Q & A with Anish Patel – Head of Finance, Planning & Analysis

Q & A with Anish Patel – Head of Finance, Planning & Analysis

We sat down with our Head of Finance, Planning & Analysis, Anish Patel to find out what inspired him to join Vortexa, what advice he has for people hoping to join and what he really thinks of our company culture…

19 February, 2021
Jessica Irvin
Jessica Irvin, Head of Operations & People

Anish is Head of Finance, Planning and Analysis and primarily looks after day-to-day finance operations as well as long term planning and strategy. Prior to Vortexa in 2019, Anish worked as a Finance Manager at the data insight company Starcount, and the Senior Financial Planning & Analysis Analyst at the games publisher – King. 

After taking up cycling just a year ago, Anish has completed trips on his bike from London to Leicester and Brussels to Amsterdam!

We wanted to find out what inspired Anish to join Vortexa, what advice he has for people hoping to join and what he really thinks of our company culture…


What inspired you to join Vortexa?

There were several reasons I joined; initial conversations with the team about the role itself sounded like a great opportunity for me professionally and building out a finance function from scratch had huge appeal. After meeting Fabio and Maksym, I knew it was the place for me, they both spoke passionately and honestly as to where Vortexa is, wants to be and will be – this honesty is a common theme for Vortexa.

 

”…Vortexa is a really honest and communicative place to work, everyone here is on the journey and understands the short and long term goals. It’s a place where you can challenge yourself.

 

What would you say is the most interesting aspect of your role?

I think a lot of people in Vortexa would echo this, in no way do we have a specific role per se, everyone is here to help on all sorts of projects and common goals, the collaboration across teams is huge and it’s really interesting working on so many different things and learning something new.

 

What have been some significant milestone moments for you at Vortexa?

Completing our Series B funding round was a highlight for us and now allows us to unlock so much of our potential going forwards.

What does day-to-day life look like for you as Head of Finance, Planning & Analysis? 

Everyday starts and ends the same (by design), where I will do my basic finance checks and calendar review of what needs to be done today, in the week and any upcoming deadlines. However, for the remaining portion of the day, I could be doing any number of things – from invoicing to looking at 2025 revenue assumptions, no two days are the same.

 

”…everyone is here to help on all sorts of projects and common goals, the collaboration across teams is huge and it’s really interesting working on so many different things and learning something new.”

 

What key qualities make a Head of Finance, Planning & Analysis successful?

Being open to everything – it’s really easy to say “no” to things and preserve cash flow, but it’s more interesting and often beneficial to review all things carefully and understand the impacts of saying “No”. Understanding the “bets” you’re making, how they fit into the masterplan and how they will impact Vortexa going forward is key.

How would you describe the culture at Vortexa?

It’s very unique, Vortexa is a really honest and communicative place to work, everyone here is on the journey and understands the short and long term goals. It’s a place where you can challenge yourself, Vortexa and everyone in it. But outside of that, Vortexa is a really fun place to work and “colleagues” have become friends.

 

What advice would you give people hoping to join Vortexa! 

Exponentially expand your comfort zone and enjoy the rollercoaster.

 

Describe your working life at Vortexa in three words! 

Collaborative, rewarding & fun.

Jessica Irvin
Head of Operations & People
Vortexa
Jessica Irvin
Jessica is Head of People & Operations at Vortexa and is responsible for hiring, learning & development, culture, engagement, performance management and leading expansion plans.