Employee Spotlight – Rahul Kanotra

November 5, 2020

Rahul Kanotra – Product Manager at Crosscard

We introduced Rahul to the team at Crosscard at the beginning of October, as a Product Manager. He is an expert in the payment industry with 13 years of experience in launching, managing, designing and executing end-to-end products/solutions for delivery across the globe. Rahul was previously employed at companies such as IBM, TSYS, Capgemini & Wirecard.

Rahul was responsible for the launch and management of products for Merchant Onboarding, MultiCurrency Travel Wallets & Prepaid Cards, Acceptance Solutions with TPP integration for APM & Shop plugins, Card Issuance Solutions/Products, Lending Products & Banking as a Service (BaaS) Solutions.

We are extremely happy to have Rahul onboard our growing team here at Crosscard!

We asked Rahul some questions about his journey and on how he is settling in with us.

Rahul, you started working in quite a unique time. Not only in your career but in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. Could you give us a brief overview of what your day-to-day tasks are?

Yes, we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, things have drastically changed for everyone. All companies are reprioritizing things. Since I joined Crosscard just a month ago, I spend most of the time going through product documentation, roadmap, product demo videos etc. to understand our existing product propositions in detail. As COVID has led to many people preferring to do home office and following safety norms, I also focus on getting to know the different members of the teams I will be working with on a daily basis and try to understand their job role.

My day to day tasks involve communicating, influencing and selling ideas within Crosscard which is backed with market analysis, technical and functional feasibility, data-driven decision making and ROI. Documenting product documents from competitive analysis to product requirement documents to the User journey and stories documents. I work closely with business and internal/external stakeholders to understand current customer experience and identify areas of opportunity. A most important task for me is ownership of the end to end product delivery from idea inception to market launch.

What was the transition like coming from a previous leader in the FinTech world to a faster-growing FinTech in Crosscard?

Initially, I was worried about the transition as I have worked with big corporations for more than a decade now. But since I joined Crosscard, I am really enjoying the transactions. Everyone here has been super supportive and are always ready to help. I just see the hunger to succeed and solve problems in the air here.

I feel a lot more empowered working with a smaller FinTech player and I see a lot more opportunities to grow and add value to the organization. I am looking forward to relishing and delivering this wonderful opportunity to work here.

From your LinkedIn alone, I can see the constant flow of interest in the FinTech world, what draws you to this industry?

Very interesting question. After spending more than 13 years in the FinTech industry, I still have the curiosity of a child to know more about this industry. The ever-changing landscape of FinTech draws me towards it every day. Slowly all companies are turning into FinTech companies or integrating their offerings with FinTech solutions irrespective of business they deal with which leads to new opportunities to innovate. Corona time which made people realize the relevance of cashless transactions, FinTech came out with endless solutions.

You’ve been in Munich for quite some time now. Where are you originally from and where did your previous jobs take you across the globe?

Yes, I have been in Munich since the start of 2020. I am originally from India where I started my career as an Application Developer with IBM. I have always got the opportunity to work across many different cultures and countries. Travelling always helped me better understand customers, vendors and colleagues, helping me to solve problems better and come up with solutions which has added value to both organizations and customers. Before moving to Munich, I was working in Dubai for more than 4 years with Wirecard Processing. Earlier in my career, I also had multiple opportunities to work in various countries in Europe from Nordic Countries in the north to Cyprus in the South.

What are some words of wisdom that you’d give to someone just starting out their career in the FinTech world?

First of all, I would like to welcome them to the gripping and mind-boggling world of FinTech. The best part about working in FinTech is its dynamic landscape. There is a lot to learn and a lot to experiment in day to day life. You should build a passion for it and fearlessness to look out of the box solutions. You might reach a point in another sector where you might say- I know it all or I know it pretty well, but the story with FinTech is totally different. You need to build a never-ending thirst to learn more and question more. Always remember the words from Steve Jobs – ‘Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish’.

We are always looking for talented people to join our team.
If you’re interested in FinTech, product development, software development, or financial services — we want to hear from you! Head on over to our careers page on https://www.crosscard.com/careers/ to check out what we are building and new positions we’re hiring for.

Go back