Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Kathan Pankaj Kumar Bhavsar, and I am a Technology Delivery Analyst at Interac. I am a fun-loving and extroverted person who loves to travel and explore new places. I enjoy long drives and cooking for my loved ones. A fun fact about me is that I love to binge-watch entrepreneurial shows! Lastly, I am deeply rooted in the ethics taught by my parents and integrate family values in my life.
What inspired you to pursue a career in the FinTech industry?
I have always wanted to pursue a career in FinTech as I have a technical education background with a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering from India, as well as a post graduate diploma in Business Analysis and Technical Systems Analysis from Fanshawe College. I was passionate and eager to learn about technology and software in the payments sector, so I knew FinTech was the industry where I wanted to be. Working at Interac has also allowed me to grow my skill set and collaborate with various departments including Finance, Legal, and Technology & Operations.
Congratulations on your recent promotion! What comes to mind when you think about your career at Interac?
I am very thankful for my promotion from being an Intern in my co-op term to now being a full-time employee. Working at Interac is like a dream come true and being a part of the team here is a matter of pride. A few things that come to my mind about my career at Interac: the various career advancement opportunities which have allowed me to explore opportunities of interest and the mentors who have been happy to help guide me on the path of success.
For example, during my internship, I saw the full-time Technology Delivery Analyst role come up on the Interac careers page. I knew that I wanted to continue my journey here at Interac, so I reached out to my manager to express my interest in the role. Although she had a few candidates in mind, I was ultimately selected for the role not only because of my performance during my co-op term, but also because of how proactive I was in sharing my interest for the role. I love how Interac prioritizes growth and constantly recognizes the potential within our employees.
Do you have any advice for interns or young professionals as they progress in their careers?
My advice for young professionals or interns is to be open to learning, even if it’s not in your field of expertise, you can always try to learn and excel in it. Meet your coworkers and expand your network, try to connect with people all over the organization to enhance your relations with everyone. In doing that, you will also learn how people spend their days here at Interac and the amount of effort their jobs take.
What makes Interac a unique place to work?
The culture and employees who work at Interac make Interac a unique workplace. I appreciate the values, beliefs and attitudes that people carry, along with the shared mission to empower Canadians to transact digitally with confidence. I love that Interac organizes various social events such as the summer BBQ Social and Holiday Party where we can have fun with our Interac family. In the summer, we are also offered extra long Wellness Weekends that help us to prioritize our mental health and spend time with our loved ones.
Lastly, the accessibility we have to our Executive team is unique. During my internship, I was featured in a fun video introducing our new Executive members at the time, Conni Gibson and Jeff Henderson, where they shared fun facts about themselves.
What was your favourite part of being an intern, and what are you looking forward to in your new full-time role?
There are several things that I loved about being an intern at Interac. One thing that helped me in my work was the tremendous guidance and mentorship that I got from my manager, Shivani Kapoor, and Senior Analyst, Viggy Kasturi. Learning from them has given me great exposure to working with the Interac leadership team.
Now in my full-time role, I am excited to work with my team and explore where can I contribute my skills. In my role, collaboration is a crucial part of my every day; I get to network with a lot of different people internally as well as externally, which has helped me build a great professional network and improve my communication skills.
