Finance Monthly July 2019 Edition

9 www.finance-monthly.com NEWS - MONTHLY ROUND-UP News you Can’t Afford to Miss UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH TO MODERNISE OPERATIONS WITH ORACLE CLOUD APPLICATIONS The University of Edinburgh announced it is moving its core finance and human resource (HR) functions to Oracle Cloud Applications. With Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Cloud and Oracle Hu- man Capital Management (HCM) Cloud, the university will deliver smarter ways of working, take advantage of data-driven insights to en- hance decision-making and quickly and easily access new innovations in finance and HR. Founded in 1582, the Uni- versity of Edinburgh is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious universi- ties. Throughout its history, it has continued to present cutting-edge research, in- spirational teaching and innovative thinking as its central ethos, and is se- curely ranked as one of the leading global universities, demonstrating a continued commitment to making the changes and improve- ments that make it an even better place to study and work. To better support ad- ministrative processes as it grows and ensure it can stay focused on cutting- edge research and excel- lence in teaching, the Uni- versity selected Oracle ERP Cloud and Oracle HCM Cloud. “At The University of Edin- burgh we aim to make life sim- pler and better for everyone across the University whilst supporting our academic mis- sion,” said Gavin Ian McLa- chlan, Vice Principal and Chief Information Officer. “We already have an ambitious programme of transformation underway, and moving to the cloud will help to under- pin and support our future ways of working in Finance, HR and across all of our schools and departments. Key to its success will be ensuring we’re not only delivering an improved sys- tem and joined up process- es but also making sure our staff across the University understand what it means for them.” “Delivering world-class ed- ucation requires an insatia- ble curiosity for innovation beyond the lecture theatre,” said Debbie Green, vice president of Applications, Oracle UK. “Bringing fi- nance and HR together in the cloud will enhance the University of Edinburgh’s business processes, secu- rity and overall efficiency, ultimately helping improve the experiences that both stu- dent and staff.” Oracle ERP Cloud and Ora- cle HCM Cloud will be imple- mented by Inoapps, a Plati- num level member and Cloud Excellence Implementer (CEI) of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN). Phil Burgess, UK Managing Director at Inoapps, said: “In- oapps is delighted to be a key partner for the University of Edinburgh. Our new partner- ship is a testament to the skills and knowledge of our special- ist HE consultancy team, our investment in developing HE specific product extensions, and our strong track record of delivering multi-pillar Ora- cle Cloud solutions. We look forward to developing a close relationship with the University in the years to come.” transfer pricing and trans- action support. While these kinds of op- erational changes are in line with the types of inno- vation CEOs are seeking, there may still be a dis- parity between what tax leaders are seeing and their CEOs’ awareness of the complexities, risks and opportunities relating to today’s tax environment and the tax function itself. Tax leaders of the future The tax benchmarking survey also shows some emerging shifts in how tax leaders in Europe see themselves and their ability to add value within their organisations. In addition to helping their leadership teams and boards navigate the de- mands of today’s tax environment, the survey suggests tax leaders rec- ognise the need to de- velop new skill sets within their departments in order to help deliver more value in ways that reflect their evolving roles as business leaders and the changing needs of their organisa- tions. Alongside this call to expand the capabilities within their functions, tax departments in the re- gion continue to operate in a challenging environ- ment, rife with uncertainty. Adding to the challenges facing tax leaders is the rapid growth in the de- velopment of digital strat- egies employed by tax authorities.