Elena Pioara

Role: IT Area Lead – WB Financial Markets

Walk us through your career path in ING

Having joined Tech Romania in 2017 as Chapter Lead for e-Commerce in Financial Markets, I was responsible for starting off multiple components related to e-trading, Trade Analytics and platform automation development. It`s been a challenge to set up new teams with global distribution, while also staying on top of Agile Way of Working, managing stakeholders and helping engineers develop their knowledge base in Financial Markets.

I am now IT Area Lead and my team and I contribute to the implementation of strategic developments in the Financial Markets area.

How it’s Life @ ING? (especially from a learning experience point of view)

My role as a manager is to create the context for people to develop their skills. Life @ ING is challenging but it`s a beautiful journey as long as I have my team alongside me.

Sometimes Life@ING takes me back to my first visit to Disney Land. I have the same feelings of enthusiasm mixed with anxiety when it comes to new experiences, but I am driven by curiosity and an appetite for discovery We celebrate big accomplishments in my team with the same childlike, genuine joy.

How would you explain your role as IT Area Lead to a 7year-old?

It`s been a challenge to explain what I`m doing to my kids who are 5 and 7 year- old. When it comes to play time, they are very creative. We engineer software programs the same way they set their playground: define rules and engage players in the game. Through these programs, people can send money to each other with the same ease as sending a SMS.

If you were to recommend ING to a friend, what would you say about the organisation?

ING Tech is a good fit for those who want to join a both safe and challenging work environment, with great care for individuals and their personal development.

If you were to save the world with an app…

I would go for a travelling app connecting people to new experiences and cultures by helping them discover beautiful places, tastes, smells or sounds of nature.

Let’s say you wrote your first SF book. What would you call it?

Back to Earth because I like to believe that no matter how much of the galaxy we explore, Earth`s green and blue colors, seen from space, are a delight to watch.