Featured Fíontan - Rachel Purkett
Since starting to work with Salesforce in 2019, what have been some of the most impactful changes or advancements you’ve seen in the platform?
I love how Salesforce is making point-and-click automation more powerful and user-friendly. I remember solving logic problems at the kitchen table with my grandma as a kid—she bought those huge books of them at the supermarket—and I get the same sort of enjoyment from building a challenging flow. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to keep learning every day as the platform evolves.
Tell us a bit about what you did before you joined Fíonta.
I worked for many years in the UK association and trade union world and as a journalist before that. Working for membership organizations can make you very versatile—whatever your members want and need becomes your next big priority. The challenge of meeting those needs is so energizing. I’ll never forget organizing a huge rally in Parliament Square in London to call for fair pay for nurses—4,000 nurses holding signs, chanting songs, and listening to the speakers that your team pulled together!
Share a bit about a project you’ve worked on at Fíonta that is meaningful to you and why.
I’ve loved all my projects! A big one that’s coming to a close is our Fonteva implementation for the American Academy of Neurology. Given my background, medical professional bodies are very close to my heart, and the AAN has been amazing to work with. Their staff are so incredibly smart and dedicated. Their vision for a unified platform for serving their members and the work they put in alongside Fíonta to achieve it will transform how they operate.
How do you see your role at Fíonta evolving over the next year and beyond?
As new tools emerge and existing ones develop, I look forward to supporting clients with a wider range of membership platforms.
You have a background in linguistics. What languages have you studied, and what do you find most fascinating about them?
I’ve studied Russian since college and have also dabbled in Polish, Old Church Slavonic, and Spanish. I find it fascinating to compare the grammar and rules of different languages and to make links between culture, history, and language.
Which of Fíonta’s core value(s) strikes closest to home for you? Why?
Assume positive intent really resonates with me. In general, people want a good outcome and do their best to get there.
What activities do you enjoy doing with your kids in your free time?
We like going to the library, kayaking, and watching movies. There’s a pretty big age gap between my kids, but I found that we can all agree on Moana!
American English or UK English?
Either one, as long as it’s consistent!
Lakes or oceans?
Lakes. (Don’t ask me about my run-in with a stingray.)
Borrow or buy books?
Borrow.
Mint chip or chocolate chip cookie dough?
Mint chip.
Favorite nut butter?
I’d be lost without peanut butter.