Financial Services takes first and second at BF awards
The University's Director of Finance Andrew McConnell (left) received his award from comedian, actor and compere for the awards evening Hugh Dennis
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 12:26:00 GMT
At the 2016 Business Finance Awards, Director of Financial Services Andrew McConnell claimed the title of UK Financial Director of the Year
Huddersfield’s Director of Financial Services Andrew McConnell was voted UK Financial Director of the Year Public and Voluntary Sector at a gala dinner held last night in London’s Royal Garden Hotel.
The latest ceremony comes just weeks after Mr McConnell received an OBE at Buckingham Palace. As the University’s Director of Finance since 2001, he has created and led a financial strategy that has enabled it to become one of the few universities in the UK to have no debt while still being able to invest millions in its campus.
The Business Finance Awards are organised by the journal Financial Director. Specifications state that the successful candidate for UK Finance Director of the Year will be “an industry leader who has achieved notable career success and demonstrated the highest level of innovation, business strategy and quality of service. As a role model, the candidate will possess integrity and strong leadership within the profession”.
The University nearly took the honours in a second category as well. In the Finance Team of the Year class, the overall Finance Team, led by Mr McConnell, were pipped at the post into second place, but received much praise from the judges and were ‘highly commended’.
In recent years, the University’s Finance Team (pictured) has been accredited with the Customer Service Excellence standard – a distinction held by just two Higher Education finance departments – and was also the winner of the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management award for Outstanding Finance Team in 2015.
“The University is on the firmest financial footing of any university in the UK,” said Mr McConnell, “and I am delighted that our performance was recognised with a shortlisting in two categories of an awards scheme that aims to reward the best finance talent across the private and public sectors.”
- The Higher Education Statistics Agency Financial Security Index shows that for the past three years, the University of Huddersfield has been the UK’s financially strongest “mainstream” university – ie with a turnover in excess of £100 million. It has no debt but the condition of its estate is in the UK top ten. More than £95 million has been spent on the estate over the last eight years and the University has now embarked on a new £200 million “building without borrowing” programme.
