Meet our Head of Finance - Plamena Zhekova

Our commitment to exceptional customer support, and market-leading funding and tech solutions starts with the people behind it. Meet the outstanding people who make the 3R team what it is today. Meet Plamena, our dynamic and dedicated Head of Finance, who works closely with our clients to minimise any disruptions to their cash flow and plays a crucial role in steering our financial operations towards success.

Plamena Zhekova: Head of Finance
Email: info@3r.co.uk

What is your job at 3R?

Since joining 3R in 2017 as an Accountancy Apprentice, I have advanced to the position of Head of Finance. In this role, I'm responsible for the administration of invoices, payroll to contractors and overseeing all of 3R's financial transactions to ensure they are actioned correctly and efficiently.

I assist our recruiters in understanding their clients' processes. This allows us to implement solutions and provide guidance to the entire 3R team to ensure we can make prompt payments to contractors and streamline the invoice process for their clients.

A core aspect of my role is to monitor the company’s performance by producing our financial statements and keeping the business on track to achieve our targets and bring us closer to our vision - "To be the go-to Tech & Funding Solutions Partner for specialist recruitment agencies scaling in the UK and Internationally".

How did you get into recruitment?

After completing my A-Levels, I chose to pursue an apprenticeship in Accountancy at one of the top 4 firms, driven by my passion for the field. This was an eye-opening experience that taught me a lot about the world of corporate finance in practice. However, it became clear that the role and environment were not what I had envisioned. It felt daunting, corporate, and impersonal.

So, I decided to move on and keep searching for a more empowering accounting environment that allowed me to grow personally and professionally. That's when I came across Mike Bowler, Co-founder of 3R, and found out about 3R and was offered an Accountancy Apprenticeship with the opportunity for further career progression. 

Over the past 7 years at 3R, I've been in a very supportive and collaborative environment with a team full of talented people and have had extensive engagement with our clients. As a result, I have learnt a lot about recruitment and the in-and-outs of supporting recruiters in growing successful businesses.

What do you like most about the recruitment industry?

I like working with a wide range of people and through the variety of sectors that our clients currently operate in, I get to meet and support people with different and often unique requirements for different processes and scenarios. So, no two days are the same and I enjoy finding solutions for our recruiters.

What's the best, most inspiring part of your job?

My role enables me to collaborate with recruiters directly and provide a personal experience which I think is extremely important. The finance function of any company should interact with all areas of the business, our team all represent our values and we have built a culture we are proud of so the support around me is amazing.

What gets you out of bed every day?

Knowing that we are delivering a service to our recruiters which is positively driving the success of their business… but let's also be honest as anyone working in finance would tell you…. COLD HARD CASH!💰

What's your favourite saying at work?

"Does it make the boat go faster?"

It's one we use to make sure we as a team are making decisions which help our recruiter's businesses thrive as well as our own in the most efficient and productive way.

If you were arranging a dinner party what would be your top 3 guests and why?  

• Brian Cox - to blow my mind on how little I know about science and the world I live in, 
• Kim Kardashian - the ultimate girl boss, 
• Freddie Mercury – so we can all sing Bohemian Rhapsody at the end

If you had a superpower, what would it be? 

Teleportation  - So I can go for the best holidays, wherever and whenever I want. It would be so efficient.