A solid bank foundation with modern agile approach

Simonas Dakanis

Collaboration & Communication Team Lead

Education: Bachelor's degree, Information Systems, Vilnius University of Applied Sciences

How did your journey in the IT world start?

My professional career began more than 15 years ago while I was still studying. However, the interest in this field came much earlier when I got my first computer – a pre-Pentium era PC. At the time, to have such a computer was something “extra”. I became so fascinated by it that soon I was able to assist those who had computer difficulties. That was the beginning. 

Do you remember the first computer game that was relevant at that time?

Yes. It was one of the first versions of “Commander Keen”, and later “Wolfenstein 3D”. My family had friends in the US, so we had the opportunity to get hold of the “blockbusters” of the time in the gaming world. 

And how did your professional career begin?

I started to work in a company owned by my friends that provided IT support to various companies in Lithuania. It was a job in both hardware and software fields since in the early days of the computer era there was no such strict separation. There were several clients I helped to manage the complexity of their computers and other office equipment. Later, a well-known company “Microsoft” asked my employer to provide on-site support for them. After a while I decided to work at Microsoft as part of the team instead of outsourcing it. My career path in “Microsoft” lasted for more than 10 years. During that period, the company went through many changes, was interesting, and offered several opportunities for professional advancement.

In 2019 you came to SEB bank. How did it happen?

One of my colleagues started to work here. At that time, SEB was building a new office building where meeting rooms with the necessary infrastructure had to be planned. I had to understand what the technological architecture should look like, how these meeting rooms would function in the future, what would be needed there from a technological point of view. I was invited to take this role because my colleagues remembered my setup of meeting rooms in the “Microsoft Lithuania” office.

You currently lead Collaboration and Communication team at the bank. What does this job consists of?

My team ensures daily cooperation and communication between bank's staff in all Baltic countries. We are communicating about secure and simple communication tools that are used intensively by a very large number of people. “Microsoft Teams” platform and e-mails are the backbone when it comes to communication tools at SEB. Since it is a part of “M365” platform, we have bunch of other tools to offer for employees. Currently, some of these services are being migrated to the Cloud, which opens new possibilities for our staff. For example, a more efficient scheduling function and others. I must say that the past few years have been particularly intense for my team – remote working model, which used to be an exception, is now a customary practice. This has meant that we have had to learn and redesign many things from scratch so that the technical infrastructure would be adapted to the new conditions. I think we have managed to do it quite well at SEB bank.

What are the main advantages that characterise SEB bank as an employer?

Here we have relatively much freedom in what and how we make something happen. The goals and objectives are clearly defined and we agree on strategic things together, but the way of how to get there is in our own hands. For me, this feeling of freedom and trust is a great advantage in the organization. It allows people's potential to unfold – they become more creative and more confident. In other organizations that I have worked at, this particular feeling of freedom was perhaps not so much pronounced. At the same time, you must remember that we work in a bank where there are particularly high requirements in the area of security, as well as requirements from the regulators. It is a certain challenge to balance these requirements with the freedom in the daily working environment and the mood. I think if you look at things in a logical and rational way, it is doable. For me, SEB is a great proof of this.

Would you recommend SEB bank as a workplace for young adults?

Definitely. SEB offers many different programmes for training. The knowledge you gain here can be applied both at SEB and in any other organization in the future.

Do you see career opportunities in the bank for yourself too?

I see my possible future options here, yet now it is too early to think about concrete steps. My career in the bank has been quite successful so far - I started with building infrastructure for meeting rooms and now I have a team lead position. The future holds the possibility of career growth for me. All I need to do is to choose what I want to do and how I would like to do it.

What still motivates you after 15 years of work in the field of IT?

I am a bit of a nerd in IT and technologies (laughs). I am always amazed and delighted by new possibilities that technology offers us. I do not get bored with it. I work in a field where there are news every month, thus I must be able to keep up with everything and understand how we should benefit from it all. I think I am most motivated by these incessant novelties.

What are your hobbies or pastimes?

One of my hobbies that takes a lot of time is having a dog (laughs). I am a member of the Lithuanian Rifleman’s Union, which means I train regularly and take part in various events. We learn how to defend our country and people. I also like music very much. “Gorillaz” is one of my favourite bands since in their music I notice the same thing that drives me in the field of technology – a constant improvement.

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