Staff Yearbook 2015 - University of Oxford

Finance Division
Year Book
2015
Contents
Introduction from Giles ...................................................................................................................... 2
Welcome to the Finance Division! ...................................................................................................... 3
Charity................................................................................................................................................. 4
Sport ................................................................................................................................................... 6
Photography Competition .................................................................................................................. 9
Book Club ............................................................................................................................................ 9
Reward Scheme ................................................................................................................................ 10
Staff Engagement ............................................................................................................................. 13
Team Profiles .................................................................................................................................... 14
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Introduction from Giles
Welcome everyone to the first ever Finance Division Year Book! This is
our chance to look back at 2015 and share our successes. It’s also a
chance for me to thank you all for the work that you do, every day, to
keep the Division running so successfully. Thank you for your time, your
energy and enthusiasm, and your professionalism in 2015, and I look
forward to working with you again in 2016.
2015 was a busy year in the Finance Division. On top of our day to day
work, we’ve seen changes in team structures, and a large group of new
starters. We pride ourselves in selecting not just the strongest candidates,
but those individuals who will work best in the unique environment of the
collegiate University. I’m also very proud of the leavers who moved on from the Division to other
jobs around the University or outside: it’s great to be a part of someone’s career path like that.
Welcome to all our new starters and a fond farewell to our leavers this year – keep in touch!
2015 saw some changes at the University as well. Our long standing Vice Chancellor, Andrew
Hamilton, is heading to New York University to take up the role of President. The achievements of
his period in office have been significant. Taking up office with the UK economy in deep recession,
Professor Hamilton focused the collegiate University on a united response to the inevitable
government funding cuts. Even when the global economy was faltering, the University achieved
annual income growth of 6-7%. We’ve heard a lot about the new Blavatnik building on Walton
Street, but there’s more to Oxford’s evolution to a 21st Century city than that. We’ve seen new
buildings spring up across the city in the six and a half years he’s been in office: new buildings for
Mathematics and Earth Sciences; the transformation of the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, and new
centres for the study of China and of the Middle East. Professor Hamilton can also be credited with
successfully leading the Oxford Thinking campaign to achieve many new landmark donations,
including the very important Moritz-Heyman gift of a £75m scholarship fund to support students
from the lowest income families in the UK. We’re looking forward to the changes that our new Vice
Chancellor, Louise Richardson, will bring.
2016 will see further changes. We have a big office move coming up at the beginning of the year
which, as I write, we just beginning to plan. We know that we need to vacate the first floor of HBS
by June and we are now beginning to consider how to re-organise teams to fit the new space.
Thank you everyone for your patience, and rest assured that we’ll keep you informed of progress.
All the very best for 2016
Giles
PS this Year Book is still a work in progress – if you think someone or something has been missed
out, please let Isabelle Pitt, our Communications Officer, know and she’ll update it.
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Welcome to the Finance Division!
In 2015 we welcomed these staff on fixed term or permanent contracts:
Christine Aherne
Emma-Jayne Corkish
Philip Hayes
Harry Myring
Laura Hill
Rima Begum
Rizwan Shahzad
Christy McNish
Peter Sheppard
Christopher Daniel
Ilan Shaw
Brenda Marowa
Puneet Vishnu
Gill Crofts
Shahina Begum
Helen Parker
George Sardar
Sue Barkley
Michael Frankl
Sara Goad
Jamie Sutton
Sarah Gibbard
Gemma Hester
Sally Vine
Adrienne Lingard
Isabelle Pitt
Rakiba Rahman
Charles Spencer-Jones
Charlotte Speakes
Karolina Gatkiewicz
Rob Doran
Lydia Manfo-Obeng
Diane Brooks
Ilana Sterrie
Francesca Dean
Evaline Zachari
Linda Naughton
Matthew Fleet*
James Sherbourne**
In 2015 we’ve welcomed people from the private sector, the public sector, the higher education
sector and from other parts of the University. We’re also really pleased that so many new starters
came to us originally as temporary staff. Welcome everyone: the Finance Division wouldn’t be the
same without you, and we’re happy that you’ve joined our team.
And the wider Finance Division family has also grown last year. Jo Strutt’s, Natalie Stamp’s, Harry
Myring’s, Stephen Barker’s and Marius Apertrei’s families have all grown by one little person in
2015: congratulations to you all.
Well done everyone who’s secured promotions throughout the year, or has successfully gained
professional qualifications. Linda Howse passed her Retirement Provision Certificate, and Lesley
Hambelton passed her PRINCE2 practitioner exam. Congratulations to Jo Pready, Chris Bellinger,
Stephen Lakelin and Helen Cardis, who all passed the accredited exam and gained their certificates
for BSC Business Analysis Practice. Rizwan Shahzad, Hamza Azam, Rosanah Holmes, Rima Begum,
Elisha Ward and Tim Birch also passed exams this year. Congratulations to Claudia Valiente, who
recently qualified under AAT, and Gemma Greenaway, who recently passed an ACCA paper. Ilana
Sterrie qualified as an accountant at the end of the year. Phuong Bassett-Jones passed P3 –
Business Analysis in her ACCA studies.
Congratulations!
* returning to the Finance Division
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** returning to the Finance Division after four months away: a new record!
Charity
We’re a generous bunch here at the Finance Division. Colleagues have walked, run, swam, got
muddy, abseiled, baked, dressed down, ping ponged, abstained from alcohol and cycled for charity
last year – but luckily not all at the same time.
We’ve raised money for Children in Need, Macmillan Cancer Research, Sobell House Hospice, Breast
Cancer Awareness, Cancer Research, the British Heart Foundation, Vasculitis UK, Oxford University
Hospitals Trust and Southampton Hospital Charity, the Royal British Legion, the British Heart
Foundation and many more. It’s hard to count how much we’ve raised for charity in 2015, but if we
only count internal Finance Division efforts (plant sales, cake sales, raffles etc.) we get to a grand
total of just over £1000. Well done to everyone, and let’s see if we can beat that next year!
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Team Spirit: abseiling for charity
What a spread! One of many cake sales in 2015
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Sport
The two big sporting events of this year were the annual Finance vs IT football match and the Ian
Peedle Memorial Cricket Tournament.
The Finance Division football team won 6-1 against the IT Services team, with a hat-trick from
Harry Myring and other goals from Daniel Weller, Lawrence Medley (guest from Queen Elizabeth
House) and David Creasey were the icing on the cake in a fine team performance and Finance’s first
victory ever against IT Services.
The Ian Peedle Memorial Cricket Tournament
takes place every year in memory of Ian Peedle, a
former member of staff at the Finance Division,
who lost a long battle against cancer in 2008. All
the money raised from the day goes to a relevant
charity. In 2015, that charity was Sobell House
Hospice.
The tournament was a great success. The Kerr
Kestrels, Purbrick Pandas and Morgan Meerkats
were on top form, and battled it out for
dominance. It was the Meerkats who were
ultimately triumphant, for the second year in a
row. Congratulations to all the players, and in
particular to Josh Perrin and Monika Klim, who
were awarded prizes for ‘Best Newcomers’.
Thanks
to James Boon for scoring, and to Robert Bouse, Geoff
Moore, Peter Ransom, Tim Postlethwaite and Andrew
Bodkin for umpiring.
Congratulations also go to David James and Alison
Coldstream who won the Finance Division Pointless quiz,
expertly hosted by James Beveridge, with Alan
Cunningham as his charming assistant. Congratulations to
Helene Sheridan who, despite running the event, also won
the Welly Wanging, and to Andrew Bodkin, Kevin Rodd
and returnee Elliott Gasper who also received prizes.
Many thanks also to James, Alan, Helene, Linda Howse,
and our Human Fruit Machine participants.
As ever, huge thanks go to Kevin Rodd for organising the
cricket and Dee Stepney for organising the activities.
Poetry in motion: Martina wanging a welly
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Inspiration in the form of Best Newcomers, Monika…
… and Josh.
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Supporting from the side-lines, Linda and Dee
“The Field of Dreams”
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Photography Competition
Congratulations to Gina Saunders in Gift Registry for her winning entry ‘Open the Door’. Her photo,
taken in Oxford’s Natural History Museum, appeared on the front cover of this year’s Budget Book.
The photography competition will run again in the summer of 2016. Meanwhile, the
Communications team is always on the lookout for beautiful, high res, images to use in
presentations and online. If you’d like your photos to be featured, please send them to
[email protected]
Book Club
We have some avid bookworms in the Division! This year the Book Club read, digested and
discussed a wide range of books, like Anne Tyler’s A Spool of Blue Thread, the classic from Umberto
Eco Foucault’s Pendulum, and the award winning H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald.
Book club meets regularly – if you’re interested in joining, please contact Lou Carson.
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Reward Scheme
2015 also saw the relaunch of our Reward Scheme. This recognises one-off outstanding
contributions from staff by awarding a one-off payment of £200 to the nominee.
Anyone in the Finance Division can nominate a colleague, team member or
manager, and any member of staff can be nominated by departmental staff
too. Since June, colleagues who have gone the extra mile, or shown real
commitment to any or all of our four values of respect, integrity,
professionalism and excellence, have been awarded £200 in recognition of
their work.
Click on people’s names to read more about why they received their reward.
Congratulations to
Elliot Gaspar*
Financial Analysis
High-profile budgeting exercise.
Tequila Osborne
Research Accounts
Gratitude expressed by an academic.
Charlie Morgan
Payroll
Action taken to ensure University staff received pay slips.
Alan Cunningham
Pensions
1) Delivery of high profile presentations to senior members of
staff at University.
2) Advising and supporting a high level member of UAS at a very
sensitive time
Fiona Belardo
Cashiers
1) Presentation on customer service delivered at short notice.
2) Organising and delivering high profile online payments seminar
Lily McMullen
Purchasing
1) Involvement in the scientific tender exemptions, purchases and
catalogues.
2) Commitment shown supporting Said Business School in their ITT
and evaluation/selection process.
Marsha Knight*
Financial Reporting
Improved quality and accuracy of the investment accounting.
Sam Hannis
Research Accounts
Managed the RCUK external audit.
Helen Cardis
FSSC
Recognition of the leadership and support given to the team whilst
covering a role
Jo Sibbald
Purchasing
Improving the University’s Procurement maturity classification from
‘Planned’ to ‘Superior’ resulting in the University of Oxford being ranked
number one of the very large Universities.
Sam Raynor
Subsidiary Accounts
Exceptionally professional and conscientious approach taken during her
part time secondment to Said Business School Finance Team.
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Nathan Clulow
Purchasing
Support to Oxford Saïd Business School.
Nicky James
Gift Registry
Training a colleague during a time when the Gift Registry was dealing
with significant challenges.
Ginny Norman
Cheryl Marlow
Cashiers Office
Initiative to improve customer service levels and departments
understanding of the processes for cash handling.
Laura Hill
Research Accounts
Positive start to her role in Research Accounts, with quiet efficiency and
great team spirit and professionalism.
Christy McNish
Shirley Roberson
Nicola James
Chris Hayter
Gift Registry
Work required following the crash of the Oxford Thinking Campaign
website due the volume of hits on the WildCRU Cecil campaign.
Cara Pullen
Payments
Extra work taken on during a busy time of year.
Tim Frost
Purchasing
Presentation given on behalf to Paediatrics explaining best practice.
Sue Crowder
Pensions
Additional work she took on to assist the Pensions department during a
prolonged period of staff absence.
Jeanette Roberts
Accounts Receivable
Unswaying commitment and enthusiasm when investigating and
resolving a number of payment issues.
Isabelle Pitt
Communications
Preparing a high profile presentation at short notice on behalf of the
Tax team.
Claire Seeley
Purchasing
Outstanding contribution to the smooth running of the Corporate
section of the University Purchasing Department during a period of high
activity and limited resource.
Ailsa Fowler
Directorate
Constant support and help she provides other members of her team
and the wider Finance Division, and also the dedication she showed in
covering the work of one team member during a leave period.
Robert Bouse
UAS/ASUC
Coordinating the budgets and forecasting for three units in ASUC,
thereby providing excellent customer service.
David Creasy
Tax
Preparation and delivering of highly commended Tax training
programme.
Geoff Moore
Financial Planning
Delivery of customer service to our departments at the close of the
October GL period that exceeded all expectations.
Anna Karlinska
Laura Hill
Stephen Vincent
Excellent team work to provide high levels of customer service,
developing efficient working processes, and the delivery of tailored
training to a secondee and a new member of staff.
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Christopher Daniels
Ricardo Alves
Phuong Bassett-Jones
Ciaran Starrett
Research Accounts
James Boon
Research Accounts
Initiated and managed the delivery of a key piece of functionality.
Monika Klim
Research Accounts
Spent a huge amount of time helping, supporting and advising a
department.
Gemma Greenaway
Helen Parker
Financial Reporting
Rose to the challenge of their first year end process with determination
and commitment.
Emma-Jayne Corkish
Purchasing
Helped a colleague in need during a medical emergency.
.
In 2015, the Payroll team received a team Recognition award for their work running up to the HRIS
v20 upgrade in October, when they completed the upgrade preparation ahead of schedule.
*no longer works in the Finance Division
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Staff Engagement
Since 2008, the Finance Division has carried out an annual staff survey which has been important in
shaping our strategy. Following the 2015 survey earlier this year, we have completed a review of
the last four years.
Overall, the staff satisfaction rates remain consistently high and for most topics we have seen an
upward trend, but there are also a few key measures where further improvements are required.
To this end, and in line with our plans to proceed to the next level of the Investors in People
accreditation, we have created an Engagement Programme for the next three years. The aim of this
programme is:
To create a workplace in which everyone feels looked after, listened to, where
everyone feels that they have opportunities created by them and for them,
where they feel empowered and they have a voice in the things that matter to
them.
In September 2015 we launched three pilot programmes:



The PDR process: run by Fiona Belardo
Training: run by Klajdia Bullari
Succession planning: run by Kevin Rodd
Thanks to Fiona, Klajdia and Kevin for the huge amount of time and energy they put into the pilots,
and to everyone who got in touch with their thoughts, opinions and suggestions. Whist we don’t
have any formalised plans at the moment, the timeframe for changes to be rolled out was shared
with all staff at the Staff Christmas Briefing, and you can download those slides here. As ever, your
feedback is very welcome: just get in touch with any of the pilot leads, or drop the Head of
Administration, Laura Cooper, a line.
You’ll receive regular updates about the Staff Engagement Programme as we roll out changes.
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Team Profiles
These pages detail the teams across the Finance Division, and share some of their top
successes from 2015. If you’re a member of one of these teams and you think there’s
something that should be included here, please contact Isabelle Pitt and let her know.
The quotes, in blue, are from the 2015 Customer Survey.
Cashiers
Bridget Midwinter
Chief Cashier
Fiona Belardo
Deputy Chief Cashier
Linda McCluskey
Online Store Manager
Caroline Afford
Senior Cashier
(BACS payments)
Charmian Maskell
Cashier
(Barclaycard, Pre-paid
cards, BACS payments)
Cheryl Marlow
Cashier
(Cash and banking,
Petty Cash, Advances)
Ginny Norman
Cashier
(Cash and banking, Petty
Cash, Advances)
Caroline Duffy
Cashier
(Currency cheques,
Online Store)
The Cashiers Office is responsible for the receipt, banking and allocation of all University income,
whilst ensuring compliance with University Regulations and Policies regarding cash handling and
card data security. They sit in the far corner of Hythe Bridge Street, in their own room.
The Cashiers arrange secure cash collections and deliveries. The team also collects direct debits and
administers Barclaycards for University departments. The team are the main point of contact for
Barclays banking queries, and manage card processing and other payment facilities across the
University.
I have always found the Cashiers to be approachable, helpful and responsive.
They make an effort to be nice.
The Cashiers Office also administers the Online Store Facility, which provides a convenient way for
departments to sell goods and services via the Internet. Many departments and colleges are already
successfully running online stores this way.
Their support and expertise is invaluable to us and much appreciated!
This year the Cashiers have focused on departmental visits this year with great success. They’ve
proactively developed contacts and relationships across the University, investing time and energy
to help people understand their role. The online shop continues to grow.
You can read about Bridget Midwinter’s Insight Session, detailing her experience as a hockey
umpire, here.
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Credit Control
Martin Wright
Credit Control Manager
Paul Moorhouse
Credit Control Deputy Manager
Jeanette Roberts
Credit Controller
Michael Murrell
Credit Controller
Paul is on secondment to the FSSC team until Summer
2016
The Credit Control (AR) team supports University departments with their sales processes. The team
are the University’s subject matter experts in debt management and credit control procedures for
Order to Cash (O2C) in Oracle Financials. The team works to facilitate a strong bond between
departments and their customers, which in turn helps provide positive cash flow for the University.
The Credit Control team are excellent, very professional and always willing to
help. They continue to improve systems and processes to make them simpler
and more efficient.
They do this by listening, understanding and responding to customers’ needs, both internal and
external, quickly and efficiently. The team welcomes departmental feedback to make sure that O2C
processes and procedures can be amended to meet changing requirements.
Credit Control have focused their efforts on developing relationships with the Oxford University
Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust throughout 2015, to great success, both in terms of reducing the
90+ day debt, but also of improving the reputation of the Credit Control team and the Finance
Division as a whole.
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Directorate/Administration/Communications
Giles Kerr
Director of Finance Division
Rob Williams
Deputy Director of Finance
Division
Laura Cooper
Head of Administration
Dee Stepney
PA to Giles
Ailsa Fowler
PA to Rob
Paula Chambers
Office Manager
Isabelle Pitt
Communications Officer
Sam Wellstood
Admin and Web
The directorate is split between Wellington Square (Giles and Dee) and Hythe Bridge Street, but
work closely together. The new Head of Administration, Laura Cooper, started in January 2016,
and will lead a new team of Ailsa, Isabelle, Paula and Sam.
The Finance Communications Officer is responsible for all finance-related communication,
consultation and information at the University. Isabelle produces a monthly Finance Bulletin, keeping
all colleagues working in finance up to date with financial and procedural changes, as well as
advising departmental monthly deadlines. A further publication, also sent on a monthly basis to the
Finance Division, is the Staff News, which details upcoming events and staff announcements. You
can catch up with what’s going on in the Division on our intranet pages. Isabelle is also on hand to
advise colleagues on a range of communication needs.
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Divisional Finance Teams
The Finance Division operates both through its specialist teams in the shared service centre in
Hythe Bridge Street and through dedicated Divisional Finance teams based in each Divisional office.
The Divisional Finance teams, reporting to Stephen Purbrick, divide their time between providing
technical financial support to departments and carrying out the financial policies set by their
Divisional boards and the relevant central committees of the University. The teams are: Humanities,
Medical Sciences, Maths, Life and Physical Sciences, and UAS/ASUC.
The support received from my Divisional Finance Team is excellent, they are
always quick to respond to any queries I may have and when I have informed
them if I have come across any errors they have dealt with them promptly and
informed me of the outcome.
Excellent - responsive, helpful and knowledgeable and it's a pleasure working
with them.
Humanities Divisional Office
Lynn Hutton
Divisional Financial
Controller
Ellen Higgins
Humanities Finance
Manager
(on secondment to IT Services)
Nicola Roberts
Humanities Finance
Manager
Lorraine Rathband
Finance Officer
(covering Nicola’s secondment)
The Humanities Division brings together 13 faculties. The Division offers world-class teaching and
research, backed by the superb resources of the University’s libraries and museums, including the
famous Bodleian Library and the Ashmolean Museum. Such historic resources are linked to cuttingedge agendas in research and teaching, with an increasing emphasis on interdisciplinary study.
Each unit is responsible for running its own finances within the annual budgets agreed by the
Divisional Board, and for the preparation of quarterly forecasts and 5 year financial projections.
Faculty budgets include the full cost of each unit’s operations. Funding for Humanities comes from a
mixture of sources, including UK government funding and student fee income distributed to the
Division via the University’s JRAM, research projects funded by Research Councils, ERC or other
(frequently charitable) organisations, donations and income from endowments.
The Finance Team at the Humanities Division support the Faculties and the Division as a whole. The
team works in the Radcliffe Humanities building located on Radcliffe Observatory Quarter on
Woodstock Road. Lynn joined the team in November 2009. She previously worked at
Buckinghamshire County Council in Adult Social Care collaborating with the NHS. Ellen joined in
October 2007 and is currently seconded to IT services. Nicola joined the team to cover for Ellen in
May 2015. Both secondments are offering Ellen and Nicola opportunities to learn about a different
area of activity and develop new skills. Lorraine works part-time, spending one of her three days at
the Ruskin School of Art.
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Medical Sciences Divisional Office
Linda Naughton
Divisional Financial Controller
(from Dec 2015)
Michael Tolley
Divisional Financial Controller
(interim)
Samantha Branch
Divisional Accountant
Iwona Kedzior
Financial Analyst
Gemma Hester
Divisional Finance Manager
Edwin Kiarie
Accounts Assistant
Christine Lees-Baxter
Divisional Accountant
The Medical Sciences Division includes the preclinical departments (Physiology, Anatomy and
Genetics; Pathology; and Pharmacology) and all the clinical departments of the Medical School, plus
the Departments of Biochemistry and Experimental Psychology.
The Division is a major centre for clinical and non-clinical research in the UK, and achieved a top
score in all three HEFCE research assessment exercises. The annual grant income from external
sources for the Medical Sciences Division is over £120 million.
It has over 3,000 staff, 800 graduate students and 900 undergraduates. About 350 NHS Clinicians
and GPs contribute to its teaching The Medical Sciences Division is made up of 21 departments.
Depending on their size, some of the departments may have their own dedicated finance officer or
they may have an Administrator and assistant who are responsible for everything from personnel
matters to finance. The Administrator for each department reports to their Head of Department,
who is in turn responsible to the Divisional Board.
The Medical Sciences Division is based at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington, with some
departments in and around the Churchill Hospital, also in Headington, and the Medical Sciences
Teaching Centre on South Parks Road. The Medical Sciences finance team members work in an
open plan office together with other Medical Sciences Divisional Office staff, such as those dealing
with student administration and alumni relations. Although based in the Medical Sciences Office, the
team is part of the Finance Division.
MPLS Divisional Office
Jeremy Sims
Divisional Financial Controller
Emily Ashwell
Divisional Accountant
Alison Edwards
Management Accountant
Kingsley Irwin
Project Accountant
Martha Brundin
The Maths, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS) Division is one of the four academic divisions in the
University of Oxford - with over 6,000 FTE students and research staff. The Division has a turnover
£400m 2014/15 (over half of which is external research grant income), and occupy an estate of
some 98,000m2.
The MPLS Division’s 10 departments and three interdisciplinary units span the full spectrum of the
mathematical, computation, physical, engineering and life sciences, and undertake both
fundamental research and cutting-edge applied work. Its research addresses major societal and
technological challenges. This work is increasingly interdisciplinary in nature, and the Division
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collaborates closely with colleagues in Oxford across the medical sciences, social sciences and
humanities.
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) assessed the quality and impact of UK higher education
institutions’ research in all disciplines in 2014. The mathematical, physical and life sciences at
Oxford received the highest overall grade point average (GPA) and the highest GPA for outputs.
MPLS received the highest proportion of 4* outputs, and the highest proportion of 4* activity
overall compared with other UK Universities. More than 50 per cent of MPLS activity was assessed
as world leading.
Social Sciences Divisional Office
Harry Myring
Divisional Financial Controller
Rakiba Rahman
Divisional Financial Manager
Peter Sheppard
Departmental Finance Manager
Jonathan Webb
Finance Officer
Sarah Goad
Departmental Finance Manager
The Social Sciences Division is responsible for providing a broad strategic focus across its
constituent disciplines. The division consists of 13 departments such as the Said Business
School, with a turnover of about £30m, and three inter-disciplinary cross-divisional units including
the innovative James Martin 21st Century School, which focuses its research on 21st Century
challenges. The Division has responsibility for over 700 academics, about
2,700 graduate students and 2,000 undergraduates.
The division is a world-leading centre for research in the social sciences. In the 2014 REF exercise,
nearly half of all social sciences submissions were judged to be world leading, and three
departments received the highest national grade point average, and four departments rated the
best nationally on the ‘power index’. Work is carried out in both the disciplinary and multidisciplinary traditions. This research contributes both to the academic study of social science and to
current debates on public policy.
UAS/ASUC Divisional Office
Kevin Rodd
Divisional Financial Controller
Robert Bouse
Divisional Accountant
Ruth Connor
Divisional Finance Manager
Beverly Judd
Assistant Accountant
Caroline Menlove
Assistant Accountant
Pauline Bampton
Assistant Accountant
Sue Barkley
Assistant Accountant
The ASUC/UAS Divisional Finance team support both “Service” divisions and combined as one team
in 2011.
The Academic Services and University Collections (ASUC) Division comprises the four University’s
museums, Bodleian Libraries and the Botanic Garden.
The collections embodied within ASUC departments are an essential part of the University’s wider
mission. Other ASUC departments form a resource of national and international importance for
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teaching, research and cultural life as they make a major contribution to the University’s outreach
and access missions.
University Administration & Services (UAS) covers most of the central functions of the University
from IT Services to Development Office to Legal Services to Sports to Finance itself! Most UAS
departments, such as Research Services and IT services report directly to the Registrar, the
University’s senior administrator. Some departments, such the Planning, Resource and Allocation
Section, are part of the Academic Administration Division (AAD), which is one of the largest units
within UAS. AAD is headed by the Academic Registrar, Emma Potts, who reports to the Registrar.
Other UAS departments not reporting directly to the Registrar include the Finance Division,
(Director, Giles Kerr, reports to the Vice-Chancellor) and Development, Alumni Relations and Public
Affairs (the Directors of which report to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Development and External
Affairs). Estate Services are also part of UAS.
The divisional finance teams support departments in managing their financial performance. This
means observing not just actual income and expenditure (I&E) but also what the financial pressures
are. A lot of work goes into the quarterly management cycle (budgets, forecasts and reporting),
and in order to better understand departments, the team aim to visit all their departments each
quarter. The team are also providing a shared financial service across the divisions and currently
directly support Alumni, three Museums, Gift Registry and AAD.
As in previous years, the Divisional Finance teams have worked with departments to support value
for money and savings initiatives. This year the combined Divisional teams have helped to realise
£9.2 million savings across the University
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Financial Assurance Services
Financial Assurance Services was formed in 2006, and is responsible for reporting to the
University’s Audit and Scrutiny Committee on the adequacy of the University’s financial regulations,
processes and controls, and whether are they operating effectively to ensure that the University’s
financial control risks are managed and its objectives achieved. In 2015 the team has undertaken a
major revamp of the departmental self-assurance exercise; improved departmental compliance
with the expenses policy; and begun the development of a new assurance mapping exercise for the
key financial processes.
Sally Vine
Head of Assurance
Sophia Mouyis
Seconded from PwC to develop a new approach to financial
assurance
In 2016, the team will roll out a new assurance mapping approach to the key financial processes,
and focus on close working with divisions and departments to raise awareness of controls and
compliance and to share best practice.
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Financial Reporting
Financial Reporting team
Ben Heath
Group Financial Controller
Alan Glaum
Technical & Consolidation
Financial Accountant
Michael Frankl
Investment and Trusts Financial
Accountant
Tanya Cosier
Assistant Investment & Trust
Accountant
Genieve Boon
University Chest Financial
Accountant
Daniel Weller
Deputy Chest Financial
Accountant
Louise Stratton
Fixed Asset Accountant
Gemma Greenaway
Assistant Fixed Asset
Accountant
Helen Parker
Assistant Financial Accountant
The Financial Reporting team is responsible for the production of the
University's annual financial statements and other external financial
reports for bodies such as HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council
for England), HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) and the ONS
(Office for National Statistics). The team is also responsible for the
quarterly management accounting and reporting for the University,
including period-end processes (monthly, quarterly and year
end). Apart from responsibility for general financial accounting,
reporting and consolidations, the team also has day-to-day
responsibility for the accounting for Fixed Assets and for Investments
& Trusts, fixed assets, fee accounting and departmental projects. The
team looks after fixed assets of £900m and nearly 3,000
departmental projects including John Fell projects.
Subsidiary Companies team
Tim Postlethwaite
Head of Subsidiary
Accounts
William Colquhoun
Administrative Officer
Kathryn Marshall
Senior Accountant
Rachel Walker
Accountant
Sam Raynor
Senior Assistant
Accountant
Julie Seacole
Senior Assistant
Accountant
Jason Gurney
Assistant Accountant
Sue Pedersen
Accounts Clerk
The Subsidiary Companies team, headed by Tim Postlethwaite, is responsible for a wide range of
activities managed through the subsidiary companies of the University, including the patenting and
licensing of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), insurance services, publications, management of the
University brand-licensing programme, provision of design-and-build services for capital projects
and trading carried out in departments. The Subsidiary Companies team works closely with
colleagues in the Finance Division and in the subsidiary companies to ensure that the accounting and
statutory functions of the companies are carried out. This includes all routine book-keeping,
management accounts, year-end statutory accounts, arrangement of audits, completion of tax
filing returns, taking of board minutes, etc. The team ensures that the companies' reporting
responsibilities are met, both externally and for the University, and that the Directors understand
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their statutory duties. The team also coordinates the assessment of any proposed new companies
and sets these up when required.
KPMG fed back positively on the Subsidiary Companies Team successful year
end with no management letter points raised.
Trusts Administration Team
Matthew Fleet
Trusts Administrator
Adrienne Lingard
Trusts Officer
Tanya Cosier
Trust Accountant
The Trusts Administration Team is responsible for managing a number of key functions in relation to
the University’s several hundred trust funds. These include investing new funds, maintaining
financial accounts, and ensuring that departments comply with the governing terms of funds and
other trust obligations. We also service the Trusts Management Board, which sets and oversees
implementation of trust fund policies across the University.
The Trusts Admin team have worked with departments to develop spending plans for restricted
purpose funds, resulting in a record amount of income being applied on the charitable purposes of
the underlying trusts. The Team has also helped the Medical Sciences Division, Faculty of Classics,
and Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages to streamline their administration and unlock
restricted reserves through the consolidation of around 50 small prize, scholarship and teaching
trust funds.
You guys are brilliant. Stuff just happens, no delays, no fuss. Thank you so
much!
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FSSC
Financial Systems Customer Services team
Paul Moorhouse
Interim Financial Systems
Customer Services Manager
Tel: 84800
Tim Birch
Financial Systems Customer
Service Desk Officer
Tel: 84800
Elisha Ward
Elisha is on maternity leave until
August 2016
Rima Begum
Financial Systems Customer
Service Desk Officer
Tel: 84800
Douglas Simpson
Financial Helpdesk Officer
Tel: 84800
The team are the first point of contact for anyone in the University with a query about Oracle or
related financial systems. They field about 1000 calls a month, so it’s busy work!
Financial Systems Management team
Helen Cardis
Finance Systems
Administration and Security
Manager
Daniel Blumenow
Finance Systems Security
Analyst
Denroy Brown
Finance Systems Security
Analyst
Hamza Azam
Finance Systems Security
Analyst
Rizwan Shahzad
Finance Systems Security
Analyst
Rosanah Holmes
Finance System Security
Analyst
Nik Sharkey
Financial Systems Functional
Support Team Lead
Chris Bellinger
Financials Senior Functional
Analyst (Projects)
Helen Cardis
Financials Functional Analyst
(Projects)
Stephen Lakelin
Financials Functional Analyst
(Projects)
Jo Pready
Financials Functional Analyst
(Projects)
Puneet Vishnoi
Financials Functional Analyst
BAU/ME
Ahmad Omer
Financials Functional Analyst
BAU/ME
Ronke Joseph
Financials Functional Analyst
BAU/ME
Senthil Manimaran
Financials Functional Analyst
BAU/ME
Susan Gillis
Interim Reporting Manager
(covering for Laura de Klein)
Tom Hamilton-Williams
Finance Reports Developer
Gemma Moorhouse
Finance Reports Support
Officer
George Sardar
Finance Reports Support
Officer
Laura de Klein
Currently out of the office
Functional Support
Financials Systems Reporting
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Financials Programmes
Louise Carson
Financials Programme Manager
Mark Kuspisz
Enterprise/Functional
Architecture
Ilan Shaw
Project Manager
Ian Burleigh
Project Manager
Martin Dix
Project Manager
The Financial System Support Centre (FSSC) was formed in August 2013 combining expertise from
the Finance Division and IT Services to provide a collaborative service to all financial system users
across the University. They’re currently undergoing a period of review
The FSM team are really helpful!
The Financials Systems Support Centre should be commended for dealing
efficiently with our R12 problems.
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Gift Registry
Chris Hayter
Head of Gift Registry and
Development Office Accounts
Graham Darling
Gift Registry Accountant
(Interim to Dec 2015)
Shirley Roberson
Gift Registry Officer
Christy McNish
Gift Registry Supervisor
Ilana Sterrie
Gift Registry Accountant (from
Nov 2015)
Gina Saunders
Accounts Assistant
Sarah Gibbard
Part-time Gift Registry
Assistant
Nicky James
Gift Registry Assistant
Jamie Sutton
Gift Registry Assistant
The Gift Registry team is responsible for the processing of all philanthropic donations received by
the University and it also provides this service for many of the colleges. The total volume of
processed gifts reached a record 55,229 items in 2014/15 (even before the impact of Cecil the
Lion is included), represented by payments via bank transfer, direct debit, standing order, credit and
debit cards and cheques. Many gifts are received via a wide range of intermediate entities such as
Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and Virgin Money, plus those processed via our Hong Kong
subsidiary charity and Americans for Oxford.
The team enters all donation payments and pledges onto
the DARS database and then into Oracle Financials,
transferring the funds to departments, endowment funds,
capital programmes or research projects, colleges, in
accordance with the donor’s wishes and claims Gift Aid on
eligible donations. In addition, the Gift Registry provides
accounting services for the University Development Office
and its three overseas Development Offices in New York,
Hong Kong and Tokyo.
You have a very good team, Chris, and I appreciate their efforts and client
service very much.
Who could forget Cecil the Lion?! His killing in Zimbabwe at the July 2015 year end triggered a
flood of donations to the University’s WildCRU unit, which the Gift Registry team handled - rising to
the challenges that occur when website traffic increases by over 1,200% in 24 hours at the July
year end. They were a key part of the process that secured over $1million for the WildCRU
campaign, and introduced thousands of new philanthropists to the University.
You can find out more about their experience in the wake of the killing of Cecil the Lion by viewing
their Insight Session, here.
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Insurance
Lyndie Hayes
Insurance Manager
Linda Greig
Insurance Officer
Andrew Bodkin
Insurance Assistant
The Insurance Team arranges cover for the University's property, travel, motor vehicles and legal
liabilities such as employers' liability and professional indemnity. Certain specific 'ad-hoc' covers are
also arranged. On average, the team process 250 claims from minor damage to a vehicle to large
scale building repairs running in to the millions.
The team is always extremely helpful and highly knowledgeable. They always
make the time for my questions
The team works on the many capital projects to ensure suitable property protection measures are
included within the building design, so that our buildings, our equipment and most importantly our
staff are as safe as possible in the first place. Much of the University's insurance cover is arranged
through Oxford Mutual Limited, a whollyowned subsidiary of the University.
Every year brings surprises to the Insurance
team: last year was no exception, with
requests for insuring driverless cars, dronebased research with wolves in Ethiopia, and
research trips to the Ebola zones of West
Africa and to the ISIS-held areas of North
Africa. Floods and fire also played a part, and
importantly, the Insurance team negotiated
one of the most cost effective insurance
premiums in the sector.
Above: Oxford University
researchers grapple with the
Ebola crisis in West Africa
Right: Photo taken by
Oxford
University
researcher
in
ISIS
stronghold, North Africa
You can learn more about the wild and wonderful work of the insurance team in Lyndie Hayes’
Insight Session, here. Watch your step!
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Payments
Helen Grieves
Head of Payment Services
Yvonne Butler
Payments Supervisor
Cara Pullen
Senior Payments Assistant
Amanda Barnett
Payments Assistant
Karolina Gatkiewicz
Payments Assistant
James Beveridge
Senior Payments Assistant:
Reporting
Charlotte Eld
Payments Assistant
Becca Giles
Payments Team Leader
(Wednesday - Friday)
Hazel Evans
Senior Payments Assistant
Lydia Manfo-Obeng
Payments Assistant
Rob Doran
Payments Assistant
Victoria King
Payments Assistant
(Wednesday - Friday)
Josh Perrin
Payments Assistant
Emily Russell
Payments Projects Officer
The Payments team processes over 2,000 payment transactions a week on behalf of the wider
University. These include payments to suppliers and reimbursement of staff expenses. The team is
responsible for inputting expense claims into Oracle Financials, matching invoices to Purchase
Orders, liaising with suppliers and dealing with any related problems. This also includes resolving old
Purchase Orders and holds, and managing payment transfers and cheque runs.
The Payments is very efficient, and seems to me to be unfazed by any of our
enquiries. Keep it up!
The Payments team spent much of 2015 in transformation: reviewing processes and working to
make things more streamlined and efficient. This included the introduction of a data loader, to take
the pressure off individual staff members across the University inputting accurate information. A
number of members of staff were promoted, and some temporary staff were promoted to
permanent positions, so it’s been a year of change.
Their support and expertise is invaluable to us and much appreciated!
Against this backdrop, they still processed huge volumes of paperwork and successfully handled
queries from departments and divisions, achieved a successful completion of their processes for
year end deadlines, and managed to complete all the payment runs, including those for student
bursaries, when Oracle went down at the beginning of October.
You can find out more about the changes afoot in the team by reading Helen Grieves’ Insight
Session, here.
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Payroll
Charlie Morgan
Payroll Manager
Alison Coldstream
Deputy Payroll Manager
(Main and Pensioners)
Valerie Drew
Deputy Payroll Manager
(Casual Payroll, Pensioners,
Bureau Service and Relocation)
Diane Brooks
Payroll Officer
Jo Taylor
Payroll Officer
Magda Koczan
Payroll Officer
Pauline Measor
Payroll Officer
Sally Pinnington
Payroll Officer
Tracy Gunnett
Payroll Officer (Casual Payroll)
Tracy Roberts
Payroll Systems Administrator
Roxie Price
Casual Payroll Assistant
Martina Zagaria
Royalties Officer
Jo Strutt (Maternity leave)
Payroll Officer (Casual Payroll)
Helene Sheridan
Relocation Scheme Officer
The Payroll team deal with all departments and divisions of the University and is responsible for the
timely and accurate payment of all University salaries and wages. They also advise on employment
tax matters, royalties, expenses and benefits, manage the University Relocation scheme and fulfil
the University’s statutory payroll obligations.
Superb; extremely responsive and helpful
The Payroll team operates two University payrolls: The main monthly payroll which includes
payments to casual workers and the pension’s payroll. The Payroll team is responsible for the timely
and accurate payment of over 12,000 staff, plus 2,000 casual workers and over 3,000 pensioners
each month.
The Payroll team are always helpful, knowledgeable and efficient
October 2015 saw the introduction of the HRIS Core upgrade, to v20. The Payroll team’s
preparation for this was carried out smoothly and ahead of time, without any impact on their
important day to day work.
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Pensions
Jan Killick
Head of Pensions
Dominic Checksfield
Senior Finance Officer
Linda Howse
Support and Finance Administrator
Marie Hough
Pensioners' Welfare Officer
David James
Pensions Officer
Sue Crowder
Pensions Administrator
(surnames A-J and Colleges)
Amanda Travi
Pensions Administrator
(surnames K-Z and Colleges)
Alan Cunningham
Pensions Manager
Chiara Browning
Pensions Administrator
(surnames A-G)
Jayne Hewitt
Pensions Administrator
(surnames H-S)
Cassie Butcher
Senior Pensions Administrator
(surnames T-Z)
Tony Windscheffel
Information Systems & Support
Coordinator
The Pensions Office is responsible for managing the pension arrangements of the University. It
administers the pension schemes operated by the University for employees as well as overseeing
the schemes run by third parties. The transactions the team handle include collecting and recording
contributions, bringing pensions into payment (including any tax free lump sum) and paying
pensions through the payroll, processing claims for ill-health retirement, preserving benefits on
leaving service, paying refunds of contributions where appropriate and effecting transfers from and
to other schemes. Interaction with and support for pension members extends beyond their time at
the University, with the part-time Pensioners’ Welfare Visitor continuing to help University
pensioners.
The Pensions Office supports the University in its compliance with the raft of pension legislation
including pension auto-enrolment and taxation of pensions. Currently, the Pensions Office as a
whole maintains the database of over 40,000 records for members and former members of the
schemes. During 2015 the Pensions team co-ordinated the University’s consultation process on the
changes to USS benefits. It held 28 briefing sessions with bookings from over 430 employees.
Taking advantage of the new pension freedoms, the team contacted pensioners with small pensions
offering them the opportunity to convert their pension into cash. Over 300 pensioners took up the
offer. Marie Hough, pensioner welfare officer, illustrates the impact this had.
One of our pensioners I visited yesterday is delighted to have the opportunity
to take her very small pension (£40 a month) as a lump sum. This is enabling
her to clear her debt of £7,000 with around £2,000 left over to buy a new
Mac to help her in her work as she is a writer. She was making payments of
£170 a month but it only ever seemed to clear a £100 a year off the debt and
she could see no way of that improving. Now she will have that extra £170 a
month to live on plus a slight increase in pension credit with her no longer
having a monthly income from us. She is most grateful for this opportunity
which has really improved her situation.
Looking forward to 2016, the team were given the “green light” to replace the 20 year old pension
administration system.
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Purchasing
Mark Bowen
Director of Purchasing
Jo Sibbald
Deputy Director of Purchasing
Emma May
Purchasing Analyst
Tim Frost
Purchasing Manager
(Science)
Claire Seeley
Purchasing Manager
(Corporate Expenditure)
Charles Spencer-Jones
Purchasing Manager
Nathan Clulow
Category Buyer
(Professional Services)
Luke Johnson
Category Buyer
(IT)
Christine Aherne
Category Buyer
(Science - Equipment)
Emma Jayne Corkish
Category Buyer
(Science - Consumables)
Lily McMullen
Assistant Buyer
Tim Philipson
Administrative Assistant
The University Purchasing Department provides a number of services to all parties in the University,
including the negotiation of preferred supplier agreements that offer best value for money;
information regarding the tender process; and the provision of a purchasing system. In addition, the
Purchasing team is responsible for the maintenance and integrity of Supplier information within
Oracle Financials.
Purchasing are excellent. They respond to any queries I have very quickly and
always provide the exact information I need.
The Purchasing team were awarded the top ranking in the recent Purchasing maturity exercise –
meaning we’re ranked highest in the HE sector.
SUPERIOR
University of Oxford
2015
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Research Accounts
Operations team
Stephen Barker
Interim Head of Research
Accounts
Klajdia Bullari
Interim Operations Manager
Natalie Stamp
Dean Callaghan
Claims Manager
Kristy Smitten
Claims Manager
Monika Klim
Claims Manager
Anna Karlinska
Senior Claims Advisor
Phuong Bassett-Jones
Senior Claims Advisor
Christopher Daniels
Senior Claims Advisor
Ciaran Starrett
Senior Claims Advisor
Laura Hill
Senior Claims Advisor
Ricardo Alves
Senior Claims Advisor
Ian Griffiths
Claims Manager
Stephen Vincent
Senior Claims Advisor
Currently on maternity leave
Accounting and Development Team
Marius Apetrei
Accounting Manager
James Boon
Accounting and Development Specialist
Kam Miles
Accounting Support Specialist
Wayne Peters
Accounts Receivable Advisor
Assurance team
Sam Hannis
Assurance Manager
Tequila Osborne
EU Assurance Manager
Shahina Begum
Claims Manager – Training Centre Awards
Brenda Marowa
Senior Claims Advisor – Training Centre Awards
Evelyn Zachari
Senior Claims Advisor- Training Centre Awards
Research Accounts is responsible for raising claims, invoices and statements to research customers
and for managing research debt.
32 | P a g e
The Operations team is responsible for all internal and external reporting on the financial aspects of
research, including supporting departments in meeting financial assurance requirements. The team
also sets up and amends research awards on the grants module of Oracle Financials and is
responsible for all internal and external reporting on the financial aspects of research.
This team has improved massively over the last few years
The Accounting team has a key role in managing the reconciliation of Research Projects back to the
general ledger and ensuring that the relevant processes have completed in the projects
ledger. They have made improvements to their procedures throughout the year to ensure that the
year end closure was completed efficiently and with no issues.
Always friendly and professional
The Assurance team has also had a busy year - in 2015 they have dealt with over 100 European
Commission financial certifications and over 30 other separate audits which have looked at over a
100 further projects. Audits have included review of institutional practice by the Research
Councils, Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK and the National Institutes of Health (U.S.). In
particular, positive feedback has been received during the Research Councils and National Institutes
of Health (U.S.) audits.
Works patiently with individuals to understand a problem and then provides
useful information
Throughout the year the team has also transitioned Training awards from the divisions into
Research Accounts and managed the change to a consistent structure throughout all divisions.
Research Accounts works closely with departmental finance officers and administrators, and with
Research Services, which is responsible for managing pre-award activities with departments.
Always helpful knowledgeable and efficient
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Tax
Sean Anderson
Head of Treasury and Tax
Services
John Huke
Tax Manager
James Sherbourne
VAT Accountant
David Creasey
VAT Assistant
Philip Hayes
VAT Manager
The University is bound by a wide variety of commercial taxes, despite being a not-for-profit
charitable institution. These may represent a significant cost, or a compliance duty, or both. The
team act as an interface between HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and the University, to mitigate
the time and cost burden attached to this work. Additionally, the team manages the royalty
distribution process in accordance with University Statutes and tax compliance.
They are always extremely helpful and highly knowledgeable. They always
make the time for my questions
They pride themselves on assisting University Departments to meet these legal responsibilities with
minimal interference and having established a first class relationship with HMRC. Some recent
examples include effective liaison on the design of major new building projects, creating a new VAT
group registration number for the University to cut ‘VAT leakage’, improving the quality of web
materials and streamlining the previously time-consuming Intrastat reporting.
In 2015 they worked hard to make their team more customer-focused, creating training courses
that have been so popular the team had to add more dates. They developed monthly reporting
tools and a newsletter, as well as new website material and guidance.
Furthermore, PwC completed an R12 VAT Assurance review and strongly endorsed the tax engine,
and the team successfully claimed £66 million in RDEC tax claims up to July 2015.
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Training
Lesley Hambelton
Head of Training
Belinda Birch
Finance Trainer
Duncan Young
Finance Trainer
Jane Tomlins
Finance Trainer
Cathy Gannon
Finance Trainer
The Training team is responsible for all training related to Oracle Financials, staff development of
the Finance Division and any finance-related training required by departments. The team provides a
range of courses on which all staff can book themselves, and work closely with both Financial
Assurances and Communications teams.
I cannot fault the training service. The organisers are helpful, friendly and fast
and the training provided is in depth and has excellent resources. I have never
encountered such an excellent training 'service' in any company that I have
worked for.
The Training and Learning Team delivers training to University staff on finance-related topics. You
may be aware that they train staff on the various aspects of Oracle Financials, but did you know
that they also train people on Marketplace, the Online Stores and advanced activities in Excel, as
well as the broader topics of financial management at the University?
The team delivers training courses, gives bespoke tutorials, and provides support documentation
and e-training. It also works on other staff development activities, such as induction and
masterclasses.
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Treasury
Sean Anderson
Head of Treasury & Tax
Services
Jan Smith
Treasury Manager
Claudia Valiente
Finance Officer, Treasury
(Banking & Controls)
The Treasury Team look after the University’s cash management, liquidity and funding, foreign
exchange requirements and handle its bank and debt relationships... and they still manage to be
friendly and approachable!
The University’s income of over £1.6bn passes through the team’s processes each year, so it’s
important this is looked after and made available when needed. Ensuring the right processes and
controls over the University’s bank accounts are in place, and working, is a key part of Treasury, as
is
managing
the
relationships
with
banks
and
other
counterparties.
Forecasts of cash and currency requirements are used to inform the investment and foreign
exchange activities. A range of counterparties are used to get the best returns and to spread our
risk. These include banks and external asset managers as well as Oxford University Endowment
Managers.
Loans are also managed by the team, and although this is not a very large part of the University’s
funding at present, it could form a more important part in the future. The team also hedge the
overall foreign exchange exposures of the University and convert excess foreign exchange into
sterling.
Successes for the Treasury team this year includes the accurate and timely reconciliation of all of
the bank accounts despite well over £1.6bn of income and a similar level of expenditure, and the
negotiation of a £200 million loan from the European Investment Bank, at an interest rate of
2.55%.
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