Rachel Cunliffe

Rachel, tell us about your career history and expertise

I started my finance career over 20 years ago in a junior role at AppSense, which at the time was an early-stage software business based in the North West. I was there for eight years and went through a number of key growth periods with the company, including international expansion into the US, DACH, Benelux and APAC regions. During that time, I progressed through the finance function and was part of the team when AppSense raised $70 million with Goldman Sachs. Two of the directors later left to form Avecto, a privilege management software business, and I joined them at a very early stage – fewer than 50 people and under £3 million in revenue.

That business went through a very similar journey – rapid growth, expansion across the US, Europe and APAC, a $49 million investment from JMI Equity in 2016, and ultimately acquisition by a US company in 2018. Across both businesses, I was there from early growth through to exit, supporting finance, people, operations and international scale. That experience has really shaped how I approach my role today.

What first attracted you to Summize?

One of Summize’s board members, who I’d worked with previously, contacted me about the opportunity. What excited me immediately was the stage of the business and the ambition – it was very clear Summize was gearing up for a similar growth journey to the ones I’d already been through.

I also knew I could add value straightaway. I’d seen the challenges that come with international expansion, scaling teams, and putting the right foundations in place early. Having worked with members of the leadership team before, there was already a level of trust and shared understanding, which meant we could hit the ground running.

Culture was also incredibly important to me. In every successful tech business I’ve worked in, people and culture have been at the heart of growth. The flat structure, the openness, the focus on continuous improvement felt very familiar and very aligned with how I like to work.

What does it mean to be CFO at Summize?

There’s a misconception that a CFO spends all day every day in Excel, but the role is far broader than that. To be effective, you have to thoroughly understand every part of the business – from commercial and customer considerations to implementation, people and operations.

Every department has a financial impact, and my role is to take data and insight and use that to identify risks, opportunities and the key strategic decisions the business needs to make. I see myself as a strategic advisor to the leadership team and the wider business, but I still believe it’s important to understand the detail. You need to know what your team is doing and be able to step in when needed. That credibility and shared understanding is what allows me to add real value.

What do you find most interesting about the legal tech space?

What really stood out to me was how relatable the problem Summize is solving is. I’ve managed legal teams before and I’ve personally been through due diligence processes where contracts are tracked manually in spreadsheets, with version control issues and limited visibility.

Being on the other side of those processes – being asked how many contracts contain certain clauses and not having answers at your fingertips – is painful and time-consuming. I’ve lived that frustration, so I immediately understood the value of this sort of tech.

Legal is such a knowledge-intensive profession, and enabling lawyers to spend more time on higher-value work while modernizing their workflows is genuinely exciting. The technology itself felt a step ahead of anything I’d seen previously, and the opportunity in the market was very clear.

What does the future look like at Summize, and what are you most excited about?

Having been through similar growth journeys before, I recognize that feeling when a business has the right ingredients in place – and Summize is very much at that point. We’ve already achieved significant growth, expanded into the US, and built a strong foundation across teams and our contract lifecycle management (CLM) product.

What excites me most is what comes next. We’re in a position to continue scaling thoughtfully, building out our teams, strengthening our presence internationally, and investing across the business. From a finance and people perspective, that means supporting sustainable growth while maintaining the culture that’s been so important to our success so far.

I’ve seen where businesses like this can go over the next three to five years, and it’s incredibly exciting to be part of that journey again – especially with a team that’s aligned, ambitious and genuinely invested in building something long-term.