We are kicking off 2024 with our extra special CFO, Laura Parsonage, a wizard with all things financial, a busy mum who juggles work, family, home, and her passion of running, and all round lovely person who always goes the extra mile to support the team..!
Can you describe yourself in 10 words?
A tricky one in 10 words! Collaborative; always learning; positive, authentic; resilient, goal-orientated; focussed; a bit of humour in there too!
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work background?
My finance career started as graduate, completing my chartered qualification with a UK accountancy firm. Post qualified, I moved into roles in industry, working first as an FC then an FD.
After some time out on maternity leave, I become a portfolio FD working with a number of start-up/scale up businesses across several different industries. One of these was BI and, as its growth has accelerated, so has my role, and I’ve now joined the team permanently.
How long have you been with Built Intelligence?
Freelance, since 2017. As a permanent member of the team since last year.
So, can you tell us what your role entails at BI and what a ‘day in the life of’ looks like!
No two days are the same so it’s hard to give a typical ‘day in the life’. I oversee all the financial operations of the business, with my main focuses being financial reporting to the management team & Board, forecasting and cash flow projections, oversight of budgets, our financial systems & processes, and statutory/tax compliance.
What’s the best thing about your role?
- The people I work with
- The variety that comes with being in a growing business
- Interpreting the story of what the business is doing through the numbers, and using this to help ensure we make the right decisions at the right time.
What has been your finest moment at BI – what achievement have you been most proud of?
It’s the collective achievement of the whole BI team last year (2023). We have grown our headcount, increased the size of our customer-base, and grown our revenue numbers to our highest levels ever. Seeing the hard work of the team pay off through the performance of the business is so rewarding.
Tell us a little something about the person behind the role?!
When not chasing around after two young children, you’ll find me out running round the roads and trails of Bath. Running is my passion: the competitiveness (I have a 10k PB of 35mins and half marathon PB of 78mins), the mental and physical health benefits, and just being in the great outdoors!
Final thoughts or tips?
Be clear on what your passion and values are and try and live by those each day. Be kind along the way and never stop learning.