MyEnfuceJourney –  Embracing Challenges and Driving Innovation

Welcome back to a new chapter of #MyEnfuceJourney, our blog series where we shine a spotlight on some of the incredible individuals at Enfuce and delve into their unique journey that brought them here. 

At Enfuce, our people are the driving force behind our success. They are not just employees, but they are the heartbeat of everything we do, making Enfuce a place where happiness is truly built in.

In this episode we’re excited to speak with Emilia Raappana our Group Product Manager, who leads our product vision here at Enfuce, driving significant business impact.

Read on to discover how our exceptional Enfucers create and deliver happiness, driving industry-wide change.

Hi Emilia, can you give us a brief introduction of your role at Enfuce?

At Enfuce, I lead several product lines within our product division. I define and navigate our product vision, setting multi-year, multi-team goals. My role demands high technical judgment, innovation, and execution to tackle complex, open-ended problems.

Collaborating closely with internal stakeholders, external partners, and customers is key to success in my role. I prioritise the broader product organization’s goals, shaping the product roadmap to drive significant business impact. My focus areas include portfolio management, product strategy, and cross-product initiatives.

Beyond strategy and execution, I mentor other product managers, sharing my expertise in specific platforms or product categories. This role allows me to contribute unique business value and help Enfuce continuously deliver exceptional customer value.

What first brought you to Enfuce?

I was drawn to Enfuce by the vibrant atmosphere and the motivated, ambitious people. Joining the Enfuce team felt like coming home. Having spent years on the acquiring side of card payments, transitioning to the issuing side was a natural progression, completing the circle of my experience. The values at Enfuce deeply resonated with me, especially the strong embrace of diversity. This commitment starts at the top, with the inspiring co-CEO model led by two wonderful women. Leading development teams here has been enriching, with team members from diverse backgrounds and countries, which I greatly value.

How would you describe Enfuce in 3 words?

Ambitious – we set the bar high and work together to achieve the goal.

Accelerated – we quickly adopt and implement the latest technologies and methodologies, staying ahead of the curve.

Flexible – Balancing work and private life has never been easier.

What has been the most memorable moment / achievement during your time here?

There are countless memorable moments and achievements, making it hard to choose just one. From strategic retreats in the stunning Finnish Lapland at Levi to lively evenings barbecuing with amazing colleagues on our office terrace, and quarterly team events where we bond and create unforgettable memories together. But if I had to pick a standout moment, it would be our development team’s workshop in Helsinki.

In that face-to-face session, we came together to redesign our credit card invoicing process. It was inspiring to witness the entire team in action, sharing innovative ideas and collaborating seamlessly. This is the essence of rich collaboration. When we implemented our new solution, it was an incredible success—proving to be nine times faster than the old process and perfectly scaling to handle the increasing credit card volumes on our platform. Moments like these define our company’s accelerated growth and dynamic teamwork.

Can you describe a challenge you faced while working here and how you overcame it?

I thrive on challenges and am fortunate to face them daily, as work would be dull without problems to solve. These challenges make each day interesting and unique.

One memorable challenge was understanding a customer’s issue. The customer jumped straight to a solution, which however, couldn’t solve the underlying problem. The proposed solution involved a month of development and would be quite costly for the customer. We decided to hold a small workshop to delve deeper into this issue. I prepared a set of probing questions to uncover the root cause of the problem. After a one-hour discussion, I finally understood the core issue. I then crafted a solution proposal for the customer.

The customer’s reaction was priceless. The scope shrank from a month-long development effort to a simple three-hour standard implementation. Not only did this solution address the original issue, but it also resolved several other problems the customer mentioned during our meeting. Their excitement was palpable, and moments like this are exactly why I love my job as a product manager.

Looking at our company values (rich collaboration, smart people, beyond expectations, value creators) which one resonates with you the most and why?

All of these values resonate with me, and I believe they complement each other perfectly. Yet, one value stands out above the rest—rich collaboration. I thrive on working with people and sharing the excitement and success of our collective efforts, especially here at Enfuce, where every employee is deeply engaged and united in pursuing the same goals. I immensely value the wealth of expertise we have in-house and the unwavering willingness of everyone to help one another. This spirit of collaboration makes our achievements even more rewarding and our journey together truly inspiring.

How do you see yourself contributing to Enfuce’s success in the future?

As I look ahead, I’m excited about contributing to Enfuce’s success through strategic vision, team leadership, and cross-functional collaboration. By overseeing our product strategy and ensuring alignment with our goals, I’ll help guide our product roadmap. Leading and mentoring a talented team of product managers, I’ll foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. Ensuring our products solve real customer problems and add value, I’ll prioritize effectively and track performance to drive growth. My focus will be on making impactful decisions, enhancing customer satisfaction, and keeping Enfuce at the industry’s forefront. 

And that’s a wrap! Interested to hear more from other incredible Enfucers shaping the future of fintech? Check other stories, such as the one of Emily Baum, Partnership Director at Enfuce, all about unlocking true potential.