Chuck Farmer, ESG Lead, talks about his long career at Finastra, and how collaboration is at the heart of life at Finastra
I started out at Finastra in 1998 as a Customer Service Representative, straight out of University. While an honors degree in History and International Relations may not exactly scream FinTech, it did prepare me for a career in writing about our products and services. Even as more than two decades have passed, working at Finastra has always been appealing, challenging and never, ever, routine.
Finastra is genuinely family, as my wife also works at Finastra. While we met in university, we were engaged (in both senses of the word) at Finastra, had three children at Finastra, and continue as a Finastra-family. Our coworkers acted as Aunties and Uncles, keeping up with our children as newborns growing up to where they are now, in secondary school.
In my current position a Knowledge Management Lead, I manage our Knowledge Management team for part of our TEMS (Technology-Enhanced Managed Services) business. This includes ensuring that all our ever-fluid processes are updated in a way that is accessible to our front-line staff, so that they can best assist our customers. In addition, we maintain a chatbot that is associated with some of our websites, ensuring that our customers can be as informed about our products as our agents.
In addition to leading Knowledge Management, I am also proud to be leading Canada’s efforts for Environment, Social & Governance. ESG is responsible for leveraging employees and their desires to make the world a better place. When we align our people, partners and clients with our technology, we can change the world. This can happen when we create an ESG-focused app on FusionFabric.cloud, when we teach a young girl the basics of coding, or mentor a youth at risk.
The best part of life at Finastra is being constantly amazed at the spirit of our coworkers. They never cease to astonish. A charity partner recently asked for volunteers, for a 5:30 am start time. Once we put the call out for volunteers, we had filled all our available slots and created a wait list within an hour. My coworkers are always be willing to put their skills to the test, collaborating to solve issues, which is not limited to my office – I am always able to reach out to an expert a time zone or continent away, knowing I am speaking with someone who is equally obsessed with customer success.
My greatest challenge has been balance and prioritization. Managing deliverables of both roles has been an opportunity to grow. Sometimes, the days are long. Sometimes, you must step outside of your comfort zone. I think that this is the only way to achieve a mindset of growth. There is always celebration once an issue has been resolved, even if it’s just a high-five.
There’s something special about Finastra. While it is a huge, global FinTech, it’s like my family, and it feels local. While we care in a singular manner about customer success, we also look at the best way of making the entire world a success. We want you to bring your whole you, your skills and dreams, so we can make the world a better place together
