employer branding at ING Tech Poland - growing as people and professionals.
ING Tech Poland operates in an exceptionally competitive talent market. Yet its employer brand doesn’t just focus on money, but also the opportunity to develop as people and professionals within a vibrant atmosphere. We asked Kamila Heitzman, HR Expert, Employer Branding and Diversity & Inclusion, to share her insights on how ING Tech Poland creates and projects successful talent attraction.
Key developments in recent years include the opening of our new offices in Warsaw, Poland’s main financial center.
Based in Katowice and with offices in Warsaw, ING Tech Poland provides IT and operational services at ING around the globe. The company’s initial focus on IT has expanded to include services such as risk modelling, human capital management and people support. It also manages the group’s credit card technology and operations right through the card transaction lifecycle. As the ING group adopts new technology-enabled ways of operating and engaging with clients, ING Tech Poland is now spearheading groupwide digital transformation, and the shift to hybrid, onsite and remote working.
During eight years within the company, Kamila Heitzman has seen its rapid evolution: “When I joined, there were around 400 employees. Today, there are more than 2,000. Key developments in recent years include the opening of our new offices in Warsaw, Poland’s main financial center. This has enabled us to broaden the services we offer and attract people with specialist financial services expertise, as well as IT professionals, both from Poland and abroad.” ING Tech Poland’s growth reflects the ever-increasing importance of technology in all aspects of financial services. Indeed, the ING group has come to see itself, ultimately, as a technology company operating in the financial services market. Risk modelling exemplifies the blend of skills this demands by requiring both technical expertise, and an in-depth understanding of financial markets. As digital transformation gathers pace, the ING Tech Poland team is also at the forefront of managing the associated risks in areas such as cyber security and data protection.
rare and prized expertise
ING Tech Poland’s focus on areas such as risk modeling and systems development already place it in an exceptionally competitive talent arena. The challenges are heightened by the need to attract and develop people with expertise in both financial services and technology. Kamila explains the skills dynamics: “While there are now more university courses focusing on specializations such as financial risk, finding people with a combination of financial and technical skills remains difficult. Skills development is therefore a key priority. It is generally easier to teach a financial specialist the technology than the other way round. There are also more financial specialists than tech ones, especially in Warsaw. In addition, communication and other soft skills are essential in the kind of work we do. For people with an analytical mind, getting to grips with new technology isn’t that hard. But soft skills are harder to develop so quickly.”
How does ING Tech Poland compete for the talent it needs?
These are people who know their financial value and expect to be rewarded appropriately. As such, money is an ‘entry ticket’ into the contest for talent rather than a differentiator. ING Tech Poland therefore wants to stand out in different ways. As Kamila explains: “This is a vibrant organization that offers people the chance to develop their careers by working on a variety of exciting projects.
The challenges are heightened by the need to attract and develop people with expertise in both financial services and technology.
You can download and read the full interview with Kamila Heitzman, HR Expert, Employer Branding and Diversity & Inclusion at ING Tech Poland.