Life at Surfly #3 with Kinga
Q. Hey Kinga! Thanks for joining us today! Let’s start with your job and tell us: what’s the coolest thing about being a CFO?
I love being able to see how all the work each team puts in translates into numbers that tell a story about our performance. Every single one of us is working on something specific but a huge part of the job is collaborating across the different teams so that our clients can have the best possible experience using Surfly. A part of my job is also looking for operational inefficiencies and finding ways to make things better. Problem solving on the go and seeing almost immediate results feels very rewarding.
Q. Having worked in multiple countries, at both a big enterprise as well as multiple scale-ups, what do you think makes Surfly unique?
It’s definitely the people. We have a very unique mix of technical, commercial and operational talent from all over the world. I’m very proud of the work we’ve done so far and am humbled by the opportunity to work alongside such intelligent humans. Every week I’m in awe of all the accomplishments everyone shares, and it definitely feels like we’re building the future. That shared experience and the fact everyone feels empowered to contribute and speak up really gives us a sense of ownership. When people feel empowered they can do really great things.
Q. You are the proud mom of a Surfly baby! How are you managing a busy job with another full-time position as a mother?
A very proud Surfly mom, indeed! It took some time to work out a good schedule, and I definitely still feel like I never have enough time in a day. I planned ahead a lot, both with sleep training and my baby’s schedule so I can build a productive work routine around her needs. Surfly, as a company, is incredibly supportive of parents, both new and seasoned, which is half of the success. The hybrid remote/office work set-up helps a lot, as does a strong support network of friends, family and other new moms. And last but not least, none of it would be possible without my husband who always helps me see things through pink color lenses and is the other half of what I contribute as a parent.
Q. What is your favourite Dutch food?
I love Dutch poffertjes because they remind me of this Polish dessert my mom used to make me as a kid.
Q. What are you excited about in the coming months?
So many things. We’re making a lot of really cool operational improvements, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they impact everyone’s day-to-day. We’re also growing the team! The work that we do wouldn’t be possible without all the brain power we have, and one of our key objectives is ensuring we continue to raise the bar when we recruit new Surfers. Solving for that in a world where there are so many exciting start-ups to join is a good challenge to have. I’m also incredibly, incredibly excited about what our engineering and product team have lined up for our customers – our technology is so powerful, we’re going to take online interactions by storm!