Join us at The ICC, Birmingham on the 24-25 June 2025
Public Finance Live will return to The ICC, Birmingham on 24-25 June 2025 and will bring together practitioners, commentators and experts for sector updates, discussions and insights into public finance and public service management.
Join us at The ICC, Birmingham on the 24-25 June 2025
Public Finance Live will return to The ICC, Birmingham on 24-25 June 2025 and will bring together practitioners, commentators and experts for sector updates, discussions and insights into public finance and public service management.
PF Live by numbers
Why Attend?
Public Finance Live brings together leaders and practitioners to share insight, ideas and best practice to solve the key issues impacting the public sector and to plan for the future.
CIPFA’s annual conference is ideal both for those looking at the big public policy picture and for more hands-on updates, discussion and insights into public finance and public service management.
This flagship event provides a unique opportunity to reconnect with colleagues to inspire new thinking and strengthen networks.


Delegate Pricing
Public Finance Live 2025 will have a programme packed with sessions and networking opportunities across the two days.
View the different rates for Public and Voluntary Sector, CIPFA members, Private Sector and CIPFA students for one day or full conference attendance.
Exhibitors and Sponsors
Find out more about becoming an exhibitor and the sponsorship opportunities available
Featured Speakers

Dr Vivi Niemenmaa
Secretary General, INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing (WGEA)
National Audit Office of Finland
Dr. Vivi Niemenmaa is the Secretary General of the INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing (WGEA) at the National Audit Office of Finland. In addition to leading the Secretariat, she provides substantial support for ongoing projects on climate change, biodiversity, and the green economy, and works on improving environmental and climate auditing around the world. Vivi has raised the ambition of the Working Group, particularly in addressing key environmental issues, creating new products to support auditors, and strengthening global stakeholder relations.
Vivi is a recognized expert in sustainable development and environmental governance. She has extensive experience auditing environmental and climate policies in both Finland and the EU. As an acknowledged trainer, she has spearheaded innovative collaboration between the University of Helsinki and the National Audit Office. She has pioneered approaches to policy coherence within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and emphasized the importance of long-term orientation in auditing practices.
Vivi holds a PhD in Geography and an Executive Master’s in International Relations.
Sessions
Global perspectives and evolving pressures for performance audit
Shifting political priorities continue to challenge accountability frameworks, with both direct and indirect implications for PFM systems. This panel session will consider UK and International perspectives on the evolving pressures specific to performance audit, as interest grows in assessing not just financial information, but also the broader effectiveness and impact of government programmes through non-financial information.
Global perspectives and evolving pressures for performance audit
Shifting political priorities continue to challenge accountability frameworks, with both direct and indirect implications for PFM systems. This panel session will consider UK and International perspectives on the evolving pressures specific to performance audit, as interest grows in assessing not just financial information, but also the broader effectiveness and impact of government programmes through non-financial information.

- Plenary
Dr Vivi Niemenmaa

Catherine Francis
Director General, Global and Public Health Group
Department of Health and Social care
Catherine Frances CB is Director General, Global and Public Health Group at the Department of Health and Social care. From September 2019 to December 2024, Catherine was the Director General for Local Government, Resilience and Communities at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Catherine’s previous roles include the Director for Public Services in HM Treasury, and other senior civil service roles in the Department of Health and HM Treasury. As Director General for Global and Public Health, Catherine is responsible for emergency preparedness, health protection, health improvement, public health systems, chief public health nurse office, supply resilience, Covid-19 Inquiry response, and international engagement on health.
Sessions
What are the opportunities/barriers for closer collaboration between local government and frontline services in light of the UK devolution white paper?
One year in from a new UK government, frontline services are not only dealing with reductions in budgets (in real terms) and rising demand, but long overdue funding reforms and potentially generational reforms to organisations and institutional structures through devolution. How can we work more closely across regional and local structures to deliver positive outcomes to communities?
What are the opportunities/barriers for closer collaboration between local government and frontline services in light of the UK devolution white paper?
One year in from a new UK government, frontline services are not only dealing with reductions in budgets (in real terms) and rising demand, but long overdue funding reforms and potentially generational reforms to organisations and institutional structures through devolution. How can we work more closely across regional and local structures to deliver positive outcomes to communities?

- Plenary
Catherine Francis

Freddy Ndjemba
Senior Manager- SAI Governance Department, Head of SAI Independence Workstream
INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI)
Freddy Yves Ndjemba, leads IDI’s work on SAI independence, which includes managing the SIRAM (SAI Independence Rapid Advocacy Mechanism), the SIRC (SAI Independence Research Centre), the relationships with Donors on SAI Independence, and interactions other accountability Institutions. Concurrently, he also operates as IDI’s Regional Manager for CAROSAI (Caribbean Organization of SAIs). Before that, from 2017 to 2019, he developed and managed IDI’s flagship initiative on Strategic Management SPMR (Strategy Performance Measurement and Reporting)
Before joining IDI in 2017, Mr. Ndjemba worked in the SAI of Cameroon for a decade as an engagement leader in performance audit, and later as the Chief Operating Officer of the AFROSAI (African Organization of SAIs) Secretariat. Finally, Mr. Ndjemba is an alumnus of Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne University (Masters in Audit, Control and PFM) and the National School of Administration of Cameroon.
Sessions
How public finance professionals can save the world: combatting corruption, fraud and waste
Billions of pounds a year globally are lost from public finances to fraud and corruption, leading to increased criminality, loss of services and poorer citizens. Public finance professionals are at the heart of efforts to curtail this waste, which is particularly rife in times of crisis, such as the pandemic, and global shocks. This session will hear from international examples of effort to improve assurance, governance and public trust.
How public finance professionals can save the world: combatting corruption, fraud and waste
Billions of pounds a year globally are lost from public finances to fraud and corruption, leading to increased criminality, loss of services and poorer citizens. Public finance professionals are at the heart of efforts to curtail this waste, which is particularly rife in times of crisis, such as the pandemic, and global shocks. This session will hear from international examples of effort to improve assurance, governance and public trust.

- Plenary
Freddy Ndjemba

Khalid Hamid
International Director
CIPFA
Khalid Hamid has over 30 years’ experience in public audit, having held leadership positions in the UK, South Africa and the UAE.
Throughout his career, he has been involved in an array of projects, including standard setting and capacity development, across the supreme audit institution community. Khalid has also been a member of several influential committees, including chairing the Financial Audit and Accounting Subcommittee of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI). He is currently a member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) Professional Accountancy Organization Development & Advisory Group (PAODAG).
Over the past four years, he has served as the International Director at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), growing the institute’s global footprint, with a particular focus on integrating CIPFA’s offering for financial managers, accountants, auditors and other public finance professionals.
Sessions
Global perspectives and evolving pressures for performance audit
Shifting political priorities continue to challenge accountability frameworks, with both direct and indirect implications for PFM systems. This panel session will consider UK and International perspectives on the evolving pressures specific to performance audit, as interest grows in assessing not just financial information, but also the broader effectiveness and impact of government programmes through non-financial information.
Global perspectives and evolving pressures for performance audit
Shifting political priorities continue to challenge accountability frameworks, with both direct and indirect implications for PFM systems. This panel session will consider UK and International perspectives on the evolving pressures specific to performance audit, as interest grows in assessing not just financial information, but also the broader effectiveness and impact of government programmes through non-financial information.

Chair
- Workshop (Chair)
Khalid Hamid
Hotels
Hotel bookings at a discounted rate can be made via our partner HotelMap. Click below to view the options.
Podcasts
Click below to view our podcasts, we have a series of episodes that cover the sessions from the conference.
Venue
Public Finance Live 2025 will be held at The ICC, Birmingham on 24-25 June 2025. Click below to find out more about the venue and how to get there.
Venue