It was May last year when I virtually onboarded Avaloq. It was a time when most of us, office-goers, were adjusting to this “forced” setup of working from home. Consequently, everything needs to be done online. You had to double down on clear and proactive communication because the computer gets in the way of telepathy — kidding aside, the computer is all we have to communicate with other people.

Avaloq was a different environment compared to my previous experience at PayMaya. From serving local businesses via PayMaya Negosyo, the world opened up in front of my eyes because the fintech products that I am now working on cater to the global market. Of course, with that comes the fact that the workforce is also distributed globally. So in one way, my incumbent colleagues are already used to fully-online communication. And I was in a hangover of missing in-person interactions.

In a span of a year, Avaloq supported a continuous growth in my knowledge and skills. When I say “Avaloq” I mean the people that I work with, directly and indirectly. The HR, for example, is supportive in helping me know the ins and outs of recruitment and onboarding. The same way for the design team itself, because we are expanding to support the growing needs of the business, it pushes me to step-up and help other team members grow in their roles, as well. Indeed, scalability is a frontier that I am excited exploring.

I find myself being constantly challenged to learn how to do my job better — whether it is about navigating a process, finding the best way to communicate with someone, or learning new skills. Working with people coming from different cultural backgrounds and varying professional experiences will always be challenging but with its benefits, too — first, I am reminded that there’s a wealth of knowledge from everyone if I keep my understanding open, and second, I feel like having a Swiss Army knife of communication approaches depending on who I collaborate with. Being always on the edge of my seat is a great thing for growth.

What makes me thrive in Avaloq?

It boils down to trust. With leaders trusting their teams in being responsible professionals, autonomy ensues. This is why even in a remote setup we are thriving. The collaborative environment empowers us to hone our design craft. My approach to design comes from my own perspective and it benefits the project to uncover many different angles via design reviews — this is where my colleagues’ level of support really helps.

Since May of last year, we’ve onboarded 5 designers in Manila, 2 in Zürich, and established a team of 5 in Berlin. Also from that month, Avaloq marked its first Philippine partnership with BPI and I’m proud to be part of its project team. From taking care of its employees during this pandemic to the acquisition by NEC, it was one heck of a ride. I’m grateful for being part of Avaloq’s continuous growth.

Avaloq → NEC

Tokyo, October 5, 2020 – NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) today announced the acquisition of Avaloq Group AG (Avaloq), a leading Swiss financial software company. The acquisition of Avaloq will provide NEC with digital finance software and domain knowledge as it enters into the field globally and strengthens its business in the digital government field. The acquisition is expected to be worth 2.05 billion Swiss francs, and to be completed by April 2021, following the confirmation of necessary procedures and approvals for each organization.

NEC acquires a leading Swiss financial software company, Avaloq

Avaloq × BPI

Avaloq is enabling the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), one of the Philippines’ biggest banks in terms of capitalization, with its Software as a Service (SaaS) solution to help improve customer experience and boost the efficiency of five business units and subsidiaries.

Avaloq provides Software as a Service solution to help BPI shorten turnaround time for clients and boosts five business units

Leveling up in your career?

You might be in the same crossroads like I was last year. When I mentioned how the world opened up in front of my eyes when I joined Avaloq, I hope you would also find yourself in a journey that lets you discover new things that you’re capable of.

A throwback of my video introduction

All new joiners at Avaloq are suggested to share a video introduction a week before their first day — this was mine.