People are my biggest passion. It’s why my undergraduate degree is in Anthropology and why I reluctantly decided to become a chartered accountant more than 20 years ago. I wanted to learn how to channel my aptitude for numbers and fascination for growing businesses into a career.
Now, after decades in the industry, I strongly believe in keeping things simple and focused. Moving away from technical jargon means we can tap into our creativity and flow and have fun while doing our best work. However, simplicity doesn’t mean basic or lightweight – working with me means you’ll see a quantifiable step change that will impact your business.
I started my career with Mazars, a firm focused on owner-managed businesses, where I realised supporting founders through the emotional rollercoaster of raising investment really excited me. Wanting to see how my financial models performed in real life, I began working with City and Guilds, where implementing my plans helped the team turn a loss-making year into a profit. Ultimately, revenue grew by £30m, and I also got to help create the world’s first online Patchwork and Quilting course!
Needing a new challenge, I headed off to Athens to teach English, learning the beauty of simplicity, useful for both grammar and the tax system, and how to win over a crowd. Joining Xchanging as Commercial Director on my return to the UK, I helped manage our IPO and discovered David Andrew’s amazing but simple methodology for thriving organisational transformation – which I still use as part of the CFO support I provide.
In 2012 I co-founded MetaValue, an anti-austerity strategy consultancy that helped organisations thrive in a financially sustainable way. We worked with youth organisations, arts and cultural services and social enterprises, and the Cabinet Office even recognised our work as best practice. My team and I continue to work with DCMS, and I’m super proud of the libraries, music hubs and youth centres around the country we’ve helped keep open for local communities.
Later I was a founding Board Director and CFO for Workfinder, a tech-for-good company founded by leading angel investor, Sherry Coutu. Workfinder helps students secure high impact work experience with the UK’s most exciting tech companies in the hope of a fairer future for business.
Now, most of my time is spent supporting founders on their own growth plans as The Friendly CFO. Alongside my paid strategic CFO support, I work with various partners to provide free business growth programmes for eligible founders who need my support.
© MetaValue Strategy Consulting Ltd trading as The Friendly CFO
© MetaValue Strategy Consulting Ltd trading as The Friendly CFO
