Write your story with Pride - Q&A with Ben

Meet ANZ Product Manager Ben to hear how he has adjusted to life at Zip, and what Pride Month means to him.

Tell us who you are, what you do at Zip and a little bit more about your background

Hey there 👋 I’m Ben, a Product Manager at Zip. My squad and I look after our Card Spend product - we’re responsible for giving our customers the best possible experience when spending with our Visa cards.

I often get asked by friends what I actually do as a Product Manager. My job is to get a deep understanding of the opportunities that will help us achieve our goals and the most important problems to solve for our customers. I work with designers and software engineers to design and build the best solutions that will positively impact our customers while also achieving business outcomes.

Outside of work, I love exploring new food places around Sydney with friends. I’m currently on the hunt for Sydney’s best cacio e pepe pasta so I welcome recommendations! 👀🍝

What attracted you to Zip in the first place?

Values and people.

Above everything, I want to work at a place that aligns with my values and with people that embody these values. I’ve experienced what it’s like when company values are more than just posters on the wall, and are something that people use in their day-to-day.

When the people you work with are aligned to the same values, it becomes easier to move quickly together and smash our goals. We spend a lot of our time at work, so working with colleagues who share these values makes coming to work so much more pleasurable, meaningful and simply fun!

Having recently joined the company, what would you say are some of the opportunities you get working in Product at Zip that you wouldn’t get working elsewhere?

Zip feels like the perfect blend between a start-up and a larger tech company. You get the resources, scale and expertise of a bigger company, combined with the lack of red tape, speed and agility of a startup. There’s enough resources that I can truly focus on my product, but also the opportunity to work with Zipsters across the business and get exposure to the work that goes on outside of Product.

Within the product space, not only do I get ownership of my product, but I’m also encouraged to contribute to the running of our ‘Product org’ and improve our ways of working. I feel like these opportunities are helping me to develop the skills to become a product leader in the future.

Thinking about the way you get your best work done, how does Zip support your wellbeing?

While many companies talk the talk about wellbeing, Zip definitely walks the walk. Quarterly wellbeing leave, discounted ClassPass and a wellbeing allowance all play a big part in helping me look after my own wellbeing.

There’s also smaller things in day-to-day life at Zip that really reinforce the culture of wellbeing. Everyone across the business is encouraged to take a full-hour for lunch everyday - it’s even blocked out in our calendars as ‘Lunch and Wellbeing time’ so that meetings aren’t booked during this time. While this seems like a small thing, it shows the importance that Zip places on our wellbeing.

Plus, working flexibly is just the norm at Zip - everyone is super supportive about working around ‘life’, including when ‘life’ happens during the workday. As a new Zipster, it was great to hear colleagues, including senior leadership, openly talk about blocking out time for school pick-ups, lunch-time gym sessions and the likes.

At Zip, we believe our teams should reflect the diversity of our customers. Why do you think this is important?

Being #CustomerFirst is at the centre of everything we do.

Our customers are diverse and have a range of experiences and backgrounds. By having a team that is just as diverse, we’re able to bring a variety of perspectives to the table and build the best possible product for our customers. Every Zipster acts as a voice of the customer and these voices influence the decisions we make and help shape our product.

What does Pride Month mean to you?

For many people, Pride is a time for celebrations that are fun, colourful and often full of glitter 🎉

But for me, my favourite part of Pride is actually the low-key, relaxed conversations that it encourages. It’s an opportunity for LGBTQ+ people to talk about their experiences, both together and with those outside of the community. We can share stories about our individual experiences - both the ups and the downs - and encourage people to ask questions that they may feel uncomfortable to ask. It’s an opportunity for people to connect, and to show that there’s more to the LGBTQ+ community than just rainbow flags.