With a history of banking in the UK and starting accountancy businesses in Adelaide, Mark Clayton’s busy world of finance and numbers has been far from boring. As Director of College Services at EPSW, we asked how he makes the numbers stack up to keep the College running smoothly.
What does your role involve and what do you like best about it?
My role as a director of College Services sits in the portfolio of the Vice-President Corporate Services but is based in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work. It has a broad and extensive area of responsibility but in a nutshell has oversight of most College activities that do not sit in the portfolio of the College Deans.
There is a good deal of strategic responsibility around budget management, staffing and resource allocation together with a requirement to oversee and manage the portfolio services that are provided into the College. The role provides significant support to the VPED and Deans around data preparation, along with reporting involving all the College’s activities. The College Operations teams are part of line management responsibility, and I oversee College-specific Work Integrated Learning teams.
The role requires a wide spread of skills, which is what I like about it. I use my background in accounting and education together with a broad understanding of legal issues and industrial relations to provide a good level of support to the College’s leadership group. The group of six College Directors around the Uni work very closely together and I feel the organisation benefits significantly from this level of collaboration.
What journey brought you to this point in your career?
After several years working in banking in the UK and then moving into accountancy and setting up my own practice, we moved to South Australia. I spent the first decade here starting and growing accounting and business consultancy practices, which included working with some very large locally owned businesses around the state, addressing their strategic planning, financial management and building growth strategies. After selling my practice in 2012, I ran a disability supportive care business and then moved into business management in education. I started at Flinders 15 months ago and I’m thoroughly enjoying working with the people and the variety in my role. It’s great to see the result of what we do to improve student satisfaction and the University’s reputation for providing great educational outcomes.
What is something you’re most proud of?
Life seems to involve small wins that, when accumulated, provide satisfaction and achievement. Like most parents, I’m proud of what our three kids have achieved in their 20 or so years, with each of them working and enjoying what they do. I’m also rather proud to have had two letters printed in Viz Magazine (Poms reading this will understand, and smile).
What was the last book you read?
I’ve just finished Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan, which I’d recommend to anyone who feels that our current way of living just doesn’t seem quite right. I’m now working my way through Noise, by Kahneman, Sibony and Sunstein, as well as How the Mind Works, by Stephen Pinker – which I’ve attempted twice in the past 20 years and got half-way through, but I’m determined to finish it before I die.
How do you like to spend your spare time?
Having never been particularly practical while growing up and spending a good deal of my working life not actually producing anything tangible, I now really enjoy working with wood and running small construction projects where I can see a result. I also enjoy pretty much anything that involves physical activity and getting outside. I gravitate to the hills and mountains in winter, whenever I get the opportunity – and I’m hoping we don’t get any further lockdowns, so we can get across to the Grampians before spring.