How long have you been working at Siepe and what is your role?
I’ve been working at Siepe for just over three years as a Business Analyst. In my role, I am responsible for strengthening business processes for our core data management product by collaborating with clients to identify and implement solutions within their systems that solve for their unique challenges. Part of this often involves piecing together product enhancement requests to enrich user experiences, and raising them to Siepe’s technological team to determine the look and feel of the final data management solution once implemented.
What initially attracted you to working with Siepe?
My background is in investment management and performance reporting at various asset management and pension funds. However, I always wanted to be more involved with the technical side of things so I decided to teach myself Structured Query Language (SQL) to better my understanding of programming and managing data held in a database management system.
This then fell into the work Siepe delivers to our clients, and I was looking forward to applying my skills to areas of the asset management community, such as equities, fixed income and research, where I had been less involved in the past.
What project(s) have you worked on at Siepe that you are particularly proud of or found the most interesting?
Earlier this year, one of our longest-existing customers came to us with a new request to help them better manage their data, while ensuring its integrity and security were maintained in a cloud environment. It was important to them because they needed to comply with the SEC’s recently introduced Rule 18F-4, which provided an updated approach to the regulation of funds’ use of derivatives and certain other transactions.
A key challenge was that the firm needed to make sure the data produced for these compliance processes was accurate and trusted in time for the regulation deadline in August. This data then needed to be fed into reports to demonstrate the firm had taken the necessary procedures to stay compliant. We were able to deliver on this request promptly, with the client now able to receive compliance reports on demand to meet future regulatory deadlines.
What is a key differentiator for Siepe?
Our ability to be on the front edge of technology. This enables us to easily integrate and partner with our clients, delivering them reliable technology that solves their unique requirements.
You were a founding member of the diversity committee, could you tell us a bit more about how this initiative started and what it aims to achieve?
I’ve always been passionate about bringing greater diversity and inclusion to the fintech landscape, and Siepe was looking to broaden its initiatives to promote diversity. So it just made sense for us to turn this into a reality and start a new committee that highlights the work and recognition of minority groups within the financial industry.
Recently, we organized a presentation from a team member to talk about the traditions of Diwali, why it’s celebrated, and its significance within Hinduism. Seeing and learning about different cultures, I think, is not only important for understanding different individuals in a business setting, but also for bouncing new ideas and taking a different perspective than you might originally have.
What’s the best part about working at Siepe?
The fact that I’m able to solve puzzles for a living. Every day, Siepe is confronted by new and unique problems which may require us to use new technology or to try new ideas to solve them. This presents opportunities, for us as employees, to move into new areas and be involved with different aspects of the business. What’s great about this is that the management team will also work with us to help us grow as individuals, while ensuring we deliver on Siepe’s mission to empower our customers with innovative technology solutions.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I work as a volunteer for Take Me Home Pet Rescue – an organization committed to reducing homeless pet overpopulation – in which I provide animal care, lead off-site public adoption events, and coordinate initiatives with other volunteers. I also write biographies for adoptable dogs to help them find the loving home they deserve.
