Todor Mohan
Todor Mohan has been fond of quantitative finance ever since the final year of his bachelor’s degree. He has a real talent for finding patterns on the basis of real-life data. As a Credit Risk Modeller for the ING Group in Amsterdam, he loves the fact that he can apply his skills in practice in an international environment together with colleagues who have since become friends.
The move to Amsterdam wasn’t the first time Todor had lived outside his hometown of Novi Sad in Serbia. After graduating from the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Novi Sad, he received a scholarship from the French embassy which enabled him to do a master’s degree in Quantitative Finance and Actuarial Science at the Université de Bordeaux. “For me, it was an absolute highlight that I was able to pursue that master’s in the French language,” Todor says.
An unexpected turn
“Soon after graduating from Bordeaux, I got the chance to work in quantitative finance, an area I had become very interested in. I joined a large bank in Serbia, which proved a pretty good starting point for my further career.” That career took an unexpected turn when ING approached him. “I wasn’t really thinking about a new job, let alone moving to another country. But the application process was so smooth and candidate-friendly that the decision was easy. Before I knew it, I’d relocated to Amsterdam. ING helped me a lot with that process. It was clear that I wasn’t the first and only one to join the company from outside the Netherlands!”
“My team is a mix of all kinds of nationalities. That makes it super easy to connect with the others, as we share the same experiences. In fact, I’ve made some really good friends in the team. We hang out together, watching sports, going out in Amsterdam and Utrecht – it’s all very easy-going and fun.”
Insights into financial risks
“And of course, we share an interest in data. Finding patterns with real-life data is our daily job here at Wholesale Banking Credit Risk Modelling. Our models allow us to see what is happening in the financial reality of the companies we provide loans and mortgages to. ING wants to have insight into the risks we face if customers can’t repay their loan. And we have to meet the strict requirements of our regulator, the European Central Bank. As a team, we are constantly refining the models in order to better predict risks. We work for all the countries ING is active in, which means that we aim for homogeneous models, but at the same time take local differences into account.”
An extra challenge
“I know that, with my background and experience, I could easily work somewhere else, maybe in a less regulated sector. But the strict framework we’re operating in actually makes it extra challenging and rewarding to deliver solutions that we all support. Besides, my team is so very important to me, I wouldn’t want to be without them. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m really happy that ING and Amsterdam are my basis now.”
About Todor
Todor joined ING in October 2021. He is a big sports lover; he plays football, and recently rediscovered his love for volleyball, which he used to play a lot in Serbia. He enjoys watching sport even more than doing it himself, especially Champions League football and the US NFL competition – which he even plans his free days around.