TECHNOLOGY
“ It is incredible to see how we matured in some areas . A great example is Enterprise Service Management , where our leader Eduard Jooste has presented innovative solutions at this year ’ s ServiceNow Knowledge18 conference ”
– VP of IT , Hiba Sharief
different purposes . Likewise , some agile approaches used for software development are now used in other parts of the organization to manage large business initiatives .
Hiba explained that the key to Oportun ’ s success in scaling as a business has been as much about the people and culture as it has been about implementing the right technologies and processes . “ People often underestimate the importance of culture , but we ’ ve found that hiring people with a growth mindset and a thirst to learn and improve is absolutely critical .”
Oportun ’ s corporate culture emphasizes the importance of learning . The CEO , Raul Vazquez , regularly shares podcasts and books that inspire him and encourages others to do the same . The technology team meets weekly and takes turns teaching each other about different topics .
“ Everyone is as serious about learning and improving as they are about helping the company achieve its mission of helping more of the 45mn people in the US who are shut out of the financial mainstream because of their lack of credit history .”
It is that attitude and culture to which Sharief attributes Oportun ’ s success . “ It is also why it is hard to imagine a more interesting and fulfilling workplace where everyone is striving to push the envelope .”
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