Get to Know Arbol-Us: Harriet Hope, VP of Finance

At Arbolus, our team is the engine behind our success and innovation. Every unique story and perspective contributes to the vibrant culture we’re so proud of.  In our new employee spotlight "Get to Know Arbol-Us" series, we celebrate the incredible talent and dedication of our team members.

For our first edition, we’re featuring Harriet Hope, VP of Finance, whose journey at Arbolus since 2022 has been nothing short of inspiring.  From relocating to Barcelona to playing a key role in our Series B funding, Harriet’s story is a testament to the opportunities for growth and impact at Arbolus. 

How has your role evolved since you started at Arbolus?

My journey started in June 2022 when I was hired into the London office as the Financial Controller. I am a UK chartered accountant and started my career in Audit at PwC before moving into the industry post-qualifying. I soon found my niche working with growing businesses from Seed to Series C. I remember clearly being sent the Arbolus job description by a headhunter and thinking that it was the perfect fit for me.

For the first several months I worked between my home in the UK countryside, the London Office and Barcelona (where the rest of the finance team were based). I was responsible for managing our small team and during these first months, I gradually took on more responsibilities moving into more of a ‘Head of Finance’ role working directly with the Founders. 

On 1 February 2023, I was very fortunate to relocate to Barcelona with my partner and my cat, to be here in person with my team full time. I am still so grateful for this opportunity to move to such an amazing city, especially considering that since Brexit my British passport is not so helpful..! 

Moving to be with the Finance team physically accelerated both my development and the development of the function. In 2023 we dramatically ‘scaled up’ the function, with new team members, a new finance tech stack, professionalised reporting, KPI tracking and more. I also supported a Fundraising process for the first time in my career which was a big learning experience for me. 

In 2024, I was promoted to VP of Finance and had probably the most eventful and challenging year of my career to date. We further expanded our team in Barcelona, I ran a debt refinancing process, completed our first Group External Audit, and played a key part in our $20m Series B fundraise which closed in November 2024. 

Now as part of the leadership team, my role has evolved a lot. I spend less time in spreadsheets and more time in meetings, managing the team, reviewing/analysing financial information and planning for the future. Personally, I love that connecting with other people, both in the team and wider business, is now such a big part of my role as I find it incredibly fulfilling. 

Can you share how Arbolus supported your professional growth or skill development?

Throughout my journey at Arbolus, Sam and Will (the Founders) have been incredibly supportive and have put a lot of confidence in me. They are always pushing for more and better which resonates a lot with my values. I have also been given a lot of freedom to grow and run the finance function as I see it best. I appreciate the constant opportunities to do more as I have developed, from joining Board meetings to fundraising. 

In addition to this, I was able to choose a Fractional CFO as a professional mentor/advisor who I speak with several times a week. He has been an invaluable resource, helping me tackle new tasks and scenarios like Fundraising, KPI setting, Board reporting and complex financial modelling (as well as providing emotional support when things get stressful!).

I also just finished a few months of coaching with a wonderful mentor, focusing more holistically on my development (personally and professionally). Coming out of a very busy 2024, I was really grateful to have this resource. She has helped me to cultivate renewed positivity and excitement both for my future with Arbolus and more broadly.

For me, Arbolus has a truly unique culture. It has been an incredible journey of self-development, opportunity, challenges and excitement, and I know that there is plenty more to come!

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned during your journey at Arbolus?

I have worked at several companies during my career looking for somewhere that feels like I really belong. If you’d told me 10 years ago (when I was a History student!) that I was going to be a Chartered Accountant and VP of Finance I would not have believed you. Even now, I don’t feel like I fit the mould at all of a typical ‘Finance person’. 

I spent a lot of my career trying to put work in a box, attaching a lot of negative emotions to work and feeling like I am a different person in the office. However I have been on a journey over the last couple of years with Arbolus (coupled with a lot of personal work and discovery!) to a place where I can be myself at work, I feel appreciated and I am excited to go to the office most days. From this everyone benefits - myself, my team and the company.  I feel a lot of gratitude for this.

How has your perspective on your role or the industry changed since you joined?

When I was in more junior finance roles, the majority of my time was spent head down in spreadsheets and crunching numbers. Although I was not bad at this, I did not feel very fulfilled by my work and at times doubted my choice of career path. I think when people think of Finance this is exactly what they imagine, numbers, budgets, controlling the money etc. 

However, the role of a senior finance person requires a huge amount of soft skills. For example, team and project management, relationship building and business storytelling. Although I still find spreadsheets, numbers and those ‘hard skills’ very interesting, having the balance with the more people-oriented skills has helped to align my role with my values to a greater extent than I had expected.

What excites you most about the next stage of your career here?

Running a finance function in a business growing as rapidly as Arbolus is certainly never boring. We are continually improving and scaling our capabilities in order to continue to support the business as best as we can. One of my favourite parts of my role is planning for the future both in terms of financial planning and finance operations. We already have an ambitious roadmap for the year including a massive upgrade to our FP&A capabilities and improvements across many of our day-to-day finance processes. 

I think Arbolus is headed into 2025 with a lot of momentum and optimism, particularly following Series B. So I am really excited to see where this journey goes! 

Join the Journey

We’re proud to have people like Harriet, whose passion and dedication help drive Arbolus forward. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for her and the Finance team!

Stay tuned for more inspiring stories from our global teams.

If you’re looking to join a multicultural team in a dynamic, fun office environment, where you’ll have the opportunity to shape the future of knowledge sharing, explore our current openings here: Arbolus Careers.