Inside Temenos – A Series of Inspiring Career Journeys, Vincent Louchart
“Temenos truly offers each employee the means to be successful in their career without sacrificing personal life, and for me this is the essential rocket fuel that keeps me going everyday.”
At Temenos we believe that our people make the difference. What we create and achieve is a result of the aspirations and goals of the 4000+ unique individuals that make up Temenos today.
Our people drive real change, and working together as a team is what got us to where we are today.
In an effort to recognize and celebrate our talented colleagues, we’d like to share some inspirational stories from their time at Temenos, from previous employment and from their personal lives too.
1. Tell us about your role: When did you join Temenos? What is your position in the company?
I was working for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Luxembourg within the Global Mobility Team and Multifonds (now “Temenos Multifonds”) was one of my clients.
In 2014 they recruited me as a Senior Human Resources Advisor to be part of the Human Resources team with a main focus on their mobility matters. After Temenos acquired Multifonds in 2015, I transitioned into my current role.
I now work as Global Mobility Manager and my job is to take care of the different assignments and transfers of our employees in their full life cycle: from immigration and social security to personal income tax aspects, but also with a focus on business travellers and related matters.
2. How did your career journey look before Temenos?
My career started with Sage in the UK and then PwC in Luxembourg where I was responsible with every aspect of Mobility and personal income taxes for their big clients.
At the time, I was using tax and social security law to advise on what companies should and shouldn’t do, and it’s been one of my favourite parts of this job from the beginning, although I’m aware it’s definitely a niche preference.
Now, working on the client side within Temenos, I’ve realized that the advisory part of my job is actually the easiest. In Temenos I learned that there are many other aspects to Mobility that perhaps I could not have discovered in my previous roles, as I was not exposed to such a complex organizational structure. To me, the diversity of problems I tackle each day is definitely one of the reasons why I’m thrilled to come to work in the morning – no day is the same.
3. What attracted you to Temenos?
I was attracted to the idea of an international environment. I joined Multifonds which is a multicultural and dynamic organization that provided me with all the confidence and the necessary skills to move to a bigger playground. Indeed, when Temenos acquired it in March 2015 we went from about 350 employees to more than 5,000 and from 10 countries to over 40; most importantly for me though, I went from working on a few assignments to managing a wide array of projects. As part of Temenos, I learned how to “play for the big league” and I think it was the best career choice I could have made.
4. Tell us about your journey within Temenos:
What was you first role here?
My journey started in HR, as Senior Human Resources Advisor with a focus on Global Mobility.
How did you progress from that? What motivated you?
Having international experience from my previous roles, I was able to bring that domain expertise to Temenos. Initially I managed mobility issues within the Benelux region. This has in the meantime expanded at Group level, and this particular move has been a great learning curve for me. I think part of what makes Temenos so special is that we all have the chance to strive for something outside our comfort zone and this is exactly where the excitement begins!
Did you have a mentor when you started your journey in Temenos? If so, tell us a bit about that.
When I joined the company, I started to connect with colleagues from around the world and was surprised to learn that many of them had been with Temenos for many years, some over 10. I did not have a formal mentor, but because Temenos as a company promotes such an open culture, I found myself truly inspired by the people around me and was able to learn a lot from them at different levels.
When you hear from our colleagues that have been part of the Temenos journey for over a decade, you can truly feel the energy, the motivation and the thrill that an employee would from a mentor. It’s easy to see why one would be loyal to Temenos for such a long time.
Another example that comes to mind is the Temenos Sales Academy, which we launched in 2016 in Luxembourg, where I am based. This is a specifically designed program that provides the foundation post-graduates need to jump-start their sales and presales careers, enabling them to rapidly learn and grow into the exciting place that is Temenos. To me this is quite a unique source of inspiration and even though I’m not part of the Academy itself, I feel I’ve learned a lot about the company just by being around the trainees and the trainers.
5. Tell us about yourself – what are you passionate about? Who are you at home?
Of course I’m not just passionate about taxes, I also enjoy climbing, a hobby which I’m practicing with my colleagues who have also become great friends of mine. We usually do indoor climbing around Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. As Luxembourg is very well positioned between these countries, we can easily drive for 30 minutes or an hour to reach great climbing spots.
Besides climbing, I’ve always been fond of animals. Currently I have a dog, and I’m hoping one day pets will be allowed in the workplace.
How do you think your passions/personal life link to your career?
Passion for me is all about excitement. It definitely has more to do with the heart than the head! Sometimes, we have rough days, we may get discouraged and we may feel like giving up. But I find that if I’m passionate about what I’m doing, both in my professional and personal life, it becomes easier to overcome any obstacle.
I feel lucky to have a job I’m passionate about and great friends who are there for me, but I’d say the binding glue between these is the work-life balance I found within Temenos, which is quite rare in a speed-driven age. Temenos truly offers each employee the means and opportunity to be successful in their career without sacrificing personal life, and for me this is the essential rocket fuel that keeps me going every day.
6. When you joined Temenos, what were your career aspirations/goals?
I actually did not have any special career aspiration. The main goal for me was to learn; I believe the more knowledgeable you are, the more comfortable and competent you feel within your role. Although I’ve been with Temenos for 4 years, every morning I’m still excited to come to work, as I’m still very far from being bored. Every day here is a new adventure, a new unexpected opportunity.
7. How do you think Temenos has helped you move forward in achieving your career goals so far?
Temenos is definitely that company where you are never left behind and where you are always supported. You have an idea? You think things can be improved? You want to take up new challenges? Your voice actually counts and when they say that People are the Key to Temenos, it’s totally true. Everybody’s door is open, from the support team’s to the CEO’s. My manager supports me every day, my colleagues as well – in Temenos if you are willing to offer your contribution to the success of the company, you will rapidly get the responsibility and autonomy you are looking for in order to accelerate your career.
8. What do you love about your job at Temenos? What motivates you every day?
There is so much opportunity for learning and growing, but if I were to choose, I’d say what I love the most is the people I’m working with. As an international company with over 5000 employees worldwide, every day we deal with requests from people with very different backgrounds, so even though we are a market leading software company, on the inside it feels like you are very much at home and respected.
For example, today I might be working with the Europe Business & HR Team, while tomorrow I could do the same job for the APAC team. We have great teams around the world and working within a friendly environment does make you feel very much part of the company. You’re not just a number among others, but an actual individual contributor in the company and you’re recognized as such at every step of your career in Temenos.
9. What is the most important thing you’ve learned so far in Temenos?
“Do not bring problems, bring solutions to problems.” Be truly innovative and seek opportunities all around you.
10. What advice would you give to someone looking to take their career in FinTech to the next level?
“Never compare your weaknesses to someone else’s strengths.” This quote reminds me that while comparisons are tempting, especially for competitive, ambitious people, it’s always important to focus on your special talents. That’s how you can make a real impact. And it’s the coordination of everyone’s unique skills that really makes the magic happen!