What 553 school leaders across AU, NZ, the UK and the US are seeing, and what stronger controls look like in practice
Fraud and security risk in schools is no longer a niche issue for IT teams alone. It is showing up in the day-to-day reality of approvals, supplier changes, invoice processing, governance reporting and recovery readiness.
In this practical Lunch & Learn, Daryll Holland will unpack key findings from Alii’s survey of 553 school leaders across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US, then connect those findings to the operational controls schools can strengthen now.While legal and compliance obligations vary by region, the pressure points are often strikingly similar across school environments, especially around email-based impersonation, supplier changes, payment verification, accountability and visibility.
Where fraud and security risk is landing most often in schools
What leaders see as the biggest threats heading into 2026
Why manual processes and unclear ownership still create exposure
What practical, repeatable controls look like across approvals, vendor changes and payment workflows
How stronger workflow visibility can support governance, accountability and audit readiness
Where technology can help reduce manual risk without adding unnecessary friction
School Business Managers
Bursars and finance leaders
CFOs, COOs and Principals
IT leaders and operational decision-makers
About the host
Daryll Holland is an experienced technology and information security leader with deep expertise in international privacy laws, information security, governance and risk management. He has led high-performing teams across the public and private sectors and brings strong commercial and operational perspective, including experience with an ASX 100 listed global education provider.
Lessons from School Business and Finance Leaders on approvals, purchasing and AP automation, plus the change management that makes it stick
This is a practical playbook built from lessons and quotes shared by finance leaders. It’s designed to help school teams modernise approvals, purchasing and accounts payable without creating extra workload. Use it whether you’re considering AP automation or already working through workflow change.
The key lessons schools shared when modernising approvals and AP workflows
Real quotes and learnings from school finance leaders across Australia and New Zealand
A practical “where to start” checklist to reduce chasing and bottlenecks
Common pitfalls that slow adoption, and what schools did instead
A one-page Key Findings Snapshot you can share internally
“Automation has turned what used to be an administrative burden into a controlled, transparent, and reliable process.”
Ian Mendes, Director of Business Services, St Joseph’s College
“Clear and consistent communication is key.”
Jaime Southam, Finance Manager, Penrhos College
Finance Directors, CFOs, Business Managers, bursars, finance and accounts payable staff
Principals and executive leaders involved in approvals and governance
Operations and procurement leaders supporting process improvement
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Alii is accounts payable and procurement software for schools. It helps teams modernise approvals and accounts payable with clearer visibility, consistent pathways, and stronger traceability.
The typical Accounts Payable function has long been a time-intensive and manual process with many facets and bottlenecks. Leading Education Institutions around the world chose Alii to protect and streamline accounts payable and procurement functions.
Alii seamlessly integrates with your existing School Management and Accounting platforms that you already know and love.
Never lose a supplier invoice or purchase order again. Best in class dashboards, email alerts provide a new level of visibility for your organisation.
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Digitise the procure to pay process, keeping desks clear from paper pileups and allowing you to digitally view, approve and report on your purchase orders and invoices.
Alii manages complex approvals and delegation of authority for purchases and payments, as well as reducing errors that result from manual data entry.
Save your finance and admin staff time by automating manual tasks via workflows and automatic invoice scanning technology.
All invoices are passed through Alii’s proprietary fraud detection engine which has the most advanced technology in the industry.
