Angelika Piip
Business Developer, Cards & Payments Solutions
Education: High School, plans to resume studies at the University
What exactly does a business developer do?
The job of a business developer is to align the business needs of the bank, the requirements on the business side, and the technological possibilities. Sometimes this work relates more to technological issues and opportunities, and other times - to the business, bank products, and services. This work involves active communication, numerous meetings, and a large amount of information that needs to be applied to make the project development run smoothly.
This means that you need to know both sides of this – business as well as technological - very well.
Yes, that is true, but we also have great helpers on both sides because we cannot be competent in all the details when it comes to IT or, say when it comes to product marketing. But the colleagues who deal with it every day help us get a grasp of the most important things. However, you must be aware of the fundamental things.
Why couldn’t these two sides – business and technology – work together without the mediation of a business developer?
On a daily basis, there are many details and information related to the launching of new ideas and new products. Therefore, it is up to us to keep ourselves from “drowning” in this amount of detailed information, and our colleagues can fully focus on their issues. I think that we are often like a kind of “interpreters”, helping the business world to cope better with the world of technology. And it’s not just these two sides because many teams within the bank work on innovations every day. That’s why we need a kind of coordinating force that works with all the teams involved at the same time.
How did your career at the bank begin and develop later?
SEB is my first employer. After graduating high school, I started working here while studying at Tallinn University. My first job, for about a year, was in the bank’s contact centre, where I was in charge of answering customers’ calls. After that, I was a Chargebacks specialist in Operations for almost three years and then moved to the business development team. My career at the bank has constantly evolved over these six years.
What do you like most about your job?
In my work, in my team, we deal with many different questions and aspects that are so diverse that I never get bored for a second. I really like the fact that some days are very social and packed with different meetings and on other days, I can dive deep into excel tables and focus on numbers and details. Life is versatile every day, and that is what I enjoy most about my job.
Is there also room for improvisation and innovation in your work?
We know how any project is supposed to proceed, and what the plan is, but in the course of implementing it, we have to consider how we can implement that plan most effectively. And in that sense, we have the opportunity to be creative to achieve the best outcome. For example, we are currently working on responsibility reporting in the area of taxation to harmonise the Bank’s database and information systems with the requirements of the regulator and EU legislation. We need to prepare all the necessary requirements that apply to the data we already have and the additional data we need. On the one hand, this does not seem like creative work, but you can work on it in different ways, and creativity in this sense means creating the most effective, focused working model to achieve the result.
If we imagine a young adult who is thinking about starting a career in a bank – what would you tell them as the main reasons in favour of SEB?
I was young when I started working in the bank - right out of high school. So, I can say from my own experience that you can learn a lot of new and useful things here. It’s not just about banking products or specific knowledge, but also about how the financial world works in general and what its driving forces are. The second important argument in favour of SEB is the possibility of flexible time management. This is especially important for young adults because working at SEB can be combined with studies or training, i.e., the employer is open to such a model. In addition, SEB is a good place to start a career because we have a very supportive environment. People are open-minded and the team is so big that everyone can find suitable and fitting colleagues here with whom they can maintain closer contact. The advantage of a big company is that if you want to learn something, you have many more opportunities to do so. There is more of everything.
Are there any initiatives on the part of SEB that you, as an employee, feel proud of your employer?
There are. Among the most recent examples, I can mention the launch of Apple Pay and Google Pay solutions, which were in high demand by our customers. I was part of the team that implemented the project, and when I saw people in the shop using the payment method we created, I felt really proud. Because this is an improvement that makes our daily lives more convenient.
Do you see what the next step in your professional career could be?
I have been in this job for over two years now and I am just starting to think about what the next steps could be as I am still learning every day something new. Climbing the career ladder is not only about climbing up, but also about learning something new in other areas of the bank's activities. At the moment, I am more attracted to this kind of development path, but in the future would like to be a team lead or manager Because in order to become a senior manager, you must first gain the broadest and most diverse experience.
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