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Cool Careers in Accounting Ep. 22 - From Wall Street to World Impact with Rachel Harrison
293 Plays8 days ago
In this Cool Careers in Accounting episode, host Mike Potenza sits down with former investment banker and Division I golfer Rachel Harrison as she recounts her 30-year rise from Accenture coder and Deutsche Bank analyst to Chief Financial Officer of The Meliore Foundation, a 400-person global nonprofit that uses strategic communications to fight climate change. Harrison discusses swapping profit for purpose, how she steers finance, IT and risk across 40 countries, and her advice for accountants who want to turn spreadsheets into social impact. Join us for this fascinating conversation with a true mission-driven finance leader.
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Transcript
Introduction to Rachel Harrison
00:00:09
Speaker
Hey, everyone. Mike Potenza from Becker Cool Careers and Accounting Podcasts. And my guest this week is someone very interesting. Her name is Rachel Harrison, and she's the chief financial officer for the Melior Foundation.
00:00:23
Speaker
Now, she comes from a background of some very impressive firms and organizations where she worked.
Rachel's Educational Background and Early Career
00:00:29
Speaker
But in her current role, she's doing something a lot different. different than what she used to do. She is fighting for the planet.
00:00:37
Speaker
She is dealing with climate change, and it's really impressive what her organization is doing. So I'd like to introduce you to our guest, Rachel Harrison. Rachel, thank you for being here. ah Thank you for having me.
00:00:48
Speaker
Excellent. Well, Rachel, we want to start with the career. Now, you are in finance and you've pretty much always been in finance, but I'd like to know going back, where'd you grow up? When did you know you wanted to be into finance and where'd you go to school?
00:01:06
Speaker
Yeah. um So I grew up in Orlando, Florida. ah And I suppose my um interest in finance, oddly enough, ah came from my mother. um She always said to me, Rachel, if you want to be in a position that drives a business and and is the center of all the business decisions, work in finance.
00:01:27
Speaker
um you know you know Bless her, she was a housewife herself, um but was ah a brilliant business mind. And I suspect if she was born in a different time, probably we would have had an amazing career herself.
00:01:39
Speaker
So I like to think that I have kind of channeled her um wishes through that. ah In terms of where I went to school, um I went to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
00:01:50
Speaker
um I actually majored in economics as an undergraduate. um always I always knew that I wanted to pursue an MBA. um And I did do that four years later at the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, and where I majored in finance and multinational management.
First Job and Networking Moments
00:02:08
Speaker
All right. So University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, not only did you take all of these great classes and programs, but correct me if I'm wrong, you were a Division one athlete. Is that right? Yeah, that's correct. um I play on the golf team of all of all teams.
00:02:21
Speaker
I started golf when I was eight years old and and always wanted to be on scholarship and did get I was lucky enough to get a scholarship at University. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. um I did major in economics, um but I do think the the experience I had there, um I remember riding in the team van, writing papers. I think back then we did actually have laptops, they existed.
00:02:43
Speaker
It was many moons ago. um and And when I graduated, I did work in, I got a job at Accenture um because I always knew I wanted to go back to get my MBA, which I got in finance and multinational management.
00:02:57
Speaker
um I will say that as part of that curriculum, we took a lot of accounting courses. in terms of international accounting, obviously, because it was multinational management, um as well as the the foundational accounting courses, which are really vital ah when you have any sort of career in finance. Excellent, excellent. So in full transparency here,
00:03:18
Speaker
The way that Rachel and I met, we went to a charity golf outing and we got paired together in the same foursome. And I'm a pretty bad golfer, but at least a lot of people at these things are pretty bad golfers. And then so got a couple of guys I'm playing with, we hit the ball and we're like spraying it all over the place. And then Rachel comes up and...
00:03:35
Speaker
Like a missile down the middle. were like, who was that? It was really pretty impressive to play with you. I will say that. But um anyway, so now you said you went to UNC and then you went to the Wharton School, which is, you know just absolutely amazing place.
00:03:50
Speaker
Then you started
Career Growth in Financial Advisory
00:03:51
Speaker
your career. And I think your career really spanned, you know, public work, private, and so many different sectors, but with some really you know well-known companies, um Accenture, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, Babcock & Brown.
00:04:05
Speaker
So maybe you can just kind of give us a little walk through what you did at these different organizations. So before we even get into the not-for-profit, we could get an understanding of your background.
00:04:16
Speaker
Right. Yeah. So um at Accenture, I was, it was my first career out of undergraduate and a very typical kind of analyst role. I actually did did some computer programming. um What language?
00:04:27
Speaker
It was COBOL. Oh, really? I know. Yeah. Wow. Wow. I think there was some C++ plus plus back then, but so yeah, um I did do computer programming. um To be honest, one the one of the final projects I worked on there, though, we built a financial model. And again, this is going to date me.
00:04:42
Speaker
it was i think it was with verizon i'm sure i can probably reveal the client names now it's been so many years ah we were trying to determine whether they should enter the dsl market um they had dial up you know they wanted to be able to upgrade all their other networks and i really found that fascinating which is why when i went back to my uh to get my mba i decided to pursue finance um after uh after business school though um i moved over to the uk And you're you're right that I worked at Deutsche Bank and then Credit Suisse. And in those banks, I worked in a division called um Credit Ratings Advisory.
00:05:16
Speaker
And those are ah we would work with um clients who had credit ratings with Moody's, S&P. um Maybe they wanted to acquire another company. They wanted to know what's the impact on their credit rating.
00:05:28
Speaker
um and And also just like maybe they're getting an an initial credit rating. um Again, it was a really good you um job to have after getting the the finance and multinational management degree, because again, it required a lot of like accounting knowledge to build these financial models and to to be able to present them.
Transition to Nonprofit Work
00:05:46
Speaker
um And then I think when I was at Credit Suisse, I had my first child and I wanted to work part-time, which in investment banking, um they weren't too accommodating, I will be honest.
00:05:58
Speaker
And I think things have changed a lot since then. But I left to to work at Babcock & Brown, which was, to be honest, a really interesting organization. at the time, they were the largest wind farm owner.
00:06:11
Speaker
Really? Yeah. And um they were a kind of investment management stroke private equity firm. um They wanted to build a research team. And I came in and they said, Rachel, with your background credentials, why don't you just build a team?
00:06:24
Speaker
ah So I worked there until 2008. Unfortunately, the the debt crisis happened and they over levered a few acquisitions and they're no longer in existence. It happens. Unfortunately, it happens. Yeah. So if i hear what you're saying, you have your accounting background.
00:06:40
Speaker
You have your finance background. Now you're doing computer programming. Then you're going into research. I mean, that's that's a pretty impressive series of hats that you're wearing right now.
00:06:50
Speaker
OK. So then you said, all right, Babcock and Brown, over-levered. They go away. And you move now to your first not-for-profit. Is that correct? A United Aid? Right. It was um United aid for Azerbaijan. At the time, we ah my family my family got an expat assignment in Baku, Azerbaijan with my husband's work.
00:07:09
Speaker
um And while I lived there is actually when I qualified and as an accountant. um I took ah courses to get my qualification with SEMA, the Chart Institute of Management Accountants, which is ah partnered with AICPA.
00:07:21
Speaker
um And um And I just wanted to be able to use those skills that i had developed um you know as part of that qualification. And United for Azerbaijan is an amazing organization. started by a British woman named Gwen Birchall.
00:07:36
Speaker
um And ah they um help rehabilitate children who are born with cancer. development difficulties, either know learning difficulties or physical ah um disabilities, um and and have really made a ah huge impact on um children their lives in Azerbaijan.
00:07:55
Speaker
I will say one of the challenges of working in such an environment, at one point the government decided we could not repatriate any funds from the UK into Azerbaijan, um and the staff basically went unpaid for six months.
00:08:08
Speaker
wow I mean, that that is a very noble cause for sure, the work that they did. I'm sorry to hear about the not being paid for six months. That's never good. But there might be some people in this room, not me, of course, but somebody might not know where Abizajan is, if I even say it right. Where exactly is that? um It's nestled between Iran to the south and ah Russia to the north. OK, I knew that.
00:08:30
Speaker
Geography was never one of my strong points. And don't ask me to spell that country name, but how long were you there? We were there for three years. Oh, wow. So yeah'm I'm sure you must have done some great work while you were there. So that's one of the nice things about not-for-profits, the type of work that you do and really the difference you make in people's lives.
00:08:46
Speaker
What made you make that shift from you know commercial for-profit business over to not-for-profits? Yeah. um I mean, if I could be brutally honest about kind of working in the for-profit sector, certainly at least the careers that I chose, I quite often found them soul-destroying to be really ah kind of harsh.
00:09:08
Speaker
um I think, you know, they were their great careers, built built a great foundation, but I really wanted to do something that really impacted people. um And I think working at United ah united aid for um Azerbaijan and seeing these people show up to work, not getting paid.
00:09:22
Speaker
I was like, wow, you know this is like real commitment to the mission and the cause.
Cultural Adaptations and Housing Initiatives
00:09:26
Speaker
yeah These are my people. And and so I you know have kind of constantly tried to seek out roles that help me make an impact ah either in people's lives or in the and the globe.
00:09:36
Speaker
um I really want to leave the world in a better place, I guess, for my children. yeah That's fantastic. i mean, that is is just you know great and refreshing to hear. I wish there were more people like that. that That's fantastic.
00:09:48
Speaker
But I'm just trying to think about you doing this. you know you you You're born in the United States, so you know we know the United States. Then you make the change, and now you're working in the UK, which is enough different than the United States.
00:10:02
Speaker
And now you're moving into the Middle East to do do this other type of work. So How do you make those adjustments? It must be really difficult. Well, yeah, I think with the UK and the US, s like where they they say they're um ah two countries separated by a common language. So I think it is a challenge to try and adapt to the different cultural contexts. I mean, kind of an interesting story. When I first moved out to to the UK and was working at Deutsche Bank, I actually reported to a manager who was a German.
00:10:34
Speaker
And he said to me, Rachel, you are way too direct. He said, can you kind of tone your request down to the clients? um So I really, you know, I think a lot of it is having that open kind of communication with other people and understanding like, what are you doing well? What can you improve upon and and taking that feedback on board and, um and yeah, adapting your style accordingly.
00:10:55
Speaker
Well, that is interesting. i I've only worked in the United States, so I can imagine with the different cultures, it really has a learning curve on just to know what to say, how to act for sure. Exactly.
00:11:08
Speaker
So after United Aid, you next moved to Wokingham Housing, and then after Wokingham Housing, the Center for Public Impact. So just tell me, how did you wind out wind up at these places?
00:11:18
Speaker
And are they profit, not-for-profit? And I know, again, you wore multiple hats, finance, operations, HR. So tell me about these ah these work opportunities you had.
00:11:29
Speaker
Right. Yeah. So when we returned from Azerbaijan, um I first worked with Wokingham Housing. It's a not-for-profit housing organization that builds social and affordable housing, basically houses for people who cannot afford to buy their own or even rent ah market rates.
00:11:48
Speaker
um And so I found, to be honest, I found that a really fulfilling role because um You know, we would ah build housing sites and and have like days where we met some of the tenants. And I had a one woman, a story that that she told me that really impacted me, um had like moved in, had been given keys to this new ah two bedroom flat for her and her her baby.
00:12:10
Speaker
um And she was so grateful because the week before she'd been living in a friend's shed. Oh, my goodness. That was her house. Yeah. So I'm sure, you know, in the US, there's a similar crisis. In the UK, there's definitely a very, um you know, housing crisis of of affordability and making sure people can get on the housing ladder.
00:12:28
Speaker
um So that just really was impactful and really, again, goes back to um trying to make a difference in people's lives. Now, I left Wokingham Housing.
Impactful Roles and Leadership in Nonprofits
00:12:36
Speaker
It was a a company that was owned by what we call local authority in the UK. It's like a either a county or municipal government.
00:12:44
Speaker
um They wanted to roll roll that into the um the municipal the government. And um I'd seen enough for the government to know the culture wasn't really a good fit for me. um Center for Public Impact was was recruiting a director of finance.
00:12:59
Speaker
um it It was looking to expand. It was just based in the UK when I started there. um They wanted to set up a a 501c3 in North America, um a charity in in Australia.
00:13:12
Speaker
And I really saw this as an opportunity to kind of take um the MBA that I got again, which was in finance and multinational management, and really combine that into one role. um It is a and another not-for-profit. It's an interesting one because it was actually spun out of Boston Consulting Group, BCG. sure um And its mission is to reimagine government so it works for everyone.
00:13:33
Speaker
So, um you know, again, a noble cause, although my my daughters would say, governments, we don't like governments. I think there's a lot of skepticism over what what governments can provide and and do for their people. But um there are some really innovative stuff that that we're doing there.
00:13:48
Speaker
um And you are right that, you know, in these types of organizations, you have to wear multiple hats. um Usually funding is quite strapped. and and so Resources. Yes. And so you have to be able to roll up your sleeves and and and do what what you need to do to to get the job done.
00:14:02
Speaker
Well, so, I mean, again, still very noble causes here. So, I mean, that's just amazing work. But while you're doing that, you're on the sitting on boards as well, right? that I believe it was major housing association and Thrive Homes.
00:14:16
Speaker
So, how did you get involved with those boards and what do you have to do? And is it a big time commitment? Yeah. I mean, getting involved with boards was something that I i kind of wanted to do really for um a long-term kind of goal as well in that, you know, eventually one day I will retire and it would be nice to have a a portfolio boards that I sit on, um you know, to, to,
00:14:37
Speaker
to have a little bit of income. um I will be honest that like, I think in the UK, there's an organization called women Women for Boards that gives you training and helps you kind of position your CV to join a board. um And I think they are really, really valuable roles to have for people ah that have accounting qualifications. Because again, when we go back to what my mom said,
00:15:00
Speaker
You know, finance drives a lot of decisions and being on boards and being able to advise um the executive teams is is really valuable. And I'll say I get a lot out of it and I take back to my own role um where I have to work with boards and explain um ah information and be able to present information for them to make decisions. So it's kind of a it is a ah learning experience as well. Sure.
00:15:20
Speaker
And it's always great to have a seat at the table and to get paid to have a seat at the table, right? For sure. Well, that's great because you can really help drive policy and make sure organizations are moving in the right direction.
Joining Melior Foundation and Climate Change Focus
00:15:32
Speaker
Okay. So now we're about to go to the current um place of employment at the Melior Foundation. But about now, how how many years into your career are we at this point, would you say?
00:15:44
Speaker
Oh, gosh. I mean, it's probably 30 plus years. Okay. So so let's just call it three decades. Three decades of work experience from, you know, a lot of for-profit, you know, commercial banks, things of that nature. So you're getting all of that experience.
00:15:58
Speaker
You're getting all your not-for-profit experience where you're wearing multiple hats, but still doing all of the finance. So now you're at a point in your career where you have all this amazing experience. So what made you decide then to leave where you are and join the Melior Foundation?
00:16:14
Speaker
Yeah, so um I think, like I said before, um you know Center for Public Impact had grown, um you know, increased its geographies, increased its number of people, its mission, its reach.
00:16:25
Speaker
um But I do feel like it had reached a point that I probably couldn't have added much more value. um And the role at Melior came up, um they were looking for someone with you know a skill set that did exactly what I did at Center for Public Impact.
00:16:38
Speaker
Now it's on a much bigger scale. It's probably about four times the size of Center for Public Impact. um In terms of people as well, we have like over 400 people spread across the globe. So um it just seemed a much more interesting challenge to to sort of take this organization and kind of build its finance, IT and risk management functions and take them to that next level.
00:17:02
Speaker
So the main objective of this organization is to assist with global climate change, right? To try to reverse negative trends that may be occurring. So how do you actually go about doing that with 400, we'll call it people across 40 or 50 countries around the world?
00:17:20
Speaker
What are the steps or what are the the objectives on on a you know smaller scale you're trying to accomplish? Yeah. I mean, so
00:17:31
Speaker
Miller Foundation was founded by our CEO, Tom Brooks, who he realized that ah the the facts about climate change are essentially irrefutable.
00:17:41
Speaker
Now, there could be people who debate that, but i I think there are the science evidence points to to human impact on climate change. But he realized that the ability to put those arguments out there um were not effective.
00:17:55
Speaker
um And so that was the kind of um impetus for creating the Melior Foundation. We used to be hosted by another climate foundation called the European Climate Foundation. um So we've actually been operating for probably the last, I'm going to get the number of years wrong, I think it's 13 years, but we actually spun out of ECF, European Climate Foundation, um two years ago. um And again, I think um you know we did focus on strategic communications in the climate change space to either um you know change people's minds about you know who to vote for or who to um you know what policies to to promote.
00:18:32
Speaker
We are a 501c3 equivalent, ah so we're nonpolitical, but we do work to um try and get the messages out there about the impact of um that climate change is having on people and they're and people's lives. Okay. So the organization not collecting the data. It's just getting data from whatever sources, but really just trying to share the message with as much of the world as they can to try to start almost like a grassroots kind of, hey, we need to do things differently. Is that right? Exactly. Yeah. Excellent. Excellent. Okay. And I would assume that you find that challenging, but exciting at the same time, would you say?
00:19:09
Speaker
Yeah, I have to say, um i think my street cred with my children shot through the roof when I joined this organization because they're both really passionate about climate change. um Again, i go back to when I said, you know, they're like, mommy, what do you do? ah You know, working with governments, you know, we don't understand governments, but you know climate change, everyone understands it and and is, you know, realizes the impact it has on people's lives.
00:19:31
Speaker
Yeah. and And then, you know, God bless the younger generation. they They have these altruistic values that, hey, this is going to be our planet. We need to make it a better place. So it is exciting. And it's always nice when you know your children are proud of the work that you're doing, for sure. Yeah.
00:19:45
Speaker
So with respect to the organization and really being in control of the financial decisions, I know you need to help the organization accomplish its mission, but at the same time, you have to make financial decisions that might not be in line with the mission. So do you find that happening on a regular basis or how do you handle those situations?
00:20:07
Speaker
Yeah, it's a real challenge because obviously, you know, money money and funding is a finite resource. So we need to make sure we deploy it and in a way that maximizes the impact that we can achieve um in in the climate change space.
00:20:19
Speaker
um You know, personally, as a finance person, I see my role as um guiding the organization and making those decisions. um You know, I don't know personally what is the best strategy to take for for a particular climate change initiative, but we do have network directors across the organization that do.
00:20:41
Speaker
So again, it's really trying to be a partner with them um and walking them through like the the impact of um funding one area versus another. um So it is ah it is a challenge, it's definitely definitely a balancing
Governance and Operational Challenges in Nonprofits
00:20:52
Speaker
act.
00:20:52
Speaker
Sure. So you have those partners who are really making those climate decisions, but now you're looking at finance, but you're not just looking at finance, you're looking at risk, you're looking at IT, t and you're looking at support across the organization. So how does it all work together? It seems like um an entity spread so thin across so many countries with so many people.
00:21:13
Speaker
Do you find that sometimes if decisions aren't made fast enough, it slows down the process? Or just how do you handle the governance of all of this? yeah Have you been speaking to my boss? Because these are the same um kind of concerns that he he raises to me on ah on a regular basis.
00:21:30
Speaker
um Yeah, I mean, we are, like I said, um we were spun out of European Climate Foundation two years ago with, I think at the time then, probably 300 people. so we were basically a startup with you know that many people.
00:21:42
Speaker
um And we do want to work, you know ah we need to be fast, we need to be nimble. um These are part of our values. ah So it is it is quite a challenge to make sure that you know we are um delivering um either you paying invoices quickly or making sure that the IT infrastructure is secure and and reaches everyone across the globe.
00:22:02
Speaker
um Risk is actually a relatively new function. um We have actually two people that work in in risk, but again, we'd like to take a more distributed distributed approach when it comes to risk because um i want people to be risk aware, not risk scared. um It's really about how you manage the risks and identify them.
00:22:18
Speaker
That's really the important thing about to to maintain um yeah the the the safety of the organization. Yeah, I could just, um can I can't even imagine how challenging that is to do. I mean, it really does. So i give you a lot of credit for being able to, you know really work in that environment.
00:22:36
Speaker
Now, you you also, you've been on both sides of the fence. You've been on the for-profit side and you've been on the not-for-profit side. And I'm sure one does some things better than the other and vice versa. But, you know, looking at it now that you're on the not-for-profit side,
00:22:49
Speaker
What do you see that they really have a lot more difficulty handling than, say, a for-profit organization? Yeah, I mean, not-for-profits are very interesting because obviously we're not driven by the bottom line.
00:23:01
Speaker
We want to make sure that, you know, where we spend the money is going to make the most impact. So so that's kind of ah an interesting um kind of ah difference in view. um I would also say kind of the main challenges for most not-for-profits are making sure you have um a resilient financial base.
00:23:19
Speaker
And when I say that, it's building reserves. And I know this differs across um you know geographies. I know, in the u for example, when I speak to some other colleagues at other organizations in the US, they can't even build reserves. Maybe they have government contracts that don't allow them to do that.
00:23:36
Speaker
So then they have to have other creative ways to make sure they do have that ah you know reserve base for for those rainy days. um in In our context, I think we're we're constantly having ah discussions with our funders over making sure ah we are um funding our organizational overheads appropriately and also building building reserves. But yeah,
00:23:56
Speaker
Yeah, those are those are probably the main differences in terms of for-profit, not-for-profit. Sure, I can imagine. So another question that I had, when we're on the for-profit side and we're trying to make financial decisions, quite often we'll put together models, we'll have key performance indicators, and they'll help guide our decisions.
00:24:14
Speaker
On the not-for-profit side, do you use similar types of models and similar type KPIs, or is it very different? I think there's lots of overlaps. um Obviously, we don't have like a return on investment indicator that we would use, um but we do, again, getting back to my previous answer, we do very much monitor um our overhead costs relative to the overall base. um So that's one thing we we constantly monitor. And there's other kind of KPIs that we track as well.
00:24:41
Speaker
But I think that the in terms of like financial models that we build and then we look at, there are definitely lots of overlaps between the two. Okay, well, that's good. Now, let me just ask you a situation. Let's just say somebody comes to you and they say, oh, we need to spend, throw a number out there, $200,000 on doing this.
00:24:58
Speaker
And you know that for the climate, that would be a good thing to do, but your budget is much less than that. And you have to say no to certain decisions. How do you handle you know financial versus equitable decisions, so to speak?
00:25:10
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, that's a real challenge because um i think I said earlier, you know, money is a finite resource and there's only so much that we can around. But I think the main thing is... but can go around um but i think ah the the main thing is um And also having that conversation across the organization with other budget holders who maybe they've maybe they're underspent, for example.
00:25:35
Speaker
And so is there a way that we can reallocate our financial resources to be deployed to this one maybe initiative that we think is going to achieve great impact? um So it is kind of having that conversation and and trying to have some flexibility and fluidity, if you can, and in the in the in the model.
Work-Life Balance and Athletic Influence
00:25:52
Speaker
OK, so I'm just trying to think about all these cross-functional teams that you have to interact with and, you know, oversee and help make decisions. Because if you're spread in 40 plus countries and, you know, 400 people, well, you know, each location might have their own financial people, their own IT people, their own risk people. So are you just in meetings all day?
00:26:14
Speaker
are Are they huge meetings? Like, how do you even communicate and align the teams to help make better decisions? Yeah, it is a real challenge. I'm just thinking um sometimes I'm having a meeting at 630 in the morning with my risk manager in Australia and maybe meeting in the evening with um a woman who lives in California who is on our fundraising team.
00:26:36
Speaker
So it can it can make for a long, long day. um I would say, ah you know, I do have to prioritize, um you know, my own health. I make sure that I take walks in the middle of the day and try to model that kind of leadership to my team as well.
00:26:51
Speaker
But it is a real challenge. I think anytime you're in sort of a global organization and we're also fully remote, can be. presents its own challenges. So can you, you know, think back to your days as being an athlete? Is there anything that, you know, your D1 athlete playing golf at such a high level, a lot of stress, a lot of pressure? Do you ever kind of channel that energy when trying to handle all of these meetings and financial decisions and making the world a better place?
00:27:21
Speaker
Absolutely. I mean, I think, um you know, playing in any sport just builds in that resilience and dedication, um knowing that like you may have one, you know, certainly in golf, I may have one bad hole, but it's not going to tank the entire round. So same, you know, at work, you may have one, a one bad meeting or one bad day or bad week, but just knowing that that's, you know, that is not going to, to ruin, um you know, ruin everything for you.
00:27:47
Speaker
So it's helps you build that resilience. i It's always something good to have to fall back on that experience, that's for sure. And I know you must be doing something right because in the UK, you were on the shortlist for finance professional of the year.
00:28:01
Speaker
Tell me about that and um how you got named to that and maybe maybe not to pat yourself on the back, but what are you most proud most proud of of the accomplishments that you've done so far?
00:28:12
Speaker
Yeah, the award for finance professional of the year, I think that was with the women in housing awards. um So that was when I was working for Wokingham housing. um I believe I was nominated by my my boss at the time. So kudos to him for again, empowering me and really supporting me in that in that role.
00:28:26
Speaker
um I would say, i guess, what am I proudest of? i I do think it's the it's the it's what I leave behind, right? So at Center for Public Impact, I left behind an organization that when I when i went there, we had, I think one legal entity By the time I left, we had four different legal entities and we'd grown, you know, also in and and leaps and bounds as well.
00:28:46
Speaker
So, you know, I like to think that like the impression that I leave um and the and the kind of either be it policies or processes that I left in place um kind of will stay there in longevity.
00:28:58
Speaker
Excellent. Now, what do you think is next for Melior with respect to their growth? Do you think it's going to continue to grow and grow and grow? Or are you at a point of saturation where you really can't go beyond where you are?
Future Aspirations and Team Empowerment
00:29:11
Speaker
I mean, that's a really good question and, you know, something that we we do grapple with. um But I think we have a really great strategy in that ah we're not just focused on the strategic communications aspects. We recognize that, you know, climate change is a systems problem.
00:29:25
Speaker
um You know, we have ah misinformation, disinformation in the and the um technology space. um You know, we need to make sure that... You know, people, citizens are being engaged, you know, um with ah policy and and, you know, taking taking part and and ah voting in elections, for example.
00:29:45
Speaker
um so So I think we will continue to grow. um and it's probably just down to how much we can fundraise. Right, yeah. i think I think my boss has a $1 billion mark that he's aiming for. Mm-hmm.
00:29:58
Speaker
ah more power to him. Hopefully he hits that mark. I hope that he does. Cause like you said, money is a limited resource to really grow. That is what we need. So you spoke a moment ago about legacy. Let me just go back there for a moment. So let's just say we fast forward and, you know, Rachel's at a point in her career where you're ready to hang it up. You're like, I had a really great run. I'm so proud of what I did.
00:30:19
Speaker
Do you have the particular legacy you're looking for what you want to accomplish? Yeah, I mean, that's a good question. I think, again, the the legacy I want to leave behind are um staff members who feel empowered to, you know, but basically, I want to ah want to um build my team up so that I'm not required anymore. that's I think any any anyone in my position, that's always our goal.
00:30:42
Speaker
um And to make sure that um they feel ah like they're growing in their roles. and able to to basically yeah do it without me one day. that that would be great.
00:30:54
Speaker
And, you know, we call this podcast Cool Careers in Accounting, and we'll call it Accounting and Finance because they are so closely related right now. And yes, you've spent the majority of your career in finance.
00:31:05
Speaker
But it sounds to me that there are a lot of people that share your desires to say, hey we need to do things better in this world, right? Whether it's climate change, whether it's making sure people have food or have housing, right?
00:31:19
Speaker
So these are great things that a lot of people don't realize you can make an impact through accounting and through finance that you did. So is there anything, any type of advice you could give to young people, especially young women, we'll say, as well as men, anyone that would want to go into this, how do you even go about that? What would be the best path to move forward on?
00:31:41
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, that's a really good question. I remember, um again, going back to the conversation I had with my mom, and um because I always was fairly interested in working in not-for-profits, believe it or not, even when I was a teenager. And I remember my mom saying, oh, but Rachel, you won't make any money.
00:31:57
Speaker
true um But I have to say, I've been very fortunate to find organizations that, that you know, have paid reasonably well. Okay. I'm probably not paid, you know, like I could be in, in investment banking.
00:32:07
Speaker
But again, I go back to, I want to work for organizations that are making an impact in the world. Um, so the advice I would give to people is really follow your heart, um, you know, and, and, you know, don't be afraid to take challenges and don't be afraid to move around to try and find that, that, you know, role that, uh, that kind of gets you energized.
00:32:26
Speaker
So, And you used the term not too long ago, but with respect to climate, but we'll use it here as well, misinformation.
Not-for-profit Career Insights and Closing Remarks
00:32:33
Speaker
A lot of people think if you work for not-for-profit that you don't get paid well at all, but there are some not-for-profits where you do generate nice salaries as well.
00:32:41
Speaker
Yes, I yeah agree. Yeah, so that's that's something that it's good that we share that with the audience so they know hey you can get paid and still make a difference in this world, right? Exactly. Excellent. Excellent. All right. So let's go full circle here. We'll kind of wrap it up with this one. You played golf at the highest level.
00:32:58
Speaker
Now you're doing everything in your power to help make the world a better place. But if you could pick your foursome, anyone to go out there and play golf with, who do you think it would be? Well, given I live in the UK, it's going to have to be Sir David Attenborough.
00:33:13
Speaker
um I think the ah kind of the movies he's put together on nature, and he's also quite involved in in climate as well. um And he definitely has inspired my children to be very passionate about climate change and and taking action in climate.
00:33:28
Speaker
So i'd I'd have to choose choose him. I don't know if who plays golf, but I'd give him give him a lesson. Well, if he's not available, I am happy to step in. I would love to play again with you. We had a lot of fun when we were out there, for sure. for sure.
00:33:42
Speaker
Well, I cannot thank you enough for coming in here and doing this and sharing about your life and all the noble causes that you fought for over your career. And I really wish you the best of luck. And I hope you continue to fight those good fights. And I am definitely going to be on your side and see what I can do to help out. But thank you so much for being here.
00:34:01
Speaker
Well, thank you very much for having me. It's been ah really ah enjoyable to to have a chat. Great. Well, hopefully our paths cross again and we can maybe sit down in the future and really hear about all the other good news you and your daughters are doing.
00:34:13
Speaker
Okay. Thank you. Yeah. All right. And I just want to make sure everyone out there is aware you can get CPE credit for listening to this. All you need to do is visit the show notes and click on the link there.
00:34:24
Speaker
Or if you are a prime CPE subscriber, all you need to do is log into your account and finalize the credits. With that, that's everything we have for this episode. Thank you so much, Rachel, for being here. Thank you everyone out there for listening in. And we look forward to seeing you in the next Becker Cool Careers in Accounting podcast.