Meet Giancarlo Cuccurullo, Group Audit and Assurance Officer
Giancarlo Cuccurullo is Group Audit and Assurance Officer, where he is responsible for the establishment and delivery of a group wide internal audit function. Hailing originally from New Zealand, Giancarlo joined WorldRemit shortly after his move to the UK. In this post, he shares the story of why he’s proud to work at WorldRemit.
Tell us about your journey into fintech.
This is my first role within a fintech company. I joined in September last year coming from a large consultancy firm in New Zealand. I chose to transition into fintech because I saw it as an exciting industry that was solving problems for customers in innovative ways.
What brought you to WorldRemit?
When I moved to the UK, I was interested in working for a company that would really motivate me to invest effort into making it bigger, better and more attractive to its customers. The problem WorldRemit solves on a daily basis resonates for me. My grandparents immigrated to New Zealand some 70 years ago with not much money. My relatives in Italy used to send them USD hidden inside soft toys that would take weeks or months to arrive. To see how far international remittances has come is pretty cool.
What is your role at WorldRemit? Can you tell us about what that entails?
I’ve just started my second role here. I started as a Group Risk Analyst where I supported the Risk Management team to collaborate with the wider business to make sure the biggest risks to the company were being managed appropriately. I also had a pretty big involvement with making sure we are ready to continue serving our European based customers once Brexit eventually happens. I’m now the Group Audit and Assurance Officer — in this role I will be acting as an independent reviewer of critical business processes to try to identify any opportunities for improvement and to give senior management some extra comfort on how well processes are working.
What has been the biggest change moving from a large consulting firm to a fintech?
It’s very fast paced. There’s a real focus on getting the right things done quickly, this means that I have to keep pace with the business when providing risk advice. In consulting, the client would give you the time to complete your work before deciding what to do next. Here its much more dynamic and I’ve had to adjust my working style to reflect the environment.
What are your passions outside the office?
Being new to the UK, I travel quite often on the weekend, either exploring the rest of the UK or somewhere in Europe. I’m also a keen sports fan and am always up for a chat about the latest Football, Rugby or Basketball news. I’ve been lucky enough to get to a few Arsenal games too.
Can you tell us about one of your favourite days or projects on the job at WorldRemit?
Setting up an office in Belgium as part of the Brexit mitigation strategy has been quite fun. It’s opened my eyes to all the work that goes into setting up and running a global business in a regulated industry. I’m also really excited about this new role in Audit and Assurance — getting to set up an in-house audit and assurance function is a unique opportunity that I wouldn’t have got if I hadn’t joined WorldRemit.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career to date?
If you don’t know something, just ask. The best way to avoid a mistake is to ask clarifying questions early on.
To learn more about career opportunities at WorldRemit, visit our website.
