Bigbank's Head of Product Management and Technology: Banking was not part of my conscious plans

Ken Kanarik, who started back in 2010 as a young enthusiast managing web sales channels at Bigbank, is now a member of the bank's management board and the Head of Product Management and Technology Area. His career in banking, however, began on a friend’s recommendation.

What were your first impressions upon joining Bigbank?

Banking was not something that I had planned consciously. A friend recommended joining the bank, and it seemed like a good choice – exciting and challenging work, with a stable salary. I started as the Group Internet Sales Manager. At that time, Bigbank still had a network of offices for customer service, and we wanted to start offering web services, which today is our main sales channel. We have made a conscious choice to offer our customers the best digital financial services, to be accessible wherever they need these services.

What's interesting about Bigbank is that both in 2010 and today, the company has a very hands-on approach. Notice what is needed, make a plan, act, and get it done! Everything depends on your own will and actions.

What have been your major achievements during your career at Bigbank?

The most memorable challenges of my career so far have been creating and launching our own banking platform (Nest) in all the countries where we operate – it was a massive task for everyone involved. It felt great when it was implemented. There are few banks that have undertaken something like this themselves. First, the basic functionality was created, which I was able to lead to the finish line. But that was just the beginning – new products and services are added to this platform every quarter. We created the potential to grow, a lot and quickly.

Home loans, business loans, and credit cards are just a few examples that have confirmed that this platform is good and can be further developed. There is confidence and courage to bring even more demanding products to the market, such as payment services. Today, the biggest challenge is to do things right the first time. We need people in our team who have previous experience in everyday banking and want to make an even better version of it.

We have an agile and capable development team that is key to implementing our strategic plans and bringing new products to market.

How have you developed while working at Bigbank?

I have been a late bloomer in everything, and my current role as a member of the management board has forced me to grow – I took on a lot of uncertainty. During my career, I have been hindered by the fear of failure and overthinking different options. I have learned that sometimes it is wise to just start, and that’s why I really like the way things are done at Bigbank. Courage and taking the initiative, flexible approaches, and reassessing the situation are needed to create value at Bigbank.

How do you feel and describe yourself as a leader?

As a leader, you need to trust the specialists in their fields but keep the right course. As a leader, you cannot, should not, and will not be able to do everything yourself. One of the most challenging tasks is the courage and skill to delegate. I find it important to give people the freedom to experiment – this is how new ideas and the best solutions are born.

Certainly, my threshold for accepting discomfort has changed over time. I have definitely developed as a leader – learned to notice, value, and appreciate good leadership. Over time, understanding how to enable your team to win develops. As a person, I have become less judgmental – everyone’s work is challenging and demanding enough. My desire is to offer people the opportunity to grow and experience success.