“A passion for tech and people”

Those passions are two-fold: tech and people. Katherine has ten years of professional experience as a tech consultant for the financial industry, plus she loves bringing people together, engaging and inspiring them. She has had various IT roles over the years, but what really kick-started her career in finance was an entry-level bootcamp for developers at a FinTech company: “I felt that this industry suited me and would allow me to keep on doing the things that I particularly love in my work: analysis, troubleshooting, problem-solving and communications.”

Katherine chose to switch to ING to support the opening of its new Wholesale Banking Tech department in Manila. “The vacancy seemed to be tailormade for me. I could use all the experience and knowledge I’d built so far here in my new position. Like all engineers I love innovation and continuous improvement, so it was a huge bonus that I would be able to learn, explore and experiment with the latest technology.”

“Currently, the main focus of my work is on automation and end-to-end testing of trade payment scenarios. Wherever money is involved, our actions have a direct impact on our customers’ lives and that makes our work extra exciting.”

Besides being dedicated to her technical work, Katherine is a people’s person and a ‘natural born organiser’. In her first two weeks at ING, she volunteered to facilitate a fun retrospective for the squad. “Then, I responded to a call for volunteers to set up a virtual year-end party for the Wholesale Banking Tech department in Manila – which since then has grown from 20 to over 200 people.”

As part of the engagement team, she now organises all kinds of events throughout the year, from weekly pulse checks to birthday celebrations, and from wellbeing checks to calls for help when members of the community are in need. “Meanwhile, we are also responsible for organising training sessions. I aspire to continue and improve what we already do and achieve as volunteers for Wholesale Banking Tech in Manila: the engagement initiatives coming from the people, for the people.”