Welcome to the MPF Finance Panel

The MPF Finance Panel is a group of finance specialists working in organisations providing professional and other knowledge-based services to business. Objectives of the Panel:

Link members through a formal network across professional services.
Exchange ideas and best practices
Benchmark best practice through focused surveys on specific issues.
Enhance the contribution of finance professionals to management discussions at firms

Why have a Finance Panel?

Whilst there are many existing tools and frameworks to improve technical capability, the Finance Panel considers significant issues within firm management that will make a real difference for its members.
A growing number of FD’s do not hold an accountancy qualification. Whilst other networks may isolate them, the MPF Finance Panel provides an inclusive forum for all.
Being an “outsider” (non-lawyer, non-accountant) on an executive committee can be challenging especially with no personal background in professional service firm management

KNOWLEDGE

Structured: Panel Directors work with committee members to create online surveys on relevant topics, analyse results and publish the findings for free in the public domain.

Ad hoc: A member sends a question to mpfpulse@pmint.co.uk. HQ canvasses experts and members, and publishes a summary of contributions.

EVENTS

Panel events are open to all MPF and Panel members. Participants can tap into rich case studies and anecdotes - great to supplement dry statistics from surveys when presenting to management. These are intimate peer-group events to discuss issues under the 'Chatham House Rule', governing the confidentiality of the source of information received at a meeting. Much of the benefit comes from people sharing tacit know how on how to use explicit knowledge more widely or effectively in their organisation or externally.

Participants will learn new ideas and approaches, but what they share will be difficult to copy for quick commercial advantage because it will be culture specific - culture being the "deep" differentiator in most excellent knowledge businesses, regardless of sector. So each event will cover not only best practice but also ways participants have found to tackle typical cultural barriers to implementation.

As a membership organisation, all events are member only. However, those interested in joining are welcome to attend one event as our guest in order to 'smell the coffee'.

COMMITTEE

Panel Chair: Paul Edwards joined DLA Piper as CFO in late 2004 with responsibility for all matters financial outside of the US. He is a member of both the Firm's International Board and the Management Executive. His extensive experience in the professional services industry includes three years with Linklaters in a group controllership role and seven years with Simmons & Simmons as the Director of Finance. An ACA, he qualified with Arthur Andersen, leaving as an Audit Manager to join Lex Service plc where amongst other things he gained considerable and varied experience as a user of a broad range of professional services.

Panel Director: Jane Galvin is Head of Professional Services at Barclays Commercial Bank. Jane and her team work closely with law and accountancy firms providing them with capital for expansive operations across the globe, helping firms to identify strategic opportunities for change. Jane and her team use forward thinking strategies to set the benchmark within the banking industry.

Charlotte Balfry, Berwin Leighton Paisner

Richard Dunkley spent nine years at Price Waterhouse where he was responsible for managing the provision of audit services and business advice to major European and US firms in the media, property, insurance and manufacturing business sectors. He also gained considerable exposure to a variety of non-audit assignments including the London Stock Exchange flotations of organisations. Since leaving Price Waterhouse in 1995, Richard has worked in a variety of finance positions in both public and private companies within the services sector, culminating in his appointment as the Group Finance Director of NB Real Estate in June 2002.

Laurence Milsted is Finance Director of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and is responsible for all aspects of financial management and financial systems. He has been at Freshfields since 1993 and Finance Director since 1998. Over this time the firm has grown significantly with revenue increasing by over four times and the international network extended organically and through two major German mergers.

David McLaughlin was appointed Group Finance Director at Simmons & Simmons in May 2005 and is responsible for the financial affairs of the worldwide partnership managing a global team. Prior to that David was Associate Director and Head of Group Finance at Linklaters, where he was responsible for the reorganisation and restructuring of the global finance team, provided merger support and due diligence activities and was heavily involved in the selection, development and implementation of SAP. David trained with Touche Ross & Co, where he worked on a number of audit assignments in London and Paris and on forensic investigations in Luxembourg. On leaving the profession, David established the group reporting function at Arjo Wiggins Appleton.

Bob Warburton, Deloitte

MEMBERSHIP

Two independent referees are required. Panel membership is free for 'Full 'MPF members and £500 plus admission fee for others.

Consultants are only eligible for Panel membership in exceptional circumstances. Membership renews on 1 July with a sliding scale in the first year. If interested, please complete the registration form.