Life at Integrated Finance: Toni Cancela, Technical Product Manager

Toni Cancela tells us about Life at IF, his love for beer and GIFs and everything in between.

On track to complete his first year with Integrated Finance, Toni has fully embodied the company’s ethos of continuous improvement and isn’t afraid to have fun whilst he does so. Having started his career before Integrated Finance in backend development, Toni is thriving in his role as a technical product manager now - where he is able to not only influence the technical build of the product but also shape its direction with his interactions with end users.

What made you join Integrated Finance?

My previous company was a neobank, where integrations were a big effort on the part of the engineers and it was a never ending story. So I know first hand the pain that Integrated Finance is working to solve and I understood the potential of the project. In addition, I already knew some of the team, which made me very confident about the decision to join.

Favourite 3 things about working at Integrated Finance

• Flexibility: for the most part I can distribute my working hours, so it helps me a lot when I have some extra things to do like take a ride with my dog, fix something in the house or simply get some fresh air to get inspired and continue later.
• Freedom and trust: even when I have a lot of insights and requests for new features or integrations to implement, I feel encouraged to make my own decisions and lead my team’s product roadmap, so my decisions are trusted.
• Support: from day one I’ve felt welcomed from everyone in the company, from Alistair (CEO) to my peers in the product team and especially Koray, who I report to. They ask me about how it is going, how I feel, if I have some suggestions for something that can be improved. I feel they care and they listen to my ideas and needs and that’s a really important aspect for me within a company’s culture.

Describe a typical day in the life of a Technical Product Manager

Early in the morning, while I drink my coffee, I take a look at my emails or any messages/ inquiries from customers or peers and try to answer all of them. After this, at 9am we have a daily meeting with the team, where we review current items on the backlog and try to solve any blockages. After this, I use the following hours for new discoveries, gathering information, diving into the provider’s APIs and creating documents to explain the scope of the milestones, analyse the company and services offered, create some diagrams and try to ensure everything to be done is crystal clear for everyone involved in the process. Sometimes there are meetings with customers or providers to clarify some points or provide other assistance during the implementation process. After having lunch, the second half of the day is typically dedicated to some catch up meetings with other team members, other departments or a 1-1 with Koray (CPO).

Name 3 things you can’t imagine living without, and tell us why.

1. Beer is generally not all about drinking for Spanish people. It is more about connecting with friends and family, enjoying long conversations and spending quality time with the people you love.
2. Dogs are the most loyal creators on the planet. I cannot imagine life without them, they make us a better version of ourselves - research has shown that dogs make us physically and mentally healthier. I’m a little biassed so I thought I should support my claims with some data - haha!
3. The Cadiz Carnival is one of the oldest and most culturally important Andalusian events. The carnival combines humour and acerbic criticisms in a fun and engaging way, it is the best way to experience the Andalusian culture - a must attend event in my opinion!

What’s your party trick or super-human power?

I’m like a superhero, you can call me Barman. Anytime someone uses the Beer-Signal, Barman will appear by your side at the requested bar to drink something with you.

What always makes you laugh without fail?

GIFs and emojis. I think they’re like music, there is always one which is a perfect fit for each situation, no matter what’s going on.

What’s your favourite holiday destination?

If I had to choose one place to go on holiday for the rest of my life it would be anywhere in nature, where it is calm and I can do some hiking with nice weather. I’d say somewhere like Asturias in the north of Spain or somewhere beautiful in Ireland (only in the summer though - lol).

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