Ralitsa Zaharieva for “ Women in Banking and Finance”
WIBF: Will you please share your experience in the finance sector and what inspired you to get involved with “Women in Banking and Finance” Association?
Ralitsa: I’m a marketing and customer experience professional and started as such back in the year of 2000. Cards and card payments went from being “reserved” for banks to being opened up to a host of other players on the market – supported by European directives and the will and ambition of a small circle of people who wanted to offer the Bulgarian citizens the same or even better ways to execute payments , a service which people around the world already took for granted. Thus, I became a part of the establishment and development of card products in several organizations and contributed to their wide adoption by the Bulgarian consumers. Over the years, logically, my focus was broader and I was able also to contribute to the expansion of consumer lending by working with various teams for positioning and promoting consumer loans, hire purchase loans and credit cards.
“Women in Banking and Finance” is an organization that works towards to attracting, retaining and developing professionals in the financial sector. In my work with small or large teams, I always take the time to support the development of young colleagues, motivate them to address challenges with a critical and unconventional approach and give them a spark to motivate them to move forward in the field. This is the reason I share your philosophy.
WIBF :What do you think are the biggest challenges Women in banking and finance face nowadays?
Ralitsa:My experience shows that one of the biggest challenges is the significant level of conservatism of the sector itself. According to my observations women are more dynamic, more willing to apply different and more unconventional ways of working, and banks as institutions still retain a very conservative mentality. Thus, disciplines such as a customer experience or project management, which are inherently creative disciplines based on the philosophy of “small steps but quick execution”, lose their added value. As a marketing and customer experience professional, these are the challenges I face and I believe the sector is losing out by being too slow to embrace change, both in terms of customer expectations and employee experience, as young people today are looking for more dynamic and fast pace of happening and developing.
WIBF: How do you think networkiing and mentoring programs affect women’s careers in finance?
Ralitsa :Mentoring, coaching and networking programs have a very positive impact on any type of career development, regardless of industry. Quite simply, these types of programmes contribute to sharing of expertise, which in itself helps to boost participants’ confidence, self-esteem and ambition. In my opinion, they often help to create, or expand if one has one, the so-called “support group” or people who help you to look at yourself dispassionately, from the sidelines, at any problem and/or situation, without judging or pointing fingers. Through such “supportive” people, one develops a clearer vision and gets through life and professional obstacles more easily.
WIBF: Can you share with us a moment or project in your career that you are particularly proud of?
Ralitsa : I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of new things in my career, both personally and in terms of the development of the financial industry in Bulgaria. I was fortunate to work with people who were on fire in their desire to make things happen and change the status quo.
I am proud to have been involved in the creation of a successful Bulgarian card brand, the development of financial services marketing, the digitalization of financial services on the market, the promotion of an exceptional customer experience as a means of differentiation for companies. I have seen and participated in the evolution of the financial industry in the country – both banks and non-bank financial institutions, and for me, definitely, non-bank companies play the role of “challenger” in the market.
WIBF : What would your advise be for young women aspired to step into the financial sector?
Ralitsa: Actually, getting into the financial sector is not very difficult. It is harder to stay and contribute with something constructive and positive. I have already talked about the conservatism of the industry in the face of traditional banks, but also about the dynamics of the non-bank financial companies and the challenges of the environment. And in this regard I think that people who think outside the box , apply more unconventional approach, willing and able to make changes happen and do not give up, will easily find their place in the sector, which in my opinion in Bulgaria is facing the inevitable need to adapt to the changing demands of the consumers.
