“My Qonto journey began with nothing other than a good workforce and a healthy dose of determination”

Discover our Qonto Insider of the month: Aïna Fahy, Strategic Operations Manager at Qonto.

1. What did you do before joining Qonto?

It’s kind of a funny story how I ended up at Qonto — I like to say that Fintech found me. I had been studying at Paris Dauphine for 4 years when I decided to drop out because I wasn’t passionate about my studies. I then began working as a freelance graphic designer for various creative agencies, while I had just started a music career.

When Qonto did arrive in my life, I wasn’t expecting it. After freelancing for a little while, I took on a few short-term contracts in graphic design to make ends meet. I took on a two-week job with Qonto working as an administrative assistant in the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) team. They called me back a month later with a job offer.

2. Why did you join Qonto?

I was still enjoying the independence offered by freelancing, so initially I wasn’t sure about taking the full-time position at Qonto. Having left my studies in finance and economics for more creative pursuits, I wasn’t sure a position in Fintech was the right thing for me, nor was ‘administrative assistant’ a goal of mine. Still, I’d enjoyed the time with Qonto — I liked my team and the management style. On top of that, I was new to office work and hadn’t taken on a long-term contract before. It would be a new experience for me.

My manager and I struck a deal: I would join Qonto if they agreed to train me for the position of Anti-Money Laundering Analyst. It was important to me that I develop skills in the position, and they agreed. This became one of the main reasons I joined the company: my manager trusted me, wanted me to evolve, and because of this I felt respected and heard. Qonto seemed like a great company to work for and promised the kind of stability that was hard to come by for freelancers in 2020.

3. How would you summarize the recruitment process?

Being hired as a freelancer first, my hiring experience was a little different. I went through the same hiring process, but I knew my managers and the HR team already. Everything went smoothly, although it took place 4 years ago, so there might have been some changes since then.

4. What stood out for you about the onboarding process?

It was very involved! I enjoyed being onboarded simultaneously with others, moving from room to room together building solidarity. Still to this day I’m in contact with my onboarding buddies. It helps a lot to start alongside others when you don’t know anyone.

5. Tell us about what you do as a Strategic Operations Manager at Qonto.

After two years with Qonto, I’ve moved away from AML and I’m no longer working as an administrative assistant. When the Scalability team opened up in the Operations department, I joined at its inception.

In the Scalability team, we assist Operations, making sure they have all the resources, partners, and processes to enable the department’s growth.

As a Strategic Operations Manager at Qonto, I lead projects for the Ops teams that scale our department and contribute to the company’s overall success.

6. What are the qualities required to be a successful Strategic Operations Manager?

Any Strategic Operations Manager at Qonto should have good knowledge of our Operations and the company overall. This enables the team to more easily identify potential improvements and understand the best ways to gain efficiency.

It’s also important to show proficiency in project management, because it’s at the core of what we do. Planning, communicating, organizing, leading teams, and understanding the bigger picture are all crucial skills.

7. How would you summarize your day-to-day life?

This position gives me the chance to achieve new goals and take on tasks that always change from one project to the next. I’m never bored and always excited. My day-to-day depends on the project, but usually I can expect a good deal of research and analysis, communicating with stakeholders, project follow-ups, and diving deep into Ops processes.

8. Which of Qonto’s 4 values (Ambition, Mastery, Teamwork, Integrity) resonates with you the most and why?

Ambition. My Qonto journey began with nothing other than a good workforce and a healthy dose of determination. I was given the tools I needed to learn, progress, and follow my ambitions. It’s been my experience that Qonto helps its employees reach their full potential.

9. If you could speak to potential future Qonto candidates, what would you tell them?

If you want to work for an exciting and promising company, you like new challenges, and you’re not afraid of a fast pace, then Qonto is the place for you.

About Qonto

Qonto is a finance solution designed for SMEs and freelancers founded in 2016 by Steve Anavi and Alexandre Prot. Since our launch in July 2017, Qonto has made business financing easy for more than 400,000 companies.

Business owners save time thanks to Qonto’s streamlined account set-up, an intuitive day-to-day user experience with unlimited transaction history, accounting exports, and a practical expense management feature.

They stay in control while being able to give their teams more autonomy via real-time notifications and a user-rights management system.

They benefit from improved cash-flow visibility by means of smart dashboards, transaction auto-tagging, and cash-flow monitoring tools.

They also enjoy stellar customer support at a fair and transparent price.

Interested in joining a challenging and game-changing company? Check out our open positions.