was appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Executive Director from 16 September 2019.

Before joining Santander UK, he worked for Santander US in Boston, as CFO of Santander Holdings (April 2016 – July 2019), and President and CEO of Santander Bank, N.A. (September 2017 – July 2019) .

Prior to joining Santander, Duke was with BNP Paribas for six years, where he served as CFO for BNP Paribas USA Holdings, BancWest and Bank of the West in San Francisco.

Prior to joining BNP Paribas, Duke helped lead a private equity start-up for JP Morgan Chase & Co., Brysam Global Partners, focused on building an international consumer banking franchise.

Prior to this, Duke spent eight years with Citi, in a variety of business and finance roles in New York, California, South Korea, and Brussels.

Duke earned a B.A. with Honours in Accounting and Finance, from Nottingham Trent University, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

He served as a member of the Executive Committee on the Board of Trustees for the Institute of International Banking in New York, and as a Board Member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh.

Duke currently sits on the Board of Governors at Nottingham Trent University, also on the Industry Advisory Board of SP Jain School of Global Management.

Sessions:

A note to my younger self – a CFO’s story.

Date: 15-Jun

Time: 13:30

Level: Rising StarsAll

Synopsis:

The journey to the top isn’t an easy feat and there are plenty of lessons learnt along the way.

Join this session to hear from our panel of three of our senior members - Sarah Ghosh, Craig Stoddart, and Duke Dayal, who will share their advice with you on creating a successful career.

Craig’s responsibilities are as a consultant and to give non-executive support to fast growth sustainable businesses across a range of industries, that need support with strategy development, funding / investment planning, leadership performance and deal management.

Prior to this Craig joined The Wave, Bristol as a non-executive director in 2016, and was then appointed CEO – a role he held for five years, before moving on in January 2023. During his time here, he raised £25m, managed construction of this ground-breaking civil construction project, built

a team of 150 Wavemakers, c.400,000 social media followers, achieved 300,000 visitors and £2.5m profit in the first full year (excluding COVID-19), survived the lockdown, and reopened.

Craig started working life working for a FTSE 250 holiday business and a global investment bank. He trained with Owners Abroad Holidays (became First Choice Holidays). He worked for Morgan Stanley as an equity analyst – disliking the culture but enjoyed the intellectual challenge.

He honed his entrepreneurial skills by buying his first company at the age of 26 - a ceramic tile

manufacturing business which failed, but he learned a lot. Craig then went onto set up a multi-channel retail business from scratch – Aspace – selling children’s furniture, which he exited in 2009 having grown the company to £15m turnover with 85 employees.

Craig has since worked with a wide range of funders and businesses both in the UK and internationally to raise money, build value, manage challenging turnarounds, and optimise performance. He spent seven years as a business consultant and interim specialising in strategy development, board facilitation, change management, and restructuring including financial restructuring SPTS, £200m global semiconductor business, and turning around global security business, Drum Cussac, including two private equity sales.

Sessions:

Panel discussion: A note to my younger self – a CFO’s story

Date: 15-Jun

Time: 13:30

Level: Rising StarsAll

Synopsis:

The journey to the top isn’t an easy feat and there are plenty of lessons learnt along the way.

Join this session to hear from our panel of three of our senior members - Sarah Ghosh, Craig Stoddart, and Duke Dayal, who will share their advice with you on creating a successful career.

In Sarah’s current role, she leads finance teams, supporting the UK Government Finance Function Strategy, with a focus on sustainability and technology to drive value for money decisions. Also, Sarah is Co-founder and Director of Onyx AI, providing finance strategy and commercialisation support for businesses across fintech and health-tech, working with organisations ranging from £7m to in excess of £1bn turnover.

With an academic background in computer science and economics, Sarah is a proven finance leader with expertise in digital transformation, digital solutions, data analytics, and machine learning capabilities. She has gained experience in multinational organisations, SMEs and start-ups including,

Electronic Data Systems (EDS), and PwC, prior to setting up her own consultancy Onyx AI.

Sarah qualified as an ACMA while working at EDS, and was awarded Fellowship in 2013, since which time she has been actively involved as an ambassador and advocate for CIMA, with an emphasis on member engagement and events planning. She has served as a CIMA UK Board Member, CIMA Central Southern Area Chair, and UK Network Panel Member, and Chair.

In 2017, Sarah joined CIMA Council, and a year later became a member of the Association Board, and of the Management Accounting Board. She was also a member of the Association Audit & Finance Committee, and of the CIMA Membership Committee. Sarah works to raise the profile of women in global leadership, and provides support through mentoring, with a particular commitment to opening up opportunities in India.

Sessions:

Panel discussion:

A note to my younger self – a CFO’s story

Date: 15-Jun

Time: 13:30

Level: Rising StarsAll

Synopsis:

The journey to the top isn’t an easy feat and there are plenty of lessons learnt along the way.

Join this session to hear from our panel of three of our senior members - Sarah Ghosh, Craig Stoddart, and Duke Dayal, who will share their advice with you on creating a successful career.

Peter is an inspirational speaker and business psychologist, with three decades of experience in developing business leaders and teams, helping them to have less stress, more joy, and greater productivity at work.

Originally an IT professional, Peter retrained in psychology, and joined the management team of a leading Australian HR consulting firm. After moving to the UK in 2000, he became a director of Europe's largest executive coaching firm, before establishing his own business in 2005.

Peter has worked with leaders at all levels across a wide range of industries. His clients have ranged from professional services firms, SMEs, and family businesses to larger corporates including Australia Post, AXA, BP, Credit Suisse, Howard Tenens, Kerry Foods, National Express, NATS, Novartis, Oxford University, Origin Energy, Rolls-Royce, Rydges Hotels, Vodafone, and WHSmith.

Sessions:

The power of mindset in handling change and challenge

Date: 15-Jun

Time: 13:30

Level: Change Makers

Synopsis:

When we need to bring change, or respond to it, understanding human psychology is essential. Change is the stuff of life. How we deal with it is primarily determined by the quality of our mindset. How we help others along the way is determined by the quality of our actions. We can learn to consciously choose both.

Peter has structured this session as an engaging mix of presentation, self-reflection, and interaction. As a participant, you will:

• Be reminded of our innate capacity to handle change and learn how to deploy it more consciously in yourself and others.
• Recognise the power of appropriate social support, and timely information.
• Fully appreciate why stress isn’t all bad.
• Gain deeper insight into the stages of change, and how we move through them.
• Be reminded of the power of stillness in the midst of chaos.

Sylvia is an engagement and collaboration specialist, personal impact thought-leader, a TEDx professional speaker and presentation skills expert, an executive coach/mentor, and author, who empowers greater significance in leaders, teams and individuals.

Throughout her varied career from theatre sister in open heart surgery, sales and team building in the pharmaceutical-, finance-, and L&D-industries, also training / mentoring / coaching business leaders and teams, Sylvia’s mission has been to empower others to rediscover their true value, and to live a life of purpose, fulfilment, and impact.

During the pandemic, Sylvia launched the ‘Becoming More Significant’ programme for groups and individuals which has been transformational for all participants. It is now accredited by the CPD Standards Office and gives 16 hours of CPD to delegates.

Sylvia has extensive experience working with business leaders, CEO groups, senior managers, senior women, entrepreneurs, SMEs, CIMA, AAT, and NHS supply teams.

Sylvia is a member of the Professional Speaking Association and regularly teaches groups and individuals to present with more power, presence, and passion.

Sessions:

Fostering openness within your organisation

Date: 15-Jun

Time: 13:30

Level: Pioneers

Synopsis:

Openness means sharing information openly, honestly, and without bias so employees know what's going on, and crucially, feel valued and heard.

Sylvia will demonstrate how to:

• Create a culture of openness, collaboration, and creativity, where everyone has a voice and feels empowered to embrace innovation and change.
• Communicate with openness and impact so that employees feel part of a shared vision and purpose, thereby reducing constraint, enabling a sense of possibility and flexibility to flourish.
• Harness the unique talents of your team to create a culture of collaboration, creativity, and change.
• Run meetings in a highly effective way to save time, money, and resources, increasing participation, innovation, and action.

Learning outcomes are how to:

• Create an environment of, appreciation, collaboration, and engagement.
• Harness the untapped potential in your people.
• Encourage, and celebrate innovation, feedback, and change.

Sarah has worked in higher education for over 25 years and is currently working at WBS supporting faculty to deliver teaching excellence.

She is also a trained executive coach and has a background in performing arts.

Believing that comfort zones are something to be moved through and beyond, Sarah takes a delight in never knowing what a day might offer, with the intention of taking any gift by the horns!

Sessions:

Real-life mentoring scenarios - a live demonstration

Date: 15-Jun

Time: 13:30

Level: Mentoring

Synopsis:

Sarah and Piers will deliver an interactive roleplay of a face-to-face mentoring meeting, designed to provoke a conversation about the roles of both participants.

Following the roleplay, an open discussion will enable you to engage with the issues demonstrated, provoke you to reflect, and to develop your insight and skills as mentors and mentees.

Learning outcomes:

• Understand the practical aspects of mentoring.
• Grasp the importance of commitment, communication, and challenges, in a mentoring relationship.
• Improve skills, and understand how mentor and mentee can get the best out of meetings.

In 1990 Piers became an Assistant Director with the Royal Shakespeare Company working alongside some of the best directing talent in the British theatre. It was this experience, observing the techniques and approaches of directors, working to tight deadlines with dynamic creative groups that began his interest in the transfer of skills from the arts to business.

He set up his own training and development consultancy in 1998 and became a regular contributor to senior management programmes in the UK and around the world, introducing leaders and senior managers to concepts and techniques from the creative arts. John worked with the leading management consultancies and with CEO's and senior management teams from companies such as, adidas, WPP group, BP, Allen and Overy, Severstal, Mastercard, and many others.

He has been a regular contributor to courses at the London Business School and the Said Business School University of Oxford. In 2008 John published The Illusion of leadership - Directing Creativity in Business and the Arts.

John trained originally as a geologist and worked in the oil industry for a number of years before entering the theatre in 1980 where he had a successful career as a performer, working at the Royal National Theatre, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as making appearances in TV and film.

In terms of research, John is interested in human behaviour and what the performing arts can teach us about the moment-to-moment management of ourselves and others in the workplace. He has a particular interest in, leadership, creativity and the creative process, leading for innovation, and small group interactions, as well as the techniques and challenges of effective face-to face communication. John is particularly interested in the ways in which the humanities and the performing arts can be integrated into the business school curriculum.

Sessions:

Real-life mentoring scenarios - a live demonstration

Date: 15-Jun

Time: 13:30

Level: Mentoring

Synopsis:

Sarah and Piers will deliver an interactive roleplay of a face-to-face mentoring meeting, designed to provoke a conversation about the roles of both participants.

Following the roleplay, an open discussion will enable you to engage with the issues demonstrated, provoke you to reflect, and to develop your insight and skills as mentors and mentees.

Learning outcomes:

• Understand the practical aspects of mentoring.
• Grasp the importance of commitment, communication, and challenges, in a mentoring relationship.
• Improve skills, and understand how mentor and mentee can get the best out of meetings.

A Burnley businessman who set out to prove that banking can be easy, straightforward and honest, Dave Fishwick made the UK Government and industry giants sit up and take notice of The Bank of Dave. Going against convention, Dave generated a global interest in his mission to go back to banking basics.

When the banking crisis hit in 2008, Dave set out to make a change, convincing himself that he can do better. Dave thought that surely it isn’t difficult to give savers a decent interest rate and lend money out locally at a slightly higher rate.

Dave started his business empire from modest beginnings working on a building site. With a passion for cars, Dave convinced a dealer to let him sell on an ‘old banger’ and he made his first ever profit of £27. Dave spotted a gap in the market for fitted vans and buses, making them as desirable as cars sitting in a showroom. Ever since then Dave’s firm has become UK’s largest supplier and fitter of all things minibus.

Dave is a terrific finance speaker, with a mixture of his humour and knowledge.

Sessions:

Closing keynote: The Bank of Dave – a Burnley working-class man who became a self-made millionaire.

Date: 15-Jun

Time: 15:00

Level: All

Synopsis:

Join us to hear David's story of how a Burnley businessman, who set out to prove that banking can be easy, straightforward, and honest, made the UK Government and industry giants sit up and take notice of The Bank of Dave.

Going against convention, Dave generated a global interest in his mission to go back to banking basics.