July 1 will be a Wednesday when Gina Negru could just as well go and get her ID… from Banca Transilvania. That’s when it will be 15 years since she became one of the #OameniidelaBanca. Over this time, her career has given her different vantage points from which to fully understand what it means to work at a bank and how many ways you can help a client.

It all started before her bachelor’s exam, when she was called in for an interview. On Thursday she took her final exam, on Friday the BT colleagues of the time asked when she could start, and she replied, firmly, that she’d be in the office on Monday. And so our Gina from Cluj-Napoca had barely left university when she started her first serious job, in front office.

Since theory doesn’t always line up with practice, her perception wasn’t quite in step with reality: “It was a world totally different from what’s written in textbooks and study materials, but what was great—even back then, and it still holds true now—was that you always had someone you could call, rely on, get guidance from, get help from. In fact, all the collegiality and support made the transition much smoother.”

Advising, support and guidance are still very much part of Gina’s life, only now she’s among those who provide them, to both colleagues and clients, in her current role as Deputy Commercial Director, SMEs.

Before getting here, she worked as an SME advisor, where she started to get to know the companies side better; in 2013 she became Head of SME Services at the Marasti Branch, then relocated at the end of January 2019 to the Eroilor Branch, with the odd year-end where she was part of internal development projects focused on lending to companies:

“The truth is that if I hadn’t had the fantastic luck of working on projects specifically dedicated to SMEs, I’d have missed out on the insight banking side and the conceptual thinking about how we can better look at SMEs, especially in lending. Our focus isn’t set exclusively on lending; we offer full advisory on the operational, non-lending side too, and even retail, which is adjacent. At the end of the day, businesses are run by people who have personal needs as well, so we work closely with our colleagues in retail, in operational front office, and on digital channels.”

Empathy is key when you work with SMEs: “you tend to do everything you can to find a financing option that works for them and meets their needs.”

After Gina’s explanations, it won’t surprise you that a typical working day doesn’t have a neat definition: “The banking day starts right at the Eroilor Branch, with the first conversations, a few zamBT we trade with colleagues before opening hours officially begin and the place fills up with good vibes.” 

At the weekend, Gina recharges by spending time with her daughter, Daria, and her husband, Ciprian. These are the moments that fuel her for the next day, whether it’s lunch in the yard, a game of badminton or an archery session.

… yes, you read that right.

Archery is a family sport, “founded” at first by Gina’s husband. Long story short: after he befriended a dentist passionate about archery, Ciprian tried it himself, out of curiosity. Curiosity turned into passion, and soon enough Gina was persuaded to try it too—and she liked it! And if mom and dad shoot arrows, why wouldn’t Daria? That’s how each member of the family has a bow to match, which Gina and Daria personalize with a new engraving pattern for the leather quiver, a stitch here, a bit of paint there.

The takeaway? We wouldn’t recommend anyone to ever get Gina mad.

Kidding, of course!

Dear Gina, we’re happy you’re one of the extraordinary #OameniidelaBanca we know we can always count on, and we can’t wait to celebrate your coming of age together! ❤

Photo credit: Vlad Cupsa