Icons of Trust - Maria-Giulia Roberti

???This week, to celebrate International Women's Day, we'll be spotlighting some of our amazing female icons at Trust Payments and asking them to share their struggles, achievements, and career advice ????

Introducing our second Icon, Maria Giulia Roberti , Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager.

Hi there! My name is Maria-Giulia, and I look after our Strategic Product Partners at Trust Payments.?Despite my Legal background, I have been working in partnerships and payments for more than 10 years, from start-up to corporate. Starting with Hospitality, switching then to Airlines, and now focusing on Retail, I have worked across several industries, but always focusing on what I enjoy the most: building long-term relationships with people! Partnerships are all about finding the best tech integration and commercials that will allow you to grow together. Ultimately, my main goal is to offer a win-win situation.

Other than my job, which I am extremely passionate about, I really enjoy yoga, walking, and singing. Due to my international background and my multilingual education, I also really enjoy traveling and exploring new cultures.

I thought that selling our payment app in 2017 would have been the best achievement of my life. I then became a mother in February 2022... and my perception of success completely changed.

What is one key piece of career advice you’d give to a 20-year-old you?

As a corporate leader told me once, your career is not a race but a marathon. Don’t make impulsive decisions driven by money or job titles. An interesting and challenging role is the best way to learn, and this will help you develop knowledge, which ultimately will define your success. As they say, “hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."

What has been the proudest moment of your career?

In my twenties, I joined a start-up as one of their first employees. The company was run by two incredible young women, and the idea was to develop a payment app for the hospitality field. We managed to grow significantly in two spaces that were very male dominated at the time: hospitality and financial services. In only four years, we raised money, built the product, grew our team exponentially, and sold our technology to a well-known corporate.

What is your favourite part of your job and why?

The favourite part of my job is dealing with people. Partnerships are very much about identifying the right companies to work with and managing ongoing relationships. Not only do you get to grow your network, but you are also key to establishing TRUST between people, which can be extremely rewarding.

What three tips would you give to another female looking to pursue a career in your field?

The Financial Services world is still predominantly a male-dominated environment, so here are three pieces of advice to survive it:

1. Make sure that you select a company that has great respect for work-life balance and that also has a very open-minded culture.
2. If you feel awkward about a situation or a person, speak up. Most of the HR teams in the UK are making an incredible effort to defend women’s positions at work.
3. ?Do not allow anybody to make you feel inadequate. Remember, what really matters at work is your knowledge and your determination. Nothing else.

Favourite quote...