Iulia opens new paths and mindsets

Just two years ago, electrical engineer Iulia had never remotely considered a potential career in banking, and only applied for our women's conference out of sheer curiosity. The people and the approachability she encountered there fundamentally changed her perception of banking, and the development opportunities offered by the Technology division won her over completely. After completing her graduate programme in the Technology division, Iulia now works as an analyst in the Low Value & Instant Payment department of the Corporate bank.

“Why not banking?” Her participation in the conference for women was a real spark for Iulia and turned everything she had imagined upside down about banking. Iulia likes the fact that the bank emphasises qualities such as openness, team spirit, a willingness to learn and each individual's entire personality – in addition to their professional performance. The digitalisation of the banking world is well under way. Processes, procedures, products and services are being scrutinised and realigned. Anyone who enjoys contributing new ideas and always learning something new can actively help to shape change at the bank. As Iulia puts it: “I can really make a difference here.”

During the graduate programme, the most important thing for Iulia was to get to know the bank first. How many divisions are there? Who does what? What applications and tools do the divisions use? Over the course of several rotations, our graduates experience various business areas and have the opportunity to discover which fields are best suited to their individual talents and interests. “During my rotation in the Corporate Bank, I had the chance to help with the final phase of a major project,” Iulia recalled. “I collaborated on a monitoring tool and was there for the go-live of the real-time payment engine that enables transfers to be made within just a few seconds. I’m still quite proud of that to this day.” She then found her current role in the Instant Payment team after completing the trainee programme. In an international work environment, Iulia’s job is to make processes and procedures even more efficient.

A changing world always means a change in the way we work, and Iulia discovered that this is another topic that really interests her. She soon realised that agile working is becoming increasingly important within the bank for accelerating innovation processes. She took it upon herself to gain extensive knowledge in this area before training to become a coach within the bank. Today she is not just successful in her job but she also helps to embed agile thinking and working within the bank as an agile coach. For Iulia, contributing her own expertise, always learning something new and collaborating with colleagues in different divisions provides the perfect combination of work and enjoyment. “From the outset, having the support of my line managers and colleagues assured me that I don't always have to be perfect – it's all about give and take within the team. This gives me the freedom to keep exploring new avenues and bring my strengths to the role.”