March 1 is Employee Appreciation Day! We are celebrating our team members all month long by sharing their stories. Get to know Ankur Patel, FP&A Manager, New Story, who helps support our schools and clinics with his role in finance.
What is your favorite thing about working here?
I like working for a company that’s helping students. I have a nephew who is autistic and paraplegic, so it means a lot to me to work for a company that supports students with special needs.
What keeps you coming to work each day?
Every day there is a new opportunity or a new problem to solve. The growth we’ve been having as a company brings unique opportunities in finance, and it’s interesting to look at things from the strategic finance standpoint.
How do you make an impact on student’s lives?
Our team helps sustain a model where the organization is thriving.
Last year, we rolled out our BetterTogether guiding principles. Which one of our values resonates with you most personally and why? (Integrity, Accountable, Collaborative, Inclusive, Supportive)
Collaboration. I like working with multiple people across the company. In finance, we also have a chance to work with different leaders and folks across different business lines.
What does a “day in the life” look like for your role?
Every day is kind of different, and it depends on the season – whether it’s budget season, month-end close, etc. Lots of Excel!
Can you talk a little bit about your career trajectory and what led you to where you are now?
I went to college for mechanical engineering, and I didn’t like Calculus 2, so I switched to major in business, specifically finance. After college, I started off at a small private equity backed company, and worked there for two years. Then I moved to a larger company, but I found it hard to get things done there, so I came to New Story. I like it here where it’s a smaller company and a smaller close-knit finance team, where we can collaborate easily and work quickly.
What has been your proudest moment or accomplishment in your role?
Working on Implementing the OneStream system.
What is something about you that not many people know?
I’m a big car guy – I love to work on cars, and I’m also working on getting into real estate with my brother.
