EuSpRIG 2005: Spreadsheets and SOx Conference Comes to London

Bury St. Edmunds, United Kingdom (PRWEB) June 10, 2005

The European Spreadsheet Risks Interest Group (EuSpRIG) is holding its 2005 conference on the theme of "Managing Spreadsheets in the light of Sarbanes-Oxley" on July 7 and 8 at Greenwich University, London, United Kingdom. Keynote speakers include Professor Ray Panko of the University of Hawaii, who will be speaking on “Sarbanes and the Spreadsheets,” and Dean Buckner of the Financial Services Authority who will be giving a regulatory update on the use of spreadsheets in the financial markets.

“Many studies have shown that significant sums of money are lost by organizations of all sizes because they fail to check thoroughly that spreadsheets, critical to their business, are free of material error”, said Patrick O’Beirne, EuSpRIG chairperson. “EuSpRIG was formed in 1999 to address this and related issues. The annual conference is an excellent place for leaders in this field to come together to discuss the issues and agree on best practices.”

Adrian Carter, Director of SmarttechCS, the main conference sponsor, said “Regulating authorities are taking a keen interest as it becomes increasingly clear that Banks, Financial Institutions and other large corporations are exposed to these risks. Failure to manage spreadsheet risks may lead to breaches of regulatory requirements, and place directors and managers at significant personal risk. EuSpRIG is an ideal place for us to address these issues and we are very pleased that we are able to support the 2005 conference.”

EuSpRIG 2005 is a forum for business people, regulators, auditors, academics and other interested parties to share information and ideas about the management of spreadsheet risks, related problems and opportunities. There are 18 papers and presentations in this year's conference. Topics include “The Importance and Criticality of Spreadsheets in the City of London”, “Regulation and the Integrity of Spreadsheets in the Information Supply Chain”, “Spreadsheet Risks and Accountability” and ”Protecting Spreadsheets Against Fraud”. Speakers and delegates are expected from all over Europe, USA and Canada. Companies already represented include Microsoft, Credit Suisse First Boston, Lloyds TSB, Numeritas, Inrise Financials and Dryden Wealth Management. Further information about EuSpRIG, including the conference program and booking information is available at http://www.eusprig.org

About EuSpRIG:

EuSpRIG is an organization dedicated to informing organizations about the material commercial and financial risks involved in the uncontrolled use of untested spreadsheets created by end-users who are not experienced in developing information systems. EuSpRIG is a not-for-profit organization governed by an elected committee operating under the terms of a written constitution. Committee members include senior managers and directors of leading accounting firms and senior academics from European Universities.

EuSpRIG 2005 Main Conference Sponsor:

Smarttech Consulting Services, Ltd. is a privately owned company established to meet the demand for enabling technology for compliance. SmarttechCS consults, distributes, and supports software solutions which provide knowledge from data, value from quality, and financial return from compliance. The company is headquartered in Stow-in-the-Wold, Cotswolds, United Kingdom. More information on SmarttechCS services can be found at http://www.smarttechcs.com

EuSpRIG 2005 Conference Co-Sponsors:

The following organizations are pleased to support the EuSpRIG 2005 Conference: PriceWaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Frontline Systems UK Ltd, Information Systems Audit and Control Association – Northern Chapter, University of Wales Institute Cardiff, University of Greenwich.

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