Meet Valentina, our On-boarding Payments Team Lead

Working together with all the teams across Tide, the Product team works hard to bring new features to our members. We’d love for you to meet the people that make the Product team – here’s Valentina.

👋 Hey Valentina! Can you introduce yourself in a sentence?

Hi, I am Valentina or Val. I’m from Burgas in Bulgaria. I’m a child of the sea, hiding in the capital; Sofia. I have 9 years of experience in finance roles and I am now the On-boarding Payments Team Lead for our International Currency Account feature, which we’re still developing, so stay tuned.

How did you cross paths with Tide?

My best friend introduced me to Tide. She knew I was planning to change jobs and she used to be in the recruitment team. It was a big change because I had never worked for a start-up before. I was a solid corporate employee. I was craving change and after my second interview, I just knew that this was the place I needed to be.

What’s your typical working day?

☕ Coffee first, then checking our daily statistics and overview of all the operations in progress. I work with almost every department, which really helped me get to know my colleagues and made me appreciate everyone’s contribution to the service we provide. We’re still building the on-boarding capacity of the feature, so being in the beta stage means a joint effort from all our Teams.

What’s the most unexpected question you’ve had from a Tide Member so far?

My personal favourite: ‘Who is IBAN?’

What do you like most about working at Tide?

This is my first job where I can actually see the product of my work. I can see my place in the company and visualise exactly where I stand in the process. I am not just another name in a long email chain. I can contribute, I get to express my opinion and work on the development of our joint ideas. It makes me feel good to see the impact I have at the end of the day.

What is your favourite Tide feature?

The International Currency Account feature. Which comes as no surprise since I’m taking part in its development. We’re still in beta stage, meaning I can’t share too much information, but we’re on the right track. I can honestly say that I love what I do and I am looking forward to the moment when we’ll be able to share this feature publicly and showcase everything it can offer.

What are you most excited about at Tide this year?

I am most excited about achieving our company goals. We’re currently expanding, working hard on maintaining a good service, whilst always bringing something new to the table. At the end of the year, I’d like to look at where Tide will be and be able to say ‘I helped, I was a part of this’.

Ideal celebrity dinner party guest?

Easy! Christian Bale, Ellen DeGeneres, Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Lawrence and everyone from the ‘Friends’ cast but in character!

What’s your hidden talent?

Making people laugh and baking. Works wonders when I combine both. I need to bring some of my famous wine cake in to the office, preferably after working hours 🎂

When you’re not at Tide, what’s your favourite thing to do?

An ideal day for me would be at a nice villa with an amazing mountain view, wild nature, sun and all my favourite people. A warm blanket and an open fireplace won’t hurt… I also like planning my dream vacation to Japan 🇯🇵! In fact, I plan it so much that I keep postponing it…