Interview: Julia Wilson, 3i FD

Plugged in, turned on: 3i’s finance and portfolio executives
Wilson has been fundamental in establishing the role of the finance and portfolio executive, a role in the finance function that places its accountants within 3i’s buyout investment teams driving the delivery of commercial targets.

A finance team member takes line responsibility for one or more of 3i’s portfolio businesses, from purchase to sale.

The programme elevates finance team members who have commercial knowledge and want to build experience communicating across the business well outside the finance function. As well as taking responsibility for instigating, leading and maintaining communication between 3i and its portfolio companies, they also lead those efforts with its outsource providers to ensure that data and financial information requests from portfolio companies are delivered on time and that the data delivered is accurate.

But it goes further. These executives are responsible for the signoff of statutory and internal allocation accounts on portfolio companies and for regular business and investment reviews of those companies, for communicating the findings with the business and for investor reports. As an opportunity for someone intent on being the next Julia Wilson, it’s a rare opportunity .

“Sometimes as we stretch the boundaries of what people might want to do, They might need more coaching or more training, but there is nothing more rewarding than actually doing something to gain the experience,” Wilson says of the programme. “Not to say that people don’t have a traditional day job as well. But if we can actually free people up to do a bit more of that type of thinking, it’s very helpful for the business.”

career highlights

2008 Appointed group finance director, 3i; member, group risk management, operational risk and financial risk committees, and 3i’s board committee for valuations

2006 Joined 3i as deputy group finance director; responsibility for group finance, taxation and treasury

2000 Joined Cable & Wireless as group tax director, promoted to director of accounting services, then group director of corporate finance

1999 Group head of tax, Tompkins plc

1996 Deputy tax manager, Hanson plc

1990 Qualified at Arthur Andersen, tax Qualifications: ACA, CIoT

External roles Financial Reporting Committee, 2006