Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 38 | Page 82

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What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ?
Open Banking services are a particular priority for us . Many of our lending partners are eager to see a realtime view of consumers ’ creditworthiness .
The traditional method of using people ’ s credit scores can take many weeks to reflect reality , which in the current circumstances , isn ’ t viable . As a result , one of the knock-on effects of COVID-19 has been a large-scale withdrawal of credit from the market , precisely at the time when many people need it most . Open banking is increasingly landing well with customers and we have seen adoption rates increase throughout 2020 .
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside of the office ?
For me , exercise is integral to managing stress . I box and work out every week , but walking has also been vital during this time . I also meditate every morning for around 15 minutes – it ’ s so important to find that moment to quiet my brain and connect with myself and the unseen world .
Other things have also been more important during lockdowns . Simply enjoying the little things , turning off email , Slack and messaging . But above all , I think it will always be important – COVID or not – to try and be patient and forgiving to oneself and others .
If you could go back and change one career decision , what would it be ?
It wouldn ’ t be one decision , but a mindset . When I first set up a company , I grew the team to 12 people but , in truth , I didn ’ t know what I was doing . When the dotcom crash came , we crashed along with it and I started making poor decisions .
Unfortunately , my coping strategy was to work harder than ever . I was already doing 60-hour weeks ; I
From an in-office library to mental health resources and a personal training budget , we give our people the things they need – both professionally and personally . started putting in 90 . I was trying to work myself out of the crisis , but I wasn ’ t exercising or sleeping properly , and my thinking became muddled . I can see now that my attempts to fix the problem were doomed to fail from the outset .
It was obviously a difficult time – one I nearly didn ’ t survive . But it taught me an important lesson – that effort in business has to be sustainable to be truly effective .
It ’ s why I question the fetishisation of the startup ‘ struggle ’. There ’ s this sense that to succeed , an entrepreneur has to put absolutely everything they have into their business – losing sleep and friends along the way , and very possibly compromising their mental health . But such extremism absolutely doesn ’ t guarantee success .
What are the region-specific challenges when implementing new technologies in Europe ?
Regulation is a key challenge in the financial services sector . Whenever we enter a new market , we have to ensure that we are able to support all stages of the credit application process online – and to be absolutely watertight on our compliance processes .
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the next 12 months ?
2020 was a challenging year like no other . One aspect that that gave me joy was how flexible and adaptable the team were to the changes and uncertainly we all faced . I , and every member of the team , has had to show tremendous resilience .
By supporting each other and empowering each person to create their own pathway to reaching their full potential , we will be able to handle anything that comes our way in 2021 and the future .
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain C-level position in your industry ?
One of the biggest drivers of success – perhaps paradoxically – is being comfortable with failure . Most of us fail at some point and it ’ s ok if you do . If you ’ ve learned something and worked with some great people , it ’ s still incredibly valuable .
The key thing is to make sure you know what you ’ re learning and enjoy the journey . p
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