Jaque Bryant, Business Development Manager for Sales, talks about how Finastra is playing its part to help create a more open and inclusive working culture.
I’m Jaque Bryant, the Manager for our Business Development Representatives. I focus on strategizing and collaborating with ecosystem to generate pipeline for NACM.
I like to start my day by mediating and working out in the morning, then getting my son ready for the day. Since COVID-19 and the office going to WFH, my role has changed significantly, and I have taken on many new hats, becoming a manager, and a teacher (since my son is now doing virtual school) just to name a few. Whilst the transition had its challenging moments, I’ve had to get better with time management and prioritizing my full day even outside of work hours to make sure I was ready for the next day. Now almost a year in, I’ve got a handle on the “new normal” and combined with Finastra’s new OPENworking initiatives there is a good work-life balance.
What I enjoy most about my role and what my biggest challenge is, is managing a group of people. I enjoy when someone on my team feels good about their efforts, when I have helped them in a different way so they can further themselves in their roles. At the same time being able to adjust to the different personalities, while driving results will always be a challenge but it is so rewarding when you succeed, making it worth it!
It’s not just COVID-19 that’s been impacting my life this year but also the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s so important as its purpose is to highlight the injustice and inequality that people of color are facing; something everyone should be close to. Finastra has started to make great internal strides. One of many successes is with our new open forum “Hidden Realities” sessions. These continual sessions give people the opportunity to speak openly in a safe space about how they felt are still feeling and discuss how and where we can make changes. It’s always important to champion change, and not just during historic moments, we need to continue to champion it even when people aren’t watching. Be the change – as the saying goes.
The speed of growth and the need to be inclusive is one of the things that has surprised me most about Finastra. It’s great to see Finastra’s openness to all walks of life; how they also put their people first especially during a time like COVID. I am seeing the One Finastra spirit!
It was my first day here that I knew I’d made the right decision to work here. Walking into the building and seeing the energy and the openness. With my peers and my managers, I felt myself, comfortable and hungry to grow with a dynamic team! This is due to Finastra’s inclusion and innovation that makes it easy to work here. We all have a part to play in our success and Finastra’s success, so you must be willing to grow and work and ask questions.
Finastra is built for the future through its innovation and need to be proactive and disrupt the industry and the world by offering better agile solutions that can grow, as well as to make the workplace an environment compatible to all. We’re adapting and changing to the world, and the hybrid work style is just the start. We want people to join us and be themselves as this is just the beginning.
