Financial Intelligence: The Business and Finance Analysis

About

As you know, high quality financial intelligence is the lifeblood of your organisation. It assists in the development of organisational strategy, tactics, and improves decision making for CapEx and OpEx cost centres. All business cases need to be fed through financial modelling and analysis to prove their robustness and value to the business. However time and again we see businesses making the incorrect decisions and underperforming investments at critical times, in part due to analysis that has not been as rigourous as it has needed to be.

A brand new event for 2010, Financial Intelligence is the hottest event for Business and Financial Analysts, Corporate Finance Managers, Financial Controllers and Strategy and Planning Managers. We will cover all key elements of the process surrounding financial intelligence including:

•  Business case analysis
•  How financial intelligence affects organisational strategy and tactics
•  Financial model auditing
•  Data analysis and grooming
•  Performance reporting
•  Cashflow analysis and improvements
•  Implementation of a financial information system

We’ve assembled a line-up of some of the top organisations in the field, including:

Grant Thornton | BDO Spicers | Deloitte | Bank of New Zealand | Beca | New Zealand Institute of Economic Research  Bancorp Treasury Services | PricewaterhouseCoopers and much more!

For those who really want to take their learning to the next level, we have a full-day intensive post-conference workshop on the 25th of June on Decision modelling and business case analytics, facilitated by Jeff Jackson of Solution Matrix Pacific.

Workshop

Separately bookable post conference workshop 9.00am - 5.00pm, 25 June 2010

Decision modelling and business case analytics
Developing high quality scenario and business case analysis is key to making the right business decisions in the medium and long term. This interactive and practical full day workshop will enable you to roll your sleeves up as we explore the implementation of a robust and comprehensive business case management and analysis model. Planning and change management aspects to decision making will also be explored as we use a mix of hard and soft tools to ensure excellence in decision modelling.

Facilitated by
Jeff Jackson, Managing Director, Solution Matrix Pacific
Jeff is the Managing Director of Solution Matrix Pacific Ltd, and has experience in many industries including agri-business, food and textile manufacturing, information technology, biotechnology and human capital. He is a former Chief Executive of NZ Dairy Group, Fletcher Fishing, AFFCO and the NZ Wool Board and Director of Datacom, Mercury Energy, Ballance and Excell Corporation. He is a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management.

Agenda

Agenda: Day 1

8.30

Registration and coffee

9.00

Opening remarks from the Chair

James Boyle, Senior Planning Analyst – Finance
Bank of New Zealand

9.10

How financial intelligence assists in developing organisational strategy and tactics

Financial Intelligence plays a key role in executive decision making. By bringing together the disparate strands of business case analysis, financial modelling and forecasting, the correct mid- and long-term financial decisions can be made. This session discusses:
• What exactly is financial intelligence?
• The role financial intelligence has in developing strategy
• How much does the mindset need to change between strategic and tactical thinking?
• How financial intelligence works hand-in-glove with non-financial strategy indicators

Hamish Stevens, Director, Hamish Stevens Governance and Advisory & Former CFO

10.00

CASE STUDY: Delivering real business results through high quality financial intelligence (Case Study)

This case study will explore the recent roll out of the Business Intelligence system that helped BNZ win the project initiative award at the 2010 New Zealand CFO Summit. We will discuss:
• How high quality financial information helped drive the business forward
• Using high quality information to create metrics and benchmark KPIs
• Key success factors behind the rollout

Dave Thompson, Head of Business Intelligence
Bank of New Zealand

10.50

Morning tea

11.10

CASE STUDY: Beca’s grassroots review then implementation of a financial reporting system (Case Study)

This case study will tell the story of Beca’s implementation of a financial reporting system for its multinational group , how it was implemented across the organisation, and some of the interesting ways data can be manipulated to generate and then make available highly useful and consolidated financial information.
• Standardising process and reports across a complex multinational organisation
• Comparative strengths and weaknesses of different data manipulation and reporting methodologies
• Project outcomes and next steps

Mark Stinson, Group Accounting and Compliance Director, Beca

11.55

The essential economic update for business and financial intelligence

Use this session to get yourself up to the minute at the macro level in this essential economic update of the local and global economy, where we cover:
• The key economic indicators and outlook
• Interest rate and financing prospects
• Growth opportunities for the NZ corporate
• Exchange rate considerations and predictions

Shamubeel Eaqub, Chief Economist, New Zealand Institute of Economic Research

12.40

Lunch

1.30

Practical BI

Belinda Johnson, Director, Cortell Consulting NZ Ltd

2.20

Achieving high quality analysis with low quality data

The analysis you’re able to provide can be significantly impaired when you’re dealing with incomplete, disorganised or just plain incorrect data. Yet this is often the reality many analysts have to deal with. This session will give thoughts on best practice data grooming to improve the level of analysis you’re able to achieve.
• Identifying areas of improvement of data quality
• The consequences of poor quality data in analytics
• Thoughts on maintaining a high level of analysis even when the data doesn’t meet expectations

Jim Greetham, Senior Consultant, Deloitte

3.10

Afternoon tea

3.30

MINI WORKSHOP: Creating and auditing high quality financial audits (Mini Workshop)

Forecast models can be efficiently and effectively prepared using Excel; they can also turn out to be a nightmare. If the models aren’t accurate or don’t manipulate the data in the manner you wish, your models, analysis and forecasts will suffer. This interactive workshop will help you develop your forecast modeling skills both in terms of preparation and review:
• Setting up forecast financial models in Excel including: key assumptions and business drivers, scenario analysis, key output sheets and protection from other users
• Due diligence of forecast financial models including; Key assumption review, Common errors and tactics to identify, checking the model’s drivers to ensure alignment and sensitivity testing

Russell Moore, Associate, and David Shields
Grant Thornton

5.00

End of day one & networking drinks

Agenda: Day 2

9.00

Opening remarks from the Chair

James Boyle, Senior Planning Analyst – Finance
Bank of New Zealand

9.05

Examining the different organisational applications of analytics

Analytics can be employed in all areas of business including the release of a new product into the market, entry into a new market, or the cost-benefit analysis of consolidations, mergers and acquisitions.
• Modeling different scenarios
• Effective decision support tools
• Using financial analysis to develop price or market position in co-ordination with other organizational teams
• Upping the ante - Evaluating our analyses after the event: how close were we to our predictions, what did we learn and how can we improve in future?

Mark Loeffen, Director, Mark Loeffen and Associates

9.50

Effectively managing your cashflow and working capital through your organisation

Effective working capital management is key to organisational success and growth. Cash is the ammunition for your organisation to achieve its long term financial and strategic goals. But how you measure, manage and improve the flow of cash through your organisation so your cash works for you? Join Dean Sharrar as we discuss effective working capital management.
• Monitoring and measuring the way cash flows through your organisation
• Identifying and rectifying areas of cash blockage
• Managing current assets and short term financing for best effect

Dean Sharrar, Director, Bancorp Treasury Services

10.40

Morning tea

11.00

Business Rules! Developing a sound set of principles to streamline business process

A business analyst needs to take a whole-of-organisation approach to ensure that the right processes employed by the right people at the right time, and that the business is operating as smooth and streamlined as it possibly can. This session explores:
• Metrics to assess the financial impact of process changes and improvements
• The need to liaise with other organisational teams to weigh up the financial vs non-financial cost-benefits
• Where common cost centres develop through poor process development

Wayne Kedzlie, Sales and Development Manager, BDO Spicers

11.45

Does the business case really stack up?

One of the key ways in which the Business and Financial Analyst really adds value to their organisation is the evaluation of business cases. Sound decisions made here can have a massive flow-on effect to the financial health of business units and the organisation
as a whole. This session discusses the need-to-know business case
analysis skills that a BA or an FA needs to succeed.
• Analysing the key assumptions and underpinnings of business cases
• What the board wants to see in a winning business case
• Key measures to considers for project ROI

Jeff Jackson, Managing Director, Solution Matrix Pacific

12.30

Lunch

1.20

Developing a best of breed performance reporting and analysis framework

With constant organisational pressure to achieve better productivity and outcomes, resource optimisation and value for money, developing a clear and comprehensive performance reporting framework is of the highest priority. This session will discuss how you can develop and implement a best of breed performance reporting system in your organisation.
• Linking your performance measures to your value drivers and overall organisational strategy
• Taking non-financial performance indicators into consideration
• Ensuring your performance indicators are measurable and easily understood

Brian Yee, Director, MSH Consulting

2.05

Quantifying your unquantifiables: effectively controlling and managing your risk exposure

In a recovering market, the general appetite for risk has increased as businesses look for strong growth going forward. However risk still needs to be managed at both a project and an organisation-wide financing level. This session will focus on how financial risks can be measured and managed through:
• Assessing how risk is displayed in your business cases
• How risk resiliency—the ability to deliver growth and performance in varied business climates with confidence and clarity—has become a business imperative in the wake of the financial crisis
• Linking tactical (project) and strategic (organisation-wide) attitudes and appetites on risk

Warren Meyer, Senior Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers

2.50

Afternoon tea

3.10

Developing key communications skills to deliver messages powerfully

As finance professionals, it’s easy to focus too much on the technical skills your job requires at the expense of the vital communication skills that makes your analysis hit home. Often, the numbers will not do the talking by themselves, and communication becomes a key skill for the Financial Analyst to be able to take their role as a key advisor to the Senior Management Team.
• Keys to delivering financial messages to non-financial managers
• Presenting yourself and your ideas persuasively, in oral and written format
• The keys to communication with clarity and impact

Amanda Woodbridge, Consultant, Ideas Shop

4.00

Closing remarks from the Chair and end of conference

Sponsors/Partners

Interested in sponsorship?

There are some exclusive opportunities to promote your company, and its products and services, at this leading event. Contact the sponsorship team below to request a prospectus or discuss the options, or view more about event sponsorship.