“Creative problem-solving in the fintech world” – my week of work shadowing at Taskize

My name is Louis, and I have just finished my GCSEs and am currently studying Psychology, Art, Drama, and Business for A-Level. Art is my absolute passion because I thrive on creativity, and I chose Taskize for my work shadowing because I wanted to see how creative problem-solving and design translate into the tech and fintech world...

As my journey through Taskize progressed, I got a behind-the-scenes insight into the logistics of how team members go through their day-to-day work lives.

Deciding to do my work shadowing with Taskize was extremely beneficial as I learnt about different jobs and the incredibly intelligent and talented individuals of Taskize, whilst also enabling new connections to be made. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the business, and I would welcome the opportunity to return in the future!

I shadowed members of the product, marketing and financial teams. And it was intriguing to hear their respective and different roles and how each interacted with the others.

During my first day, I was shown around the workspace by Monika Jancewicz, Head of Talent. Next, I had the pleasure of sitting in a meeting with Sam Gardiner, Head of Sales. It was interesting to hear the topics discussed with a client of Taskize, also present in the meeting. In the afternoon, I began job shadowing Sam and his colleague Ben Pielow, Senior Sales Executive. Over the next couple of days, I had an opportunity to talk to various members of the team who explained to me their jobs and what they do on a day-to-day basis, and also gave me advice about the future – these included Monika Jancewicz (Head of Talent), Rohan Murphy (Business Development Manager), Wagner Veneziano (Head of Client Management), Narcisa Lupu (Senior Marketing Manager), Elle Guest (Client Experience Lead), Ian Peel (Chief Marketing Officer), and Albert Davis (UX Designer).

On the final day, I spent time with Diederik, the CEO, who led me through a workshop where I was challenged to give the difference between IQ (Cognitive Intelligence) and EQ (Emotional Intelligence). This is when I realised that EQ is far more influential and important to this day as the use of AI increases.

I learned a lot about fintechs in general as well as why secure communication is so critical for financial institutions. The biggest surprise for me was the office culture; I expected a finance tech environment to be quite formal, but everyone was incredibly welcoming and patient with my questions. I also didn't realise quite how much behind-the-scenes planning goes into making a platform user-friendly.

In terms of future careers, I have made new connections which have enabled me to access possible future pathways, opening many doors in the near future. The week has helped me discover different job ideas and how I view my future. Seeing how school subjects translate into real-world careers has given me a lot of motivation to pursue in my next steps!