Your sessions for the day
| 08:50 - 9.15 | Registration |
| 09:00 - 09:15 | Refeshments and Meet the Exhibitors |
| 09:15- 09.30 | Welcome and introduction |
| 09:30 - 10:30 | Keynote Speaker |
| 10:35 - 11:25 |
Panel Discussion |
| 11:25 -11:50 | Refeshments and Exhibitor Introductions |
| 12:00 - 13:00 | Lunchtime Keynote |
| 13:00 - 14:00 |
Buffet Lunch - Meet the Exhibitors |
| 14:00 - 16:20 | Breakout sessions A, B, C & D |
| 16:20 - 16:40 | Awards, Prize Giving & Champagne reception |
| 16:45 | Closing |
Enquiries from solution providers - please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The registration form is for end users only
Sessions for the Day:
Headline Keynote Speaker: Sponsored by 
9:30am - 10:30am - Matthew Syed - author, broadcaster, journalist
Matthew is one of the world’s most influential thinkers on the science of high performance. But more than that, he’s a fantastic storyteller. His regular columns in The Times are a testament to his skills in getting to the human heart of a topic, seeing above and beyond the obvious. Sporting achievements are often so much more than just that - they are a triumph over adversity, an example of trial and error, teamwork, self belief, tragedy and endurance – in other words an encapsulation of life itself.
His art of taking a subject and shaking the true story out of it shines through in his award winning books – Bounce and Black Box Thinking and also in his latest book, published this year, ostensibly for children, but in many ways, equally relevant for the adults buying them, You Are Awesome.
Black Box Thinking, which will form the basis of his keynote at our session, is about how to gain an edge in a complex, rapidly changing world. It focuses on how to identify and pursue marginal gains, how to boost creativity, and argues that individuals and organisations can't excel unless they are prepared to learn from their mistakes. It also shines a light on the astonishing psychological biases that can prevent us from reaching our potential.
10:35 - 11:25 - Panel discussion session, led by Ollie O’Donoghue - Research Vice President, HFS
Crafting an Intelligent Automation Roadmap to Thrive in this Hyper-Connected Economy
Industry expert, Phil Fersht will lead a discussion based on how to create an intelligent automation roadmap for your organisation. In an ever more connected world, organisations need to know how they can stay relevant, and how they can mitigate against any risks and opportunities associated with operating in our hyper-connected economy. What makes an organisation's processing "intelligent?" Phil's opening discussion delving into these areas, will lead into a panel discussion with key industry figures who'll share their experience and opinions from a vendor, analyst and practitioner perspective. During this discussion, we'll be hearing the views of Andrew Parris, Director of Shared Services, Tarmac, Ganna Pogrebna, Lead Professor of Behavioural Data Science at the Alan Turing Institute and Rakesh Sangani, CEO and Senior Advisor for GBS11:25 - 11:50 - Coffee Break - Exhibitor Introductions
12:00 - 13:00 - Lunchtime Keynote - Kate O'Neill, CEO KO Insights - Kindly sponsored by 
10 Fundamental Insights about the Tech-Driven Future for Humanity
We tend to tell a story about technology that pits the worst case scenario against the best case scenario — and conveniently leaves our actions and responsibilities out of the equation. But the truth is we are very much responsible for shaping the future of technology.
Is it possible that tech can even help us be better humans? As she asserted in her new book, Tech Humanist, with the emergence of automation, artificial intelligence, and other capacity-expanding tech, we will have the opportunity to create the best futures for the most people. People talk a lot about digital transformation, but O'Neill defines it as: keeping human experience at the centre, but taking advantage of the gains and efficiencies that data and technologies have to offer. In her new book “Tech Humanist,” Kate O’Neill examines the intent, goals and avenues through which people create and distribute technology, and the amplifying effects technology has on the values of the organisations that deploy it.
13:00 - 14:00 - BBQ Lunch in the stunning grounds of The Hurlingham Club
Kindly sponsored by
14:00 - 14:40 - Dan Foley, Finance Shared Services Director, Kier Group
P2P Technology's Nothing Without Talent and Culture
Uncover how to take a leadership role over your data, and not just pay lip service. Learn the importance of getting the basics right and understand the emotional impact of data. The "it will do" approach will no longer cut it. Understand the part of Procurement and Finance play in creating a rich environment for data analysis to support business outcomes. Understand what sort of talent to look for and foster in your team and how the culture you create can have just as much impact as the technology you use.
14:00 14:40 - Lubnah Alam - Head of Financial Shared Services, J Murphy & Sons
Building a P2P process for the future – the Murphy Group Story
In this presentation, Lubnah will take you on a journey through the transformation planning at J Murphy & Sons, through the implementation stage and ahead into the future. For many of today's P2P teams, success depends on being able to capture and make the best use of the data that comes from processing. Uncover the best methods of making sure you are accurately mapping the outputs of the processing to your organisation's specified strategic outcomes. Find out what success looks like for the Murphy Group, and what their plans are for the future.
14:45 - 15:25 - Andrew Daley - Director, Edbury Daley
Climbing the Career Ladder in an Automated World
There’s a lot of talk these days about the future of work and robots taking over. In the session Andrew gives his view as a recruiter, on how he is seeing things change as the world of Procurement becomes further automated. We are increasingly observing terminology like spend analytics, process automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning creeping into job descriptions. Organisations ask us to find candidates that can “understand and agree our analytics vision” or “provide a step-change in the way we use data to inform our decision making and problem solving”.
But increasingly it’s adaptability and a willingness to learn new skills that are the key differentiator in today’s market. Attitudes to automation and new technology seem to vary dramatically, from people who see it as something that will put them out of work, to people who embrace the change and are actively developing new skill sets such as those mentioned above that will set them up for the future. Join Andrew's session to discover what you can do to elevate your position and stay relevant in a changing world.
14:45 - 15:25 - Dan Cameron - CPO Pearson
Achieving Digitalisation Through Connected Business Processes
Hear how Dan Cameron took Pearson through their journey to digitisation. Find out what the company did to achieve record growth and efficiency savings as well as gaining oversight and control over their processes. Join Dan to see how he helped his team to deliver huge amounts of value in terms of cost reduction, risk management, innovation and service improvement. With a focus on collaboration, Dan is particularly proud of creating an environment in which suppliers work together for the benefit of the customer. Their goal is to turn an already strong team into a world-class function by 2020. To do this will require hard work, the best influencing, negotiating and creative skills, and in this session, Dan will shine a light into a world that works for them, with ideas that you can take back to your team.
15:30 - 16:10 - Michael Ryan - Digital Transformation Expert
Collaborative Procure to Pay - If it's so good, why isn't everyone doing it?
If something works well, it makes sense to keep doing it, right? If that's so, then why do so many organisations hold back from true collaboration across the different functions of procure to pay? What should the links between the different functions of procurement, finance, AP and Treasury look like and how might they be improved? Join this interactive and animated session to find out more from a speaker who's often at the forefront of change in a wide range of organisations. Hear from an expert in digital transformation and learn from the stories he has to tell from his journeys into the UK's major transformation projects.
15:30 - 16:10 - Anthony Persse
Driving tangible value to your business through AP
In this session, Anthony “Ant” Persse will outline the key actions that Finance must take to drive greater income, improve efficiency and maintain a higher CSR for their business. An enthusiastic and engaging presenter, Ant’s presentation promises to be energetic, full of real life stories (including ‘my mate Benji’) and most importantly, packed with tangible actions to take away. Ant is an experienced credit professional, with a deep rooted passion for helping businesses succeed and has led the delivery of numerous market leading funding solutions. An accomplished executive team member that has successfully directed the strategy for a UK financier as Group Director of Strategy, that saw funding line increases of over 150% in just 24 months (over €1.5bn advanced pa).
16:10 - 16:40 - Champagne Awards Ceremony
The annual PPN Awards offer a chance to shine. Created to recognise excellence across the sector for professionals working in P2P, Finance, Procurement, Treasury and Supply Chain environments - winning demonstrates commitment, dedication and excellence in the field. Join us in celebrating our award winning teams and individuals.
16:45 - Closing remarks
Here’s what our attendees say:
European Shared Services Director, Informa
“Overall excellent day, thank you”
AP Manager, Birmingham City Council
“I thoroughly enjoyed the event from start to finish. I thought the whole day was slick and professional,
it was a pleasure to attend.”
Regional Process Owner PTP, Hitachi Europe Ltd
“A lot to take away. Could lead to some interesting discussions back at base.”
Shared Services Manager, The Adecco Group UK & Ireland