Hannah Emerson

In my role at Fnality, I have been at the forefront of strategic financial management, contributing to key business areas and gaining extensive experience across multiple projects. Reporting directly to the CFO, I have taken on significant responsibilities in driving financial strategy, managing stakeholder relationships, and optimizing processes to align with the company’s long-term objectives. A key achievement was producing the comprehensive financials for the successful acquisition of a banking license in New York for a new entity, including undergoing interrogation by Federal Reserve-appointed officials.

Key Responsibilities & Strategic Contributions:

• Strategic Financial Planning & Reporting: Led the preparation of monthly management accounts and provided actionable insights to senior leadership to support strategic decision-making.
• Financial Forecasting & Budgeting: Spearheaded the financial forecasting and budgeting process, aligning with business objectives and presenting detailed financial plans to the board to guide company growth and operational efficiency.
• Annual Business Plan Management: Managed the development and execution of the annual business plan, which serves as the company’s "North Star" for guiding our strategic objectives and ensuring alignment across all departments.
• Budget Management & Stakeholder Engagement: Managed and optimized the overall budget, conducting monthly reviews with budget owners across departments to ensure strategic alignment and operational excellence.
• Financial Modelling & Product Strategy: Developed advanced financial models to inform product pricing strategies, evaluate use case cost-benefit scenarios, and assess revenue potential, driving product and pricing decisions with a long-term vision.
• Regulatory & Policy Development: Led the preparation of critical internal policies, including a detailed internal audit paper and a capital liquidity paper, both of which were submitted to the Bank of England, ensuring compliance and aligning with regulatory requirements.
• Stakeholder Management & Relationship Building: Managed key stakeholder and investor relationships, fostering strategic partnerships that contributed to long-term success. Played a pivotal role in fundraising efforts, cultivating investor interest and securing financial backing to support growth initiatives and business development.

Through this role, I have honed my ability to drive financial strategy, manage complex regulatory processes, and build relationships with high-level stakeholders, all while contributing to the strategic growth of the company.

In my role, I focused on delivering transformative consultancy projects, managing complex initiatives across multiple clients and sectors. Notably, I led a legal entity rationalization project, which involved a series of internal mergers, and drove the implementation of a large-scale payment system upgrade across 30 European markets. My responsibilities spanned from high-level strategic oversight to detailed project execution, demonstrating my expert project management and stakeholder engagement capabilities.

Key Responsibilities & Achievements:

• Project Management & Stakeholder Engagement: Led multiple high-profile projects, managing end-to-end project lifecycles, coordinating cross-functional teams, and ensuring seamless stakeholder communication and alignment with business objectives.
• Workshop Facilitation & Problem-Solving: Facilitated workshops designed to drive collaborative problem-solving, ensuring stakeholders reached consensus on complex issues and solutions in a structured, efficient manner.
• Legal Entity Mergers: Oversaw the preparation of accounting journals to enable the smooth transfer of assets during legal entity mergers, ensuring compliance and alignment with financial reporting standards.
• Year-End Financial Reporting: Led the preparation of year-end PLC financial statements, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely submission for audit and regulatory purposes.
• Efficient Deliverable Management: Demonstrated exceptional organizational skills by managing multiple workstreams, adhering to strict deadlines, and delivering high-quality outputs within predefined timeframes.

Through these experiences, I have honed my project management skills, balancing strategic planning with meticulous execution, ensuring client satisfaction and successful project outcomes across diverse markets and initiatives.

I trained in preparing financial statements, tax returns, and bookkeeping, gaining hands-on experience in a variety of accounting functions. My role involved working closely with clients and supporting the preparation of critical financial documents while ensuring accuracy and compliance with regulations.

Key Responsibilities & Achievements:

• Tax Return Preparation & Calculation: Led the preparation and calculation of annual tax returns for clients, ensuring accuracy and timely submission in line with regulatory requirements.
• PLC Financial Statements: Prepared comprehensive financial statements for Public Limited Companies (PLCs), ensuring full compliance with accounting standards and regulatory frameworks.
• General Ledger Review: Conducted thorough reviews of general ledger entries, ensuring accuracy and alignment with financial reporting standards.
• Payroll Management: Managed payroll processes, tracking employee hours and entitlements. Successfully transitioned payroll systems to new software, driving increased efficiency and delivering cost savings.

This role provided me with a solid foundation in accounting and financial reporting, along with strong attention to detail and a commitment to improving processes for increased efficiency.