When Julia joined Swagpack in November 2021, she brought decades of finance experience and a genuine love for making the numbers work. Whether she’s tackling month-end accounts, helping teammates master new systems, or ensuring everyone gets paid on time, Julia keeps the financial heartbeat of Swagpack steady. With an infectious enthusiasm for well-organised spreadsheets and a talent for spotting patterns in the data, she’s become the person everyone turns to when finances need sorting – especially popular when that monthly payroll notification lands in everyone’s inbox.
What does an average day look like for you?
I usually start with a catch-up with Becky, who I work closely with. We’ll see what the workload looks like and tackle it from there. If she’s handling something specific, I’ll focus on the inbox and work through invoicing.
Finance is very process-driven and follows natural rhythms. At the beginning of the month, we’re prepping for mid-month. By the end of the month, we’re getting the previous month’s accounts wrapped up. There’s a satisfying structure to it all.
I also handle payroll, management accounts, and the month-end process. Once a month, I’m definitely everyone’s favourite person!
What do you enjoy most about your role?
The variety keeps me engaged every day. While you’re doing some core tasks regularly, there’s always something different happening. Someone might want a specific report, or pop over asking “can you find this out for me?”
I’ve always loved working for smaller companies where you get to do everything. I wouldn’t want to sit in just purchase ledger or sales ledger all day – that would drive me mad. I much prefer seeing the whole picture unfold.
Looking at the finances is fascinating because you can see which areas are performing brilliantly. You can spot trends – where things are picking up momentum or where they might be dropping off. With all the different projects and some of the wonderfully bizarre requests our clients come up with, it’s amazing to watch how the team consistently pulls something brilliant out of the bag.
What’s been your most memorable moment since joining Swagpack?
We have a brilliant virtual CFO who’s connected us with someone who creates these amazing spreadsheets. They’ve transformed how efficiently I can work – it’s incredible what a difference the right tools make.
What I value most is having the opportunity to keep developing and having good people around me. I’ve been fortunate throughout my career to have supportive colleagues who I can bounce ideas off when I’m wrestling with something tricky. Having someone to say “well, what about approaching it this way?” is invaluable.
What’s the most challenging aspect of your role?
Getting everyone to follow processes can be tricky! People naturally get comfortable with their established ways of doing things, and sometimes it takes a bit of gentle persuasion and showing them the benefits to get them excited about trying something different.
What do you get up to outside of work?
I live in Farnborough, which works perfectly because all my family and friends are here. It means I can be grandma’s taxi for my three grandchildren – they’re 14, 12, and 6, and somehow always need picking up or dropping off somewhere!
I’ve recently started ballet again, which I love – I have classes every Wednesday and Salsa on a Thursday! I’m passionate about cultural experiences – theatre, opera, ballet.