A day in the life of Jo Greenwood, Finance Director at Business West

Meet Jo Greenwood, whose role spans finance, shaping strategy and supporting teams across Business West. Drawing on three decades of experience, she shares what a typical day looks like and how her role has evolved.

What is your role in simple terms? I’m Finance Director, but my role is broader than finance alone. I oversee finance, IT, contracts and some of our public sector delivery areas. I am on both Business West’s executive team, and board. 

My role includes looking at the bigger picture, shaping bids and strategy, and working across the organisation with our heads of department.

What has kept you at Business West for three decades? The role has never stood still. I joined as a management accountant while finishing my CIMA qualification, then when my predecessor left, Phil Smith and John Savage gave me the opportunity to step up, and I took it. 

Over the years I’ve led or supported almost every part of the business, including finance, HR, IT, innovation and operations. There has always been something new to get stuck into, from government contracts and major organisational change to supporting other related companies, such as Visit West.

I also really enjoy the creative and innovative side of the job.

How has your role changed? It has changed constantly. When I first joined in 1996, Business West was much smaller and far more manual. I still remember the old printers churning out reels of fan-folded paper with perforated holes, and the days when I had to sign huge numbers of cheques by hand. 

In fact, when I changed my name after getting married, I made sure my signature was short because I was fed up with signing a long version so many times! 

Since then, the organisation has grown, technology has transformed the way we work and my responsibilities have widened significantly. 

What does a typical day look like? There isn’t really a typical day, which is one of the reasons I enjoy the role. Some days are packed with meetings, while others give me space to focus on budgets, accounts or a particular project. 

There are monthly cycles, such as reviewing payroll and management accounts, but the balance is always shifting between finance, delivery, contracts and operational priorities. A good day is usually half meetings and half getting things done.

How do you start your day? I’m not naturally an early starter, so I tend to work later, and I believe people do their best work in different ways. 

If I’m working from home, I try to start the day with some exercise. This morning, I went to an early morning Zumba class, but sometimes it’s a walk and some fresh air. 

After that it’s usually emails, checking what is urgent and then getting into the day’s priorities. I may need to zone in on one thing, like the budget, or switch constantly between tasks. 

Whatever the day looks like, it’s really important to take breaks, and not run on empty.

What are your most important daily tasks? The most important task is identifying what the priorities are. Some things, like payroll, are fixed and must happen on time. Beyond that, it’s often about responding to urgent questions, reviewing items that need sign-off and making sure colleagues have what they need to move forward. 

At certain points in the month, that might mean reviewing accounts or board reporting. On other days, the most important thing could simply be taking two minutes to check in with someone who needs support.

What type of decisions do you have to make? A lot of my role is about helping identify what decisions need to be made. In finance, that might mean looking at budgets, cashflow or how best to allocate resources. 

In other areas, it could mean helping teams think beyond the immediate issue and make the right decision for the medium to long term. Because I work across different parts of the organisation, I can usually see how one decision affects another area, so I try to steer decisions in a way that is right for the business as a whole, not just one department. 

What moments during the day feel most rewarding? The best moments are when you help move something forward, remove a blocker or come up with a new idea. It could be offering a different perspective that helps someone find a way through a problem. That’s where I feel I add most value. 

I enjoy being in the office and catching up with colleagues, but I also value time at home when I can make progress on deeper work. Challenge and variation suit me, and I probably do some of my best work when there is a little pressure involved. 

What might surprise people about your job?

I’ve also learned over time that senior titles can affect how your message lands. I have a slightly forthright nature, so I have learned to temper that when needed. You need to understand the impact that you have as a leader. Emotional intelligence is a key management skill. 

What would you like people to know about the finance department?

Modern finance must balance strong controls with making life easier for colleagues. That’s why improvements such as our newer expenses system matter, even if I still can’t quite understand why everyone doesn’t love a spreadsheet! Our head of finance has done a great job in implementing that. Finance is business-critical, and it works best when people see it as an enabler rather than a blocker.

What have been some of the biggest challenges or turning points you’ve helped the organisation navigate? There have been several major turning points over the years: buying Leigh Court, merging two organisations and the culture changes that involved, changes to government contracts that have led to job losses, but also periods of rapid growth and opportunity. 

With public sector work, some factors are outside your control, and that can mean making difficult decisions for the right reasons. Those moments are hard and need to be handled as sympathetically as possible. 

There have also been big internal projects to oversee, such as IT and CRM migration. These projects often end up being more complex than initially planned. 

What has changed the most in finance, and in Business West, over the last 30 years? Automation has changed finance enormously. However, the culture here hasn’t changed. We are still very much a people-focused organisation, genuinely committed to driving prosperity for businesses and our region.  

What are your lessons on leadership? Understand working styles; other people’s and your own. Small things can also have a big impact. 

Years ago, a leader called to tell me I’d done something wrong, then later rang back to apologise in case they had been abrupt. I hadn’t been upset, but I never forgot that they had reflected on their impact and taken the time to check in. That stayed with me. 

For me, good leadership means being humble, being clear and remembering that people do not always hear your words in the way you intended. You must take people with you, which means understanding their motivation, inviting input and using more carrot than stick.

What excites you most about Business West’s future? We’re entering a new phase. We have a new Chief Executive Officer and Business West has a huge amount to offer the region, businesses and wider stakeholders. 

Change always brings uncertainties, and that can be unsettling, but it is also exciting. I’m interested to see where we are in three to five years’ time. We’ve always adapted, and I think there is a real opportunity to lean into that and maximise the positive impact we can have.

What is your advice to someone interested in working in finance?

There’s a modern parable that circulates online about a father who gives his daughter his old car to sell. She is offered very little from a used car dealer, then offered a huge amount by a specialist dealer. Find somewhere that values your contribution. 

I also believe opportunities are often rewards. You need an element of luck in life, but you also need to work hard and be ready to take opportunities when they come.