Agenda

17:00

Coffee & Registration

17:30

Keynote Sessions and Introduction

Key "business issues" facing mid-market businesses.
Using CPM and Financial Management Systems To Improve Compliance and Governance In Mid-Market Companies
Analyst - Nigel Rayner
Gartner

The flurry of new regulations for compliance and corporate governance are often regarded as affecting only large enterprises. Yet mid-market companies will find themselves impacted in many areas. However, with limited IT budgets, mid-market companies will struggle to respond to these demands: £360,000 is the average cost to a business of compliance to IFRS alone!*

So how should mid-market companies prepare to address these challenges? Nigel will share his insights on how investments in financial management systems and newer areas like BI and Corporate Performance management can address compliance and governance challenges while at the same time helping in the quest for improved business performance and one version of the truth.

Case Study
Carl Hanford, Performance Analyst, BP Shipping

As BP Shipping, a transportation & logistics subsidiary of BP, planned for growth and efficiency gains major changes had to occur within the business. One key change was their move towards a centralised approach to Corporate Performance Management (CPM) which included a globally consolidated system replacing the manually intensive spreadsheet based tools in use to provide for greater transparency and more reliable management reporting. Carl shares their experience.

Systems Union Consultants Vantage Programme
Peter Arr Woodward, Global Channels Director, Systems Union

A vast array of technologies is brought to bear on this new regulatory environment. Peter discusses the business opportunity for consultants in conjunction with Systems Union. Single vendors who can provide complete Corporate Performance Management (CPM) solutions at a comparative low total cost of ownership, integrated to financial management and reporting tools and which provide for IFRS, SOX, Basel II and multiple GAAP are few and far between.

Systems Union is one such vendor headquartered in the UK with 50,000 customer sites. 24,000 are UK mid-market businesses, many of them subsidiaries of European and American groups to whom IFRS and SOX is a real issue they have to invest in and need guidance on.

Questions and answers
with our expert panel

19:30

Close and Networking Drinks Reception
A FREE reception of drinks & canapés will be held for all delegates to allow for further discussion on the findings of the evening.

21:00

Formal Close