From corporate to creative: CFO Mark Harrison's unconventional journey

The Australian

21 hours ago

Balancing financial discipline with the creative freedom that defines Procreate was a challenge Mark Harrison embraced when he began his role as CFO of the Tasmanian startup in 2021.
He credits his creativity, lateral thinking, problem solving, and interpersonal skills for his success in the finance industry.
Yet his path to CFO of a leading graphic design software company was far from traditional.
'When I started at university, I was studying mathematics, political science and philosophy,' Harrison says.
'They were all subjects dear to my heart, but I wasn't convinced I was going to make a living doing any of those things, and so I decided to give accounting a try instead.
'I absolutely hated it … I failed just about every class for the first two years straight.'
He ended up being dismissed from the University of Tasmania and had to write a letter to the Dean of the Faculty of Commerce requesting to be let back in.
'Thankfully, they allowed me back on probation, and I knew it was time to knuckle down,' he says.
'I studied hard, did relatively well, and actually began to enjoy certain elements of it.'
But it wasn't his grades that landed him a role after graduating. Instead, it was a shared passion for bushwalking.
'I went along to an event for students at a Big Four firm and got talking to someone who turned out to be a head audit partner, even though I didn't know it at the time,' Harrison says.
The two bonded over their love of adventuring, and when it came time for Harrison to apply for graduate jobs, he simply put on a suit, grabbed his resume and walked back to the company's office, where he asked to speak with this partner again. Two weeks later he was offered a job.
'The importance of forming genuine connections with people is something I carry with me to this day,' he says.
Mark Harrison's path to CFO of a leading graphic design software company was far from traditional
Three years later, his network also helped him get a job at Findex (WHK at the time). Harrison quickly became integral to their advisory capabilities and was promoted to partner at the age of 28.
After more than 15 years working in financial business advisory and accountancy, Harrison made the move to Procreate, where he was offered the CFO position.
Transitioning from the structured corporate world to leading the finance function at a creative startup required a fundamental mindset shift for Harrison. However, he embraced the challenge and found ways to leverage his skills.
'The development process for the software developers and designers is very collaborative. You'd be forgiven for thinking it's complete and utter chaos… But they've adopted a rhythm that works for them and pull incredible things together,' he says.
'It would have been very easy to come in from my previous role in a very controlled environment and be put off by the apparent formlessness of the new role. But the upside is that you can create and tailor the function from first principles.
'I looked for the areas of the business that needed tightening up, or the areas where we could do something better. I packaged those up as bite-sized projects for the team to work on, and built the finance function piece by piece, from the ground up.'
He says the role of finance in a business like Procreate is 'fragile'. Putting too many governance and procedural barriers in place risks stunting creativity and innovation.
'You have to try and strike a balance … a strong finance function can enable the company's purpose and creativity and sustain it into the future,' Harrison says.
'When I first started, profit was almost seen as a dirty word. We are very purpose-driven and have a cultural aversion to operating in an orthodox manner, so a tailored finance function that protects our purpose is essential.
'I repositioned profit so it was seen instead as something that enables… we can reinvest, and the creatives can go about their work without having to wonder if we're going to hit financial hardship.'
But for Harrison, feeling safe at work isn't just about a healthy bottom line. It's also about mental wellbeing, and he leads with that in mind.
'Everyone's got their own leadership style, but I always try to create an environment where people feel safe to express themselves, to come out of their shell and fire on all cylinders,' Harrison says.
'Leadership is all about building trust and humility with your people, enabling them to win as a group, and not doing things for individual glory.'
While AI is making waves in the tech, graphic design and digital art spaces, Harrison says it currently goes against what Procreate stands for — that is, enabling people to lose themselves in the creative experience and develop their innate, human talent.
'In its current form we don't think AI aids the creative process people are looking for when they use Procreate,' Harrison says.
'Of course, we're still searching for answers as to whether AI can facilitate artistic creativity, but we've decided that in its current form and application, we're struggling to see ways it actually enhances the experience that is so critical to our products.
'I think if you were to tell Monet that Water Lilies can be created in two seconds flat, a part of him would die inside … just before adding that you're missing the point: what makes these pieces great is the time, thought, and human decisions that are poured into them.
'Artists are making art first and foremost because they love the experience of creating and expressing something.'
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