Accountant Spotlight: Khara McNaughton at Furey

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In our latest Accountant Spotlight Series, we're thrilled to introduce Khara McNaughton, Director of People Operations at Furey. Her story is one defined by innovation, relationships, and generosity.

The nature and nurture of numbers

Like many of us, Khara McNaughton had specific career dreams as a child. Innately drawn to math and science, Khara saw engineering as her obvious path. It wasn’t until one fateful high school physics class, however, that this bubble burst. Enrolled in both honors physics and trigonometry at the time, Khara’s enjoyment of the seemingly complementary subjects wasn’t so congruent. While an ace in trigonometry, her physics journey ended with an admission from her teacher that physics isn’t for everyone. Deciding to shift gears, Khara merged her love for numbers with her love for family. Inspired by her mother’s career as an accountant, the profession quickly felt like a natural fit.

Following her education, Khara’s career journey in accounting started in the audit practice of PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP). Bringing this foundational experience to various industries, Khara continued to build her knowledge through contributions to the retail apparel industry and the startup space, leading her to where she is today.

Bringing innovation to a diverse clientele

Five years into her tenure at Furey, Khara sees continued innovation as a key differentiator of the firm. "What sets Furey apart is how we fully embrace technology to make accounting processes more efficient, accurate, and scalable,” she shares. “It’s incredibly fulfilling to hear our clients regularly express their appreciation for the tools and efficiencies we build.”

As an accounting, finance, and payroll partner to high-growth, venture-backed startups, Furey supports a diverse range of clients, including SaaS, AI, e-commerce, and others. “Working across industries gives us a unique vantage point, allowing us to apply best practices from one sector to another,” Khara explains. She shared, “I personally enjoy many learning opportunities to see how different industries operate and evolve.”

Supercharging financial operations with technology

Integral to the innovation at Furey, advancements in the application of technology are a core focus as the team looks ahead to what’s next. “We’ve been exploring AI, machine learning, and custom APIs to enhance processes we perform for clients,” Khara explains. Aligning with the firm’s core value of “building for the future,” embracing advancements in the latest technologies and tools is essential to staying true to that mission.

One key tool in Furey’s tech stack is Ramp, which significantly improves accounts payable automation for clients.“One of my favorite features of Ramp is Bill Pay,” shares Khara. “The interface is very user-friendly, and the ability to sync invoices with QuickBooks streamlines month-end close and makes analysis more efficient.” Beyond upgrading internal processes, integrating Ramp into Furey’s core systems has extended benefits to clients as well. Automated payment scheduling based on due dates, for example, has afforded one client in particular more time for high-value tasks. This functionality eliminates the need for batch payment processing and takes one more step out of the day-to-day process. With a steadfast dedication to continuous improvement, Ramp’s delivery of upgraded features ensures clients are equipped to tackle the future of accounting. “The ongoing growth of the Bill Pay feature has made Ramp a popular choice,” says Khara. “We’ve been excited to recommend it to clients as an excellent solution for accounts payable management.”

Fostering long-term growth with collaborative client relationships

Khara finds fulfillment in helping startups scale efficiently by reducing manual processes. As clients grow, particularly those at the Series B stage and beyond, she and the Furey team work closely with controllers and finance directors to streamline operations. “These clients are often impressed when we’re able to present automated workpapers, as they’ve experienced firsthand the time-consuming and tedious nature of manual processes,” Khara explains. “For me, it is really satisfying to look at the final product, seeing how far the process has come, and realizing how much time and effort went into something that can now run so much smoother. It truly makes you look back and wonder how you ever did it the old way. It's probably comparable to the satisfaction people get from watching ASMR videos—there's just something so pleasing about seeing everything come together perfectly!”

Over the past few years, Khara has seen this transformation firsthand with clients. “A client in the retail apparel industry came to us with highly manual processes that needed significant improvement,” she explains. To address the primary challenge of the client’s revenue recognition process, Furey created a scalable revenue recognition process by integrating data from a leading order-to-cash platform into a custom-built Furey Tool. As the client rapidly scaled, Furey’s strong foundation ensured that the month-end close remained efficient and accurate. “That’s exactly what we strive for with every solution we build,” says Khara. “The client has been incredibly appreciative of the collaboration, and our partnership has only strengthened due to the value we’ve consistently brought to their organization.”

In another example, a client faced challenges with data entry and needed Furey’s expertise to automate processes. “Ramp’s QuickBooks integration played a huge role in making a client's closes more efficient as bills, payments, credit card expenses, and reimbursements synced seamlessly,” Khara shares. With the time savings unlocked by the integration, Khara and her team were able to provide higher-value guidance and support to the client.

From allowance to accounting

From a young age, Khara has had an innate affinity for saving. Her habit of tucking away birthday money into the sock drawer has landed her a thriving accounting career. Surrounded by Atlanta’s robust startup scene, Khara stays informed on industry trends through local networking and events, building a strong professional community. Staying on the pulse with the latest news, insights, and developments across the industry landscape, her future is limitless.

While Khara may be the informal financial guru amongst her friends and family, her interests extend far beyond her vocation. Outside of work, Khara’s passion for exploring new places has most recently taken her to Japan. Determined to check a few more countries off her bucket list, Khara’s travel plans are as ambitious as her accounting aspirations. Whether through travel, finances, or relationships, Khara consistently strives to be dependable and helpful to others, shaping her life beyond her profession.

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