Employee spotlight: Rupert Curlett

Great technology is built by curious minds. Here, we prioritise people first, fuelling a culture where asking ‘why’ is just as important as knowing ‘how.’ Dive into our employer blog to find out what makes Monteers tick – both in and outside of the office.

First up: Rupert Curlett – our Kiwi FP&A and Corporate Development Manager in London – strengthening Monta’s financial foundations and helping shape our future growth.

Take us behind the scenes. What challenge are you working on right now that really excites you?”

Right now, my team is building the financial model for Monta Pay as we pursue our EMI licence. It’s like building a new business inside the business – mapping transaction flows, designing revenue logic, and ensuring financial and operational robustness. To create something from scratch like this means you need to be able to imagine the business’ future state, which is not easy – but certainly rewarding.

When do you feel most supported by your team?

I feel most supported when I see the team’s curiosity and willingness to jump in – even when something isn’t technically their area. I’m lucky to work with a motivated, high-performing group who ask sharp questions and love to get involved.

I also inherited an exceptional colleague in Max, who had been taking care of the FP&A function before I joined. Working with someone extremely capable and collaborative makes the tough times easier and success even better. Part of our role is to work with stakeholders across Monta, and to that end we are lucky to have trust and support from other senior people when we need it.

What fuels you when the laptop closes?

There’s a Māori saying I love:

“He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.”
What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.

Spending time with friends is how I recharge – I’m not great at sitting still, so being around people helps regulate me.

A big part of my life outside work is my dog, Edie, a two-year-old show cocker born on Christmas Day. Having her has fundamentally changed how I move through the day. No matter how deep I am in a model, she still needs to be walked, fed and played with. She’ll wander over and nudge me or roll over for belly-rubs, and it pulls me out of whatever loop I’m stuck in – often exactly the reset I need.

Coming from investment banking, I know how easy it is to overwork and burn out. Edie is a built-in reminder to pause, breathe, and reconnect with the world outside my laptop.

What are you most excited to build with your team over the next six months?

In short: a high-performing and repeatable M&A engine.

We’re assessing several acquisition opportunities, and to do that well we need scalable processes, frameworks and rituals – from evaluation and due diligence through to integration. Much of this has never existed in a structured way at Monta, so we have a rare opportunity to build it properly from the ground up.

I’m also keen to bring more automation and AI into our day-to-day in order to free my team from manual workflows, so that we can spend more time on actual analysis and strategic planning. This is all part of shifting the team’s role from simply “holding the purse strings” towards driving better decisions across the business.