Develop innovative products that are used every day

Sandra Nigulis 

Senior Business Developer, Savings and Investments Tribe

Education: Bachelor's degree, Applied Physics, TalTech – Tallinn University of Technology

How did you end up at SEB Bank?

At university, I studied applied physics, and when it was time to put my knowledge into practice, I ended up at SEB bank internship programme Youth LAB in Savings and Investments. As I was interested in this area, I applied and that’s how I started my career at the bank. This is my third year working here.

The bank, however, was not your first job?

Yes, I worked in a completely different field before - at the Radisson Blu Sky Hotel as a waitress and later as a supervisor. However, I decided to focus on my studies more, so I had to give up working at the hotel. 

Why did you study physics?

Because I have always loved maths and physics. I have to say, though, that I never dreamed of working in engineering. When I was in my final year of high school and thinking about a future career, science took centre stage. I tried IT but physics fascinated me more. 

What does it mean to be a business developer at a bank?

Since I work in savings and investments, we are talking about development projects in this area. More specifically, I work in the Funds, Deposits, and Trading team. We develop products in these areas in all Baltic countries. As a bank, you must fulfil several conditions and requirements when developing new products and improving existing ones. It is my responsibility as a business developer to understand what is in demand on the market and what customers expect from their bank in accordance with bank’s long-term goal.

Can you give an example of your work or project?

One example my tribe has developed is Robo-Advisor, which allows customer to invest via our mobile app. The user can run a simple test on the phone, after which the Robo-advisor will determine your risk tolerance and recommend the most suitable investment strategy. This can be investing in funds or investing in ETFs (exchange-traded funds) in the portfolio. This is an impressive example of automation and technology entering a field where this was previously unthinkable. 

How do you rate SEB as an employer?

The first thing that comes to mind is that I know SEB is open to any career path I want. All the opportunities are there, you just need the spark to take one of the paths. I think that is very important for people who are at the beginning of their career and maybe not quite sure if they want to stay in what they are doing. SEB offers a great opportunity to try different things. I feel very confident because I know that this is a company that cares about the future of its employees.

Do you already know what you would like to try out more, to achieve at the bank?

I’m quite an ambitious person, so, yes, I know that. One day I would like to try being a team lead, to take on more responsibility, but for now I’m still getting the experience I need in my current role. I want SEB to be the best possible offer in the Savings and Investment area, of which I am currently a part, and for SEB to be the best bank in its field. Additionally, I am also a football referee, which requires considerable time and effort.

What do you like most about SEB?

First and foremost, it’s the people, my colleagues. They inspire me the most. The other thing is the constant change - because every working day is a new adventure, a new experience. When I come to work, I never know what the day will bring, and these surprises keep me motivated. You must think all the time, always come up with new solutions, and always strive to improve.

On your LinkedIn profile, you write: “Feed me challenges and I will blossom!” Do you still feel that your daily work presents these challenges?

By all means! This applies to my professional work as well as to my personal development. I know my team trusts me, they know I can do it. Trust is a crucial element in building a work culture, in developing an organisation, because it allows you to take on challenges and overcome them more easily. Here it is. 

What qualities do you need to succeed in technology in a big bank?

You must be able to take responsibility, have analytical skills, and have critical thinking. Also, we are learning every day, so you must be willing to learn. My colleagues who have been working here for years are also learning every day. This is the best thing about working in the technology sector.

Your hobby is football. Do you play it or are you mainly a football referee?

I started playing football in primary school and played for several years. During my university studies, I stopped playing because I did not have the passion anymore. Then I took a break for a few years, but in 2020 I applied for the referee course, completed it, and now I am an assistant referee. I deliberately chose this position because I know I want to build a career at SEB and therefore I do not want to take on too much responsibility on the football pitch. Since this year I am on the list of the FIFA referees, and I mainly officiate matches in the second and third Estonian football leagues.

Which is the best football team in Estonia right now?

The football refereeing team is the best (laughs).

And from clubs?

I do not have a favourite club in Estonia.

What are your hobbies?

I love to travel. Playing badminton is a relatively new hobby for me. Concerts, books, theatre - nothing too extreme, simple things and new experiences.

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Dmitri Kuraksa

Enterprise Architect

Education: TalTech – Tallinn University of Technology

When and how did you start working at SEB and in the IT industry in general?

I started working at SEB about five years ago. I came here as an experienced professional – it was a time when SEB was starting to grow in a targeted way and there was a lot of demand for building forces in the technology sector. In my case, it was cloud architecture, a relatively new technology with lots of potential. My first task was to build a cloud platform, which my team and I did. It was a new development direction that improved the bank’s ability to develop new solutions as well as enhance and operate existing ones. I have worked in the past in several IT companies as well as in the banking sector in Estonia. Before that, I worked as a lecturer at Tallinn University of Technology. So, I know many of my colleagues very well, because some of them were my students or studied with my friends who were teachers, too. 

Why did you switch from teaching to business?

I stayed at the university after graduating because I had the opportunity to pursue a career in academic science. But the 1990s were a time of change and it quickly became clear that there would be no funding for science. At the same time, a new, purely academic project called the “Internet” emerged, which was known only to a few specialists at the time. It seemed overly exciting, and my colleagues and I set up one of the first internet connections in Estonia. It should be noted that the Internet looked quite different back then, it was much more complicated to use and there were only a few connections that were used for transferring documents, for example. The connections that existed in Europe could be drawn on a large sheet of paper. For many people, it was a complete novelty because even IT people came to me and asked me to show them what the Internet looked like and what they could do with it. As we know today, this was the beginning of a new era, not only in technology or business but in society in general.

You have a lot of experience in the technology sector - what made you want to join exactly the SEB team?

Development potential. As a bank, SEB used to be quite conservative, but it took a qualitative change at some point. I had been a customer of SEB for a long time, so the bank was familiar to me, and I was keen to join the team to be part of the next stage of development. During this time, we created and implemented a lot of automated processes, which have replaced manual work in many areas and made the bank more modern and efficient. This is the work of a large and ambitious team that is not afraid to make bold decisions, for example updates and improvements – we can now update many banking apps several times a day without even shutting them down. In the past, none of this was possible. 

What exactly is the scope of your responsibility?

My team and I are responsible for the bank’s IT – mainly communication channels, applications, and platforms. One of the biggest challenges in this area is to ensure interoperability and collaboration between all systems, anticipate potential problems, and keep up with key developments. For example, we completed an important phase of work on the new version of online banking, in which my team also played a major role. After all, it is one thing to programme a new solution, it is another to make this new solution work efficiently and fit into the rest of the IT infrastructure. This is the biggest challenge for me and my team.

In what ways is an architect’s job different from that of a programmer?

A programmer, for the most part, fulfils requirements given to him by the business side of the bank. And the programmer is essentially thinking about the task that has been given to him. The challenge for architects is to look at the field of IT as a whole – to see the connections between many applications, to recognise the potential problems, for example in the case of huge workloads, and to recognise the main directions in which the big machine is moving. You could compare it to the captain of a big ship, who thinks about the direction of the journey, the safety and functioning of all systems, and is able to foresee emergencies. For example, we have several data centres to ensure the continuity of the service in unexpected moments. 

How would you describe SEB as an employer?

SEB has grown from a national organization to an international one. This brings with it a change in corporate culture, which is becoming much more diverse and colourful. In turn, this means another level of cooperation between people of different cultures and backgrounds. It may be harder at some points, but in the end, this diversity is definitely good for the organization. 

Would you recommend SEB as a first place of work for those who have chosen an IT area as their profession?

First of all, what kind of people do I recommend for a career in IT? The most important prerequisite is the willingness to learn constantly, all your life. Because this is not a field where you read books and articles, listen to lectures and that is it – you have mastered the subject. Here, knowledge becomes outdated very quickly and you have to constantly improve. I am still learning, even though I have been in this field for over 30 years. As far as working at SEB Bank is concerned, the biggest advantage is the size of the company. Only in a company of this size can young employees have access to an experienced mentor. In my opinion, this is crucial for your future career - whether you are taught practical things by someone with experience or someone who is still learning. Small companies simply cannot afford to have several very experienced people who also have mentorship skills. Experienced staff is crucial when it comes to attracting good new employees. Other benefits include the wide range of possible working fields – you can try different things until you find what you like best. Also, the amount of technology available is always greater in a large company. I would therefore recommend that a new employee starts his or her career in a company like SEB rather than in a start-up.

What other qualities should a person who wants to make a successful career in this field have?

You need to have an interest in IT and technology as well as a healthy curiosity. I know that there are often problems with drawing a line, with finishing the job. That is usually the hardest part, but it can be learned. But if you like it, are interested in it, and are willing to learn, you will succeed.

Which university would you recommend in the IT area in the Baltic States?

I think all the old technical universities in the Baltics are quite strong. They have historical baggage, a modern perspective, and good teachers.

What do you think is Estonia’s special recipe that has allowed the country to develop so strongly in the field of IT and technology?

The most important thing was the development of the Internet, which happened a little earlier and faster here. That made a big difference because people became interested in the subject. The first big companies emerged, the best-known brands are internationally known, and the whole technology landscape developed as a result. But in the beginning, there was interest in the technology and the belief that it had a great future.

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