September 22 - 25, 2008 - Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, NV
Day Four: Conference - Wednesday, September 24, 2008
7:00 Registration And Networking Breakfast
8:00 Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
Jim Arnold
President
Apex Analytics
8:15 KEYNOTE CASE STUDY: Improving Financial Governance With Shared Services
- Developing a sound strategy for financial governance to improve operational efficiencies, reduce costs and increase financial transparency
- Enhancing risk management capabilities and ensure strict regulatory compliance
- Managing key accounting activities, financial analytics and spreadsheet compliance
- Adapt processes and tools to streamline core financial controls for successful financial governance
Michael Jones
AVP Accounting Services
Yahoo
Theresa Clark
Vice President, Finance Transformation
Trintech
9:05 KEYNOTE CASE STUDY: Why Do Companies Choose Not To SSO?
Shared Services is not the only way. A number of companies choose not to go down the Shared Services route or, in others start with a Shared Services structure and abandon the methodology in favor of a more decentralized model. The reasons for not pursuing Shared Services provide us with an opportunity to look at the potential pitfalls and weaknesses of Shared Services and allow SS professionals to develop strategies to overcome these problems and strengthen the business overall. In this session Manish Sahai will look at successful Shared Services environments and also companies that have chosen alternative methods and highlight both the strengths and weaknesses of each structure. Topics to be discussed include:
- Leadership in outsourcing – identifying and supporting the right leaders to drive the Shared Services Model forward
- Working with the supporting business units to build support and drive future strategies
- Challenges, strategic framework and driving results
- Preparing for the future: developing a flexible structure to allow for future growth and changing business needs
Manish Sahai
VP Service Network Partners
American Express
9:55 Networking Refreshment Break In The Exhibit Hall
STRUCTURE & STRATEGY FOR YOUR SSO
Critical to the success of your endeavor, structure and strategy are a central theme to our event this year. We address issues such who are your stakeholders
and what does a customer centric structure look like and how to you relay the methodology beyond the borders of your SSO to the business units?
Track A
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Track B
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10:45 The SSC Versus SSO – Becoming A Customer Driven Model
- Creating global strategies based on local cultures
- Enhancing communications between Shared Services and the business units
- Identifying measures for service initiatives to ensure proper accountability
- Using a “Kaizen” approach to improve Shared Services
 Russ Finney
US Vice President & CIO
Tokyo Electron US Holdings
TEL now utilizes a formal and growing Shared Service operation within its global footprint which supports over 10,000 employees in over 80 locations. The Japan based maker of semiconductor manufacturing equipment has established a business SSC operation in Tokyo know as BP (Business Partner) which provides Finance, H/R, facility, and travel
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10:45 Understanding And Managing Your Various Stakeholders To Ensure Excellent Customer Service
- Providing customer service training for your staff
- Identifying your stakeholder groups
- Communicating differently to different groups
Larry Dismukes
CFO
Galls, Inc.
Aramark Uniform & Career Apparel, Inc:
June 2008 represents 3 years of continued growth in the Financial Shared Services Center. The center located in Lexington, KY is currently responsible for Credit, Collections, Cash Applications, & Specialty Billing for its internal client groups. Our Financial group composed of 112 team members performs as a blended call center specializing in outbound collections. The FSSC has continued to enhance its technological tool kit to streamline business processes, allowing us to achieve new efficiencies and cost savings.
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LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY
The technology sessions focus on technology as an enabler to Shared Services and how technology can add value through measurement of delivery but also KM as a value delivery tool and shared
scanning centers and efficiency tools. Chaired by Brainware
11:35 OB10 Panel
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11:35 Workflow And Document Management Enabling Technologies
- Effectively utilizing technologies to reduce complexities and increase efficiencies
- Utilizing technology to improve workflow optimization
- Moving past traditional methods to further drive business value
Mike Noble
SVP Shared Services
U.S. Foodservice
US food services is the Nations 2nd largest foodservice distributor that employs more than 27,000 people in over 80 distribution facilities across North America and South America and a n annual revenue of $21 Billion dollars. The Shared Services function has been in operation for over 10 years with the 1 national Shared Service center responsible for AP, Cash application, General accounting, purchase allowance tracking, and collection as well as all tax functions including personal tax, property, sales, State and Federal Taxes.
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12:20 Networking Luncheon
1:30
Procurement Cards for Standardization and Control
In conjunction with adopting a shared services model for our previously decentralized
accounting processes, HMSHost implemented a procurement card program. The initial
program goals included increased standardization, improved efficiency and strengthened
control over low dollar, high volume spend. On the road to standardization, we overcame
reluctant adopters, concerns about control and spotty compliance with statement approval
tracking
 Amir Ali
Senior Director, Processing, HMSHost National Processing Center
Rheiya Florence, Senior Manager, Accounts Payable, HMSHost National
HMSHost National Processing Center
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1:30 Case Study: Alltel Shared Services Gets Back On Track With AP Automation
Like many organizations, Alltel Wireless has been tasked with doing more with less. When the landline division spun off, the Alltel Shared Service Center was left with half the staff and over 13,000 (mostly non-PO) invoices per month to process. They had invested in EDI and workflow technologies but were still unable to meet their targeted discount percentages or reduce their dependency on temporary data entry personnel. Find out the process improvements and best practices that Alltel applied to their SSC to exceed their 2007 goals and get the center back on track.
During the session you will learn how Alltel:
- Turned AP from data processing center to profit center by eliminating manual procedures
- Significantly decreased operational costs associated with invoice processing
- Drastically increased their ability to take early payment discounts
- Re-structured the organization to include more analytical personnel
- Continues to reap ROI from invoice processing improvements
- Plans to roll out more efficiency and productivity improvements for their SSC
 Lynn Smith
Staff Manager – Finance
Alltel Wireless
 Cathy Davenport
Finance Supervisor - Accounts Payable
Alltel Wireless
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SCOPE & SCALE OF YOUR SSO
Economies of scale and leverage are what SS is all about but do economies become diseconomies of scale? These sessions look at topics such as how to
attract additional functions to your SSO and how to make optimize leverage.
2:20 30 Ideas in 40 Minutes
Sometimes the most important idea/concept/tool/method that you take home
from an event is just one simple easy idea that you can take back and get an immediate win. The idea of
the 30 ideas in 40 minutes is for leading service providers’ consultants and practitioners on our panel to
present in just a few minutes, the top ideas they have found have added value to SSOs they have run,
worked in or collaborated with. The audience then through a series of voting reduces the list down to a
list of 10 top takeaways from the session.
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2:20 Shared Services Implementations: Practical Considerations & Overcoming Obstacles
Hear how Tree of Life, Inc., a $1 billion distribution company, launched a successful U.S. Shared Services Center despite:
- Navigating through a turnaround situation
- Minimal investment in financial systems
- Disparate processes and procedures
- Aggressive implementation targets
Hear how Tree of Life Shared Services has achieved multi-million dollar reductions in primary working capital and progressed from disorder to stability to efficiency
 Bruce Natter
Director of U.S. Shared Services
Tree of Life, Inc.
As the nation's leading distributor of natural, organic, specialty, ethnic, and gourmet food products, Tree of Life has helped thousands of retailers, from the largest supermarket chains to the smallest independent stores, meet the constantly growing demand for products that help Americans to "live well." Tree of Life Shared Services was launched in 2006 during a major corporate restructuring. The SSC encompasses A/R, A/P, Manufacturer Chargebacks, Payroll, Non-inventory Procurement, and Corporate Travel. With very limited lead time for planning, Bruce Natter, Director of Tree of Life Shared Services will discuss the strategies and tactics which enabled a successful launch despite significant obstacles. Mr. Natter will also discuss the evolution of the SSC since inception, focusing on the practical methods his team employed to turn a vision into reality.
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3:05 Afternoon Networking Break
3:35 Evaluating & Mitigating Offshoring & Outsourcing Risks
- Offshore outsourcing as both a strategic and tactical method of meeting new business demands
- Understand the strategic intent and sourcing approach
- Gain an overview of framework and project logic
- Discuss service quality framework and “watch-out” Gary Walker, Director of Shared Services, Molson Coors Brewing Co.
Gary Walker
Director of Shared Services
Molson Coors Brewing Co.
OUTSOURCING
In an economy that is tending towards a downturn, outsourcing as always presents an alluring opportunity for cost efficiencies through potential
employee arbitrage. However the decision to outsource is not so easy; different legal and cultural environments provide complicating factors and you
need to know what parts of your function you can afford to outsource without effecting quality of service and putting at risk company information.
4:10 Vendor Management – Moving Beyond The SLA
- When SLAs are not needed
- Determining the effectiveness of SLAs
- Measuring success in terms of overall business goals
- Ensuring a positive and beneficial partnership focused on continual improvements
AJ Bernstein
Head of Shared Services
Electronic Arts
Pankaj Sharma
Director Finance and Outsourcing Lead
Electronic Arts
4:55 Making The Right Outsourcing Decision
- The hot new outsourcing locations for 2009
- Evaluating what to outsource and what to keep in house
- Managing and communicating to stakeholders amid cultural differences
Patrick Cassity
Leader Global Shared Services
Owens Corning
Owens Corning has three Shared Services locations worldwide - Charleston, WV (supporting N America, center of excellence for Accounts Payable, Freight Processing, Travel and Entertainment processing) Mumbai, India (local support for our India business operations, as well as central location for Property Accounting, Fixed Assets Accounting, Bank and GL Account Reconciliation) and Warrington, UK (local support for European business operations) Opportunities for future growth include centralized back office operations in Latin America, Asia Pacific (outside of India) and the bringing in back office operations of acquired business entity (primary operations in Europe, Asia Pacific. Challenges include a myriad of ERP systems, building and maintaining a talent pipeline and continued integration of Shared Services into business units
5:40 Close Of Conference
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