When we think about jobs in the technology industry, our minds often go to the more traditional tech roles such as software developer, cybersecurity analyst, data engineer and so on. Yet there are several other elements of the business that are sometimes forgotten about but vital to the running of any major tech company, particularly partnerships roles. In this interview with Partnership Manager - Nienke Veenhoff, we explore how non-techies see Mambu and why an outside-in perspective is important.
Thanks for talking to us. Can we start with a quick introduction?
Of course. My name is Nienke Veenhoff and since November 2021 I’m the Partnership Manager for BeNeLux and the Nordics here at Mambu.
Earlier on in my career, I realised that I liked working at drumming up new business. At the same time I enjoyed relationship management in equal parts and couldn’t choose between one or the other. When I found out that as a partner manager at Mambu you actually get to do both, I thought I had struck gold! Today, my job is to look for new partners within my region, but I am also responsible for building and maintaining give-give relationships with them which benefit us both.
Partners help us add more options and opportunities for Mambu’s customers to build products that are just right for their customers. And our partners have the chance to grow their business in collaboration with us. That’s what I mean with give-give: when I look for partners, I want to make sure that the relationships I build help us all.
I got my first partner manager role within the payments industry, and was then approached by a Mambu recruiter about this role. The culture, the people and the vision immediately caught my interest. We set up the first interview and the rest is history!
Is the role living up to your expectations?
It’s more than I had hoped for, if I’m being completely honest - and that’s not a sales pitch! All my colleagues are incredibly helpful and smart. Work is done at a Champions League level. I find working in the financial sector very interesting. Banks have to keep up with changes in the market, such as changing consumer expectations or changing market conditions like Covid or digitalisation or new regulations. However they are often unable to do so because they work with outdated core banking systems. Mambu really makes a difference here. I believe in what we’re doing, I think all see Mambu’s potential and work hard together to be successful.
My main goal at the moment is to continue building my knowledge around financial services and banking architecture. Continuing to learn is really important to me.
Then I want to achieve excellent results, have fun and be challenged. Where that leads to in terms of the next step - I don’t think about too much.
Right now, the balance I find at Mambu is also really important to me personally - and something in the culture that I definitely find to be true: I have two small children so, at the end of the day, I fold up the laptop and pick them up from daycare. I also have every Wednesday off which I find really helpful to recharge during the week. Some weeks I definitely work longer hours than others, but overall I enjoy the balance.
And what advice might you offer to others looking to follow your path?
Do what you love, believe in yourself and find people around you that you can learn from. And - very importantly - dare to make mistakes. Even in the worst case scenario, you will learn from them.
Personally, I found it difficult to reconcile motherhood and career, initially. I consciously chose to focus on my family, which sometimes came at the expense of work. But when my youngest turned one, I felt it was time for me to get back into work again. My advice to other parents is do what feels right - it’s very different for everyone.
Did you connect with Nienke's story and want to find out more about Mambu’s culture and our open positions? Have a look at our careers page, here.