Meet Hannah Harrison, From Marketing to Product
Hannah Harrison is a Product Manager at WorldRemit, where she works on the trust team specialising in pricing. Having started her career as a banker, Hannah opted into the world of start-ups before joining WorldRemit as a Marketing Effectiveness Manager. In this post, she shared why she’s proud to work at WorldRemit and her journey from marketing to product.
Tell us about your journey into fintech.
I probably had an unconventional route into fintech. I studied History with Economics at University, intending to go into finance. After a few years of banking, I realised I disliked finance, but loved tech companies after covering the European tech space. I left thinking I wanted to work in the industry. I took a job as an analyst as I’d been an analyst in banking and thought it would be the area I could get a job in. I was very lucky, not realising that “data” would be the next big thing. I’ve since then worked in 2 smaller start-ups as an analyst, until joining WorldRemit.
What are the biggest differences you’ve noticed moving from banking to fintech?
The thing I’ve come to realise is that I love working within a company, rather than being in a more advisory role. There is a big difference between commenting about what a company “should do”, and bringing those ideas into reality. You have to work with people differently, and it really is “easier said than done!”.
What brought you to WorldRemit? What was interesting to you about the company?
I’ve always had a strong sense of morality and wanted to work for a company that made an impact. The job was a good combination of interesting work with a purpose I believed in.
What is your role at WorldRemit? Can you tell us about what that entails?
I recently moved from the marketing analytics team into the product team. I now work within the trust tribe of the product team, specialising in pricing. Our goal is to build out the functionality for the pricing team, and the wider business, allowing us to price our products in a better way. Ultimately, we want our prices to be more tailored to individual customers.
What do you enjoy about working in a global business?
The challenge of bringing together many different micro stories/market dynamics into a more overarching strategy is both immensely challenging and very interesting. In addition, the diversity of our teams is inspiring and has set a new expectation for me for what companies should be like.
Can you tell us about one of your favourite days on the job at WorldRemit?
My favourite days are the days where I learn and my eyes are opened to something I didn’t know about or hadn’t thought about. The feeling of your brain running at full speed trying to comprehend and make sense of the new information you’ve just been taught is something I love!
Can you tell us about your switch into product and how you’ll take your experience in marketing to a new department?
Moving from analyst to product manager is a well-trodden path, but a harder route to navigate than staying as an analyst. Having the opportunity to move from thinking up strategies to bringing them into fruition is something I’ve always wanted the challenge of. It’s fantastic to be given that opportunity when product management is a tough area to get in to.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career to date?
I think people sometimes obsess over whether one particular job will help them figure out what they want to do for the rest of their life. Learning what you don’t like is still very helpful and worth learning. I’ve also learnt not to rush with my career, and having a great teacher is [for me] the quickest way to learn. They help you save time with decisions you may spend much longer on without guidance.
