Making the dream work: cross-functional collaboration at Gousto

Last month, we were delighted to announce our 2023 financial results , with record profitability driven by our investments in market-leading technology.? The announcement also marks the culmination of many months of work firstly supporting the business in delivering the return to profit, then finalising our year end results, completing the audit, producing our 2023 financial statements and planning the related PR.? This process requires huge collaboration within my Finance, Legal and Risk team but also with other teams in the business, such as Sustainability and Creative.? It's a great example of Gousto’s ownership principles brought to life - particularly 1+1=3.

The audit process began in September 2023, when Finance Director Mike McClean updated the Risk & Audit Committee on our expected year end outturn, highlighted the likely key areas of judgement in the upcoming financial statements and outlined the timetable for the year end process.

The 2023 results were finalised by the accounting and reporting team in January, lead by Vicky Widegger and Ben Caswell , making sure that our December management accounts that are shared with the Board in January are as close as possible to the final results in the financial statements.? The audit process was managed by Patrick Hamilton .? In parallel, Patrick led the drafting of the 75 page financial statements, as well as calculating some of the more complex elements in the numbers, like the valuation of warrants using a Monte Carlo simulation.? Other important?elements in the financial statements come together from others within the team.? Barnaby Benedict ACA , Head of Corporate Finance & Investor Relations, worked closely with Timo Boldt on the CEO letter at the front of the accounts.? Sophia J. , Gousto’s Risk Manager, updated the risk section in the strategic report, reflecting Gousto’s risk management processes that she leads.? The company’s commitment to sustainability and our performance in reducing carbon emissions was outlined by our Sustainability team, lead by Hugh Lewis . ? Finally, when all the words and numbers are complete, we ask our Creative team to ensure that the document is easy to digest and navigate, thanks to Lou Andrews and Amy Alford for this final piece of magic.

Once the accounts are finished and signed, it's important that we communicate the results to our key stakeholders and to the press.? This was co-ordinated by Barnaby and Natalie Jay in our PR team, working with Mark Reed , our corporate PR advisor. This ensures that, at the same time that the key messages are landing in the media, our 1000+ shareholders are also all receiving their copy of the accounts and a summary of the key messages.

This process is just a small slice of what the Finance, Legal & Risk team covers during the year but it requires huge teamwork over an extended period of time and I believe teamwork is what Gousto does best.? Huge thanks to everyone involved and let's do it again in a few months time!

Authored by Jim Buckle , Chief Financial Officer?

Jim joined in 2020 as CFO at Gousto, where he is responsible for overseeing the development and execution of the business’ financial strategy and shaping the future growth of the business. Having previously worked at the BBC, Dell, LoveFilm, Amazon and Feel Unique in primarily finance but also senior management roles, Jim’s experience spans from pre-revenue startups to big scale business and he has been paramount in Gousto’s growth journey to profitability.

Favourite Gousto recipe: Chicken Khao Soi Curry