Q&A with Fui, AML Analyst
ComplianceSingapore
I saw the job and researched Wise on LinkedIn and Glassdoor. I could tell there would be opportunities for career growth and flexibility in my work. Wise seemed like a place that values their employees’ opinions and has very open communications. The annual company holiday to Europe was enticing too. So I gave it a try and haven’t regretted it!
In a nutshell, what do you do at Wise?
We stop bad people from using our service. We have to see if there’s any suspicious activity and if there is we investigate and report it.
What’s the biggest challenge working here?
For me personally, it’s working remotely. Currently I’m the only team member in the local office as the rest of my team is located at other regions, so I’m working alone most of the time. It can be difficult to communicate when the rest of my team is on another time zone. It sometimes makes me feel like I’m missing out of things, but thankfully I have lots of support and catch-ups with my team.
What’s the most interesting project you’ve worked on?
I was helping us speed up the way we filter information on Excel so that you don’t have to click so many steps manually. I realised I was the only one doing this in my team so I helped to initiate that for the whole team and it’s had a great impact on our effectiveness as a team.
What’s your team tradition?
In the AML team, we bring something sweet (cake or candy) to share with our team members on special days like birthdays and work anniversaries. The very first “sweet” I got when I first joined was a cookie with my name on it. It was almost Christmas so it felt like my early Christmas gift.
What does working with freedom and autonomy mean to you?
For me it’s having the flexibility to shuffle my working time. I’m able to start later to take my kids to school, take them to the doctors in the middle of the day and finish my work in the evening. To have this flexibility is everything as a busy working mom!
What’s the most unusual job you’ve ever done?
During my time as a stay at home mom, I was a short-lived entrepreneur. My family and I were living in the US at that time, so I started a business for printing handmade customised apparel. My niche was that I could print text in Mandarin. My favourite customer was an American family who had just adopted a baby from China, and they wanted to print her name in both English and Mandarin on a baby onesie.
It was definitely challenging to manage the business alone and take care of 3 young children (including an infant), but I’m really proud that the business went from zero to getting bulk orders just a few months after launch. And to a state where I broke even within a year.
Tell us about something extraordinary that you’ve done?
I was 7 months pregnant with my first baby. I was working at an international company, and we always had a bonding event when the team travelled somewhere. When the rest of my team came to visit, we had to create a team building video. We did a Korean dance in office attire with janitor-style yellow rubber gloves in the middle of the busiest street in Singapore – Orchard Road, and I danced with my big baby bump!
What’s your side hustle?
On top of raising three little humans (which feels like a second full-time job to me), I’m learning Taekwondo with my kids. I’m looking to go for the black belt grading in 2 years time, and eventually be trained to be a coach.
Tell us about a time you went out of your way to help a customer?
We often see cases of elderly people sending money to accounts that seem like a scam. We’re not allowed to say anything, but I always try to ask a lot of questions to make the person realise the recipient might not be genuine. This way I’ve been able to stop many scams.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve done at Wise?
The active activity track at Summer Days our whole company trip! I didn’t realise I’d be crawling in mud up to my butt when I signed up for that one.
What tips would you have for other working moms who want to progress in their career?
You need to manage your and your family’s expectations. You have to be ready to give up some things, but it’s all worth it. When I was an entrepreneur, I had to manage my children’s expectations a lot – I’d spend the whole day with them. Once my husband was home I’d go to the ‘office’ in our home and tell the kids I’ll be in the office, so they have to go to their dad for everything then.
