What it takes to be a High-performing Operations Manager

Transitioning from established players like IBM and Santander to a dynamic FinTech like Revolut must have been quite the leap. What was the catalyst that drove you to make this move, and how has it shaped your perspective on the industry? 

I started my career at IBM as an accountant and then Santander as a business consultant. It was a great opportunity to be starting in well-established players in their respective industries, but I always felt that I did not fit the environment 100%, despite the career progression being clear and established. 

Someone from my network reached out and told me about Revolut. I was not personally aware of the company at the time as it was still an early stage scaleup, but I was immediately drawn to the challenge of joining a FinTech where you are presented with big problems to resolve from day one, as well as fast career progression. So, it was definitely a good switch for me personally. 
 

You career at Revolut started in Finance. Can you share an example of a project or initiative you worked on in the finance department that has had a notable impact on Revolut’s operations? 

One of the most notable projects during my time in Finance concerned the collapse of Wirecard, which Revolut was partnered with at the time. 

They were being bombarded with negative press regarding their impending collapse and we had to take immediate action to pull out of the partnership. I was responsible for ensuring all the receivables and the collaterals that relied on Wirecard were switched to another partner to ensure there was zero impact for our clients. We achieved this only one week before Wirecard’s collapse and managed to ensure our company and customers did not lose any money. 
 

Transitioning from a career in Finance to Operations is a noteworthy shift. How did your background in the finance department influence your approach to operations? 

The fact that I was working in Finance for around 2 years pushed me to become a very data-driven person. It also allowed me to gain exposure to all of the different types of products that Revolut offers to their customers. 

My team in Operations had a goal to minimise the losses that customers were creating for, therefore, I used my experience with the data flows and products to understand how the costs and revenue for each product was being calculated per customer. This allowed me to suggest improvements to the process. 
 

What do you think is the biggest opportunity in FinTech that is being overlooked? 

I think the biggest opportunity which is being overlooked is how much value and additional value your companies get if the customers trust it completely. This applies to all companies, but you have to be earning the trust of customers on a daily basis and one way of assessing this, at a company like Revolut for example, would be the average value of deposits a customer has, which has a direct impact on revenue.  

Indeed, trust is incredibly important. It is far more difficult to build up a reputation, which can be destroyed overnight. What do you think the impact of trust is when it comes to applying to a job as a candidate? 
 

I think it’s very important because it can also reflect the type of work environment that you’re going to face when you actually join the company. It speaks to how satisfied the employees are. Even the biggest and most ethical companies may have a negative article published around it. Ultimately, you need to be able to evaluate yourself if the information given in the article is accurate and not malicious. 

From the perspective of someone who has been both an interviewer and an interviewee, the hiring process is also always a deciding factor – read the emotions of the interviewer; do they seem happy and genuinely proud of their work at the company? These are all factors to be taken into consideration when it comes to trust.