About Elizabeth Pirrie

I used to be an accountant, but I’m alright now. As a young business studies graduate in the early 1990s, becoming an accountant was the dream. I spent almost a decade auditing and preparing accounts before accepting the role of financial controller (and later finance director) of one of Scotland’s largest, independent care home operators. In 2011 I was lucky enough to be made redundant when the group went into administration. Yes, I did say lucky enough to be made redundant. Redundancy was the catalyst that led me to discover my passion for working with SMEs to encourage their founders to achieve more than they thought possible. Deep down, I’m still an accountant. You can take the girl out of accountancy, but you can’t take accountancy out of the girl! I now use everything I learned, both in public practice and as a finance director managing a group of companies with a combined turnover of over £8million, to support founders to grow their business and source the funding they need to take the next step, be that a product launch, or a move to an international market. Through my role as COO of Investing Women, I am privileged to work with Scotland’s only all-female angel investment group helping them change the face of angel investment. Our AccelerateHER program of events, including the AccelerateHER awards, support and encourage female founders to scale their business and achieve their dreams. Through Piuthar Ltd, my own consultancy business, I specialise in strategy formulation, business modelling, finance and investment. I believe consultancy should be about relationship building and collaboration. Get in touch if you think I could help you grow your business either through Investing Women or Piuthar Ltd. AKA/Common misspellings: Liz Pirrie; Elizabeth Ellis; Pirie