Meet the Team Martina Mingolla People Operations iProov

Meet the Team: How to Develop a Career in People & Operations

November 26 2021

This month we’re introducing you to Martina Mingolla. Martina works within our People & Ops team as our People Operations Coordinator.

Hi Martina! Could you tell us about your journey so far and what brought you to iProov? 

I joined iProov last December, initially within the Human Resources department. I joined during a particularly busy period and was only the second member of staff in the HR. I took on a lot of responsibility immediately, and looking back now can’t believe how much I’ve done, learned, and grown.

Joining a smaller, fast-growing company means you’re exposed to so many different sides of the business and can really forge connections with the rest of the company. Although I’m not sure how much longer we can claim to be a ‘small company’; I’ve already watched us go from 60 to over 100 people!

On a personal note, I graduated last year with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business. Initially, I only wanted to do a one-year exchange in the UK to experience London and improve my English. But then I fell in love with the city! I never feel judged here and there’s a lot of freedom. It’s very different from life in the small Italian town where I grew up. In my free time, I’m a big tennis fan and am always trying to get in as much traveling as I can.

What do you do day-to-day and what do you most enjoy about it?

I handle the day-to-day operations of the People function at iProov. This can mean many different things on different days: answering queries and helping people settle in, onboarding new hires, training staff, and helping with project management. I need to wear a lot of different hats! It’s fast-paced and every day there’s a surprise.

To give a concrete example, we recently moved the entire company’s payroll and holiday application from one system to another. This was a colossal task but it was necessary to streamline our internal operations. Along the way people had questions and concerns—answering those and supporting our people is all part of my daily routine.

What I like the most is the variety and scope of projects I can be involved in—everything from implementing systems to changing our healthcare provider, and improving the benefits and perks offered to staff. 

iProov is currently going through change and a lot of focus and investment is happening in the people and operations side. We’re making sure that our values stay consistent and our culture remains supportive.

How would you describe the culture at iProov? 

Friendly, welcoming, supportive. The HR team was small when I first joined iProov but I didn’t feel like I was in a silo—from day one, people from other departments invited me to their lunch plans and have gone the extra mile to help me feel part of the company!  There’s a saying at iProov favored by our CEO, Andrew Bud: “People are our most important asset”. And you can see why when you look across the company: everyone is driven, enthusiastic, and motivated.

In my opinion, Andrew plays a key role in iProov’s culture. Despite being a busy CEO, he puts in a lot of time to speak to people individually and we get time each week to ask him questions on standup about the direction of the business and what’s coming next. Rather than shying away from difficult questions, he seems to enjoy them!

As we soar past 100+ employees, some of whom work across the globe, it’s part of my job to ensure that this culture remains strong and that people feel connected and supported. I’m currently working on our employee handbook, which will optimize the new joiner experience. I’d finally like to say that the office culture at iProov is great—while many still opt to work remotely, I encourage any new joiner to come into the office and experience it. (You can read more about iProov HQ here).

You’ve recently made a change from Recruitment & HR to People & Operations. How did this change happen and what has it been like?

I started my career in HR and was more of a generalist—partly because there was just so much to do! I was involved with recruitment, people, events, and even payroll. It really was a lot of work but was what I wanted at the time in my career: to try and learn everything so that I could decide where I wanted to specialize. 

As my side of the business has grown, Recruitment & HR and People & Operations have expanded quickly and become far more clearly defined. This also opened up opportunities for me. A few months ago, I officially became People Operations Coordinator.

I think my story goes to show how fast things can change at iProov. Nothing’s fixed in place and you shouldn’t be scared to ask about changing or reshaping your career direction. There’s space for everyone here to grow as your teams expand within the company. 

What would you like to say to a person thinking about joining iProov? What should they know?

Let me first say that you won’t regret the iProov experience! It’s anything but a boring environment. But you need to be ready to take ownership of your job and at times it’s challenging, so an ability to work under pressure is valued. But overall it’ll really teach you how to handle fast-paced environments, and now I’ve realized I can handle anything if you approach it in the right way.

At iProov you can say what you think and how you feelthat’s another interesting part of the culture. Proposals are taken on board rather than ignored. You can make things happen and make a difference, develop your skills, and be valued for what you do. 

Finally, I’d like to touch upon the excitement of working in the biometrics and technology sector. It’s fast-paced, innovative, and you’re surrounded by these talented people all day. I also think thatespecially nowthere’s this energy at iProov because we all know we’re going places, but we don’t know exactly where we’ll be in, say, two years. We’re all strapped in for the journey, but we don’t have a crystal ball. That’s not how change works. But that’s also what makes it so exciting. 

There’s a reason people enjoy working here. Come and find out!  Apply to work at iProov today.

And meet more of the iProov team below!

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