University of Melbourne taps KPMG for finance, HR systems uplift

The University of Melbourne is set to overhaul its HR and finance systems over the coming months, with KPMG Australia enlisted to deploy a new enterprise-wide Workday platform.

KPMG revealed the planned “whole-of-organisation” uplift on Thursday, which it said would deliver an “enhanced HR and finance experience” for its 9000-plus academic and professional staff.

“The new solution will provide a platform for the university to enhance support for its people and operations,” the consultancy said in a statement.

KPMG’s transformation team will “manage the deploy of Workday Financial Management and Workday Human Capital Management”.

University of Melbourne chief information officer Byron Collins said the uplift will allow the university to “simplify and enhance [its] processes”, allowing it to provide the best experience for our staff and students.

“We are delighted to be working with KPMG to upgrade our HR and Finance platform,” Colins, who doubles as executive director of business services, added.

KPMG Australia’s national managing partner for management consulting Christa Gordon described the uplift as an “important project” for the university.

She added that it is also “recognition of the scale and capability we have built in our business transformation, technology implementation and Workday practices”.

iTnews has contacted KPMG for additional information about the project, including when the Workday platform is expected to launch.

The University of Melbourne is the latest tertiary education institution to look to Workday, with Macquarie University and Flinders University both deploying the platform in the last two years.

Macquarie University engaged Accenture in 2020 to replace a “patchwork” of systems for payroll, talent and recruitment management, timekeeping and learning management with Workday.

The new HR system launched for university, MQ Health and Campus Life employees in early February 2021.

Flinders University, meanwhile, deployed Workday HCM in 2020, ahead of a rethink of HR processes to bring together planning, recruitment and talent development on a single cloud platform.

Murdoch University last year also selected Workday to replace a number of legacy systems across finance, human resources and planning as part of a major business transformation.