From Belgrado to Utrecht: The story of Product Owner Milan
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Freedom and entrepreneurship
Milan is a Product Owner (Global Transaction Monitoring) at Rabobank. He embarked on a remarkable journey, both in his life and career, to eventually join FEC Tech; the department that combats financial crime with data and analytics. “In a field where so much excitement happens, the art is in maintaining calmness and a bird’s eye view overview.”
Milan grew up in former Yugoslavia. After his Engineering studies at the University of Belgrade, he decided to gain international experience. He joined AIESEC International (the world’s largest student organization focused on leadership development and international exchange) and interned as a Business Analyst at Alcatel-Lucent in Paris.
Close to the Heart
In the city of love, Milan not only found an internship, but also met his wife. Both got a great opportunity in their careers. He at a bank, she at a multinational company. After living in Belgium for a few years, they decided to move to the Netherlands together. “After working for 14 years at another Dutch bank, I was approached by an intermediary who was looking for people with experience in data management on behalf of Rabobank. I had gained that experience by then and realized that the gatekeeper role that FEC fulfills would be closer to my heart.”
Transaction Monitoring
For the past 9 months, Milan has been fulfilling the role of Product Owner within FEC Tech. “My teams and I are involved in transaction monitoring. Specifically, we build rules for the application that our FEC colleagues use to monitor transactions. We are currently using an external application, but we would rather use a platform that we have already developed internally. This means we are no longer dependent on an external application and it gives us one uniform source of truth.”
I see myself as an entrepreneur within Rabobank"
Product Owner within FEC Tech
As a Product Owner, Milan is a hub in the web. “I constantly receive conditions from various business and IT stakeholders. My task is to prioritize these, considering the limited capacity and timelines. This way, the most important matters are addressed and delivered on time.”
Milan experiences a lot of autonomy within his role, but also, taking initiative is important. “I see myself as a kind of small entrepreneur at Rabobank, who collaborates with other entrepreneurs. The freedom you get here is nice, provided you are assertive and initiative rich. Everyone is enthusiastic, but you have to approach people yourself. Fortunately, people like to work together.”
What matters is who you are and the knowledge and expertise you bring"
International Organization
Milan has lived in many different places, speaks five languages, and has moved from his homeland to France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. He seems to feel at home everywhere, but certainly at Rabobank. “Rabobank is a Dutch bank, but it is very international. I work here with many people who - like me - come from another country. No matter where you come from, you are welcome here. What matters is who you are and the knowledge and expertise you bring.”
