Meet the Team: Dorota Dyakowska

Meet Dorota Dyakowska, our Global Relationship Manager.

Born and based in Warsaw, Poland, Dorota joined Team TransferGo in February 2022 and is on a mission to establish TransferGo in Poland as a solid institution for our banking partners and regulators.

Here, Dorota Dyakowska discusses her background and education, the importance of sports and her morning routine and all the reasons why she loves working for TransferGo. 

“I studied and lived in Manchester, UK for five years. I also spent some time in the USA and China…

After attending school in Warsaw, I moved to Manchester in the UK to study BA (Hons) International Marketing. I also did my Masters degree in Development Economics there so I lived there for about 5 years. It’s a really great and cosmopolitan city. I loved it. 

As part of my studies, I also spent some time at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, USA. For my Masters degree, I focussed on the European Union and specifically looked at China and how successful it was (and still is) at developing its different economic zones. I hadn’t been to China at that point so when I graduated with my Masters degree, I went and spent some time there. It was amazing.

I then did a PhD at the University of Gdansk back in Poland, which is up North by the sea. It’s very nice there. I finished my studies but I didn’t actually complete my thesis because I had to start work and look for a job. And that’s how I ended up in banking.”

“I shifted my energy onto my children during the lockdown. It was important to make sure they got the emotional support they needed…

After graduating, I worked for different banks, including UniCredit and Bank Pekao, the second largest bank in Poland. I then moved to the corporate centre at ING, where I worked with large international organisations specialising in different industries. I was there for a very long time. We facilitated credit, consulted with banks and worked with legal counsels. After a while, I switched from helping manufacturing organisations to financial institutions.

To cut a long story short, I then ended up working from home during lockdown. My partner, Sebastian works in Silicon Valley so it was really important for me that I focus on my two teenage boys, Conrad and Victor. It was difficult working full time and making sure that they had emotional and educational support during the pandemic. I started working for a company called Exante and also started doing financial translations. It allowed me to work while looking after my children. It was a good set-up and I was happy doing it.”

“I was happy where I was, but then Mariano approached me on LinkedIn. Soon after, I really wanted to work at TransferGo…

In October 2021, Mariano Diaz approached me on LinkedIn. Initially, I wasn’t interested in moving companies or changing anything but then we started talking. I then met Simon Moran and straight away, I really wanted to work with him. There was so much I could and can learn from him. I thought he was really interesting.

When I later read up on TransferGo’s co-founders and their stories, I thought the company sounded brilliant. I really liked the idea of what they do. As part of my final interview, I was assigned a couple of case studies and they got me thinking. After completing them, I really wanted to work for TransferGo. It’s now been two months and I love it. I really feel part of the family. Of course, there are challenges but that’s a good thing. If we didn’t have them, what would be the point? I love working and solving problems.”

“TransferGo is doing so much to help Ukrainians. It’s amazing to see…

I enjoyed working for banks and value everything I learned there. But because they’re so big, it always took a long time to do things. Whereas at TransferGo, it’s great. Managers can make decisions and they can be implemented the next day. It can be challenging but I love it.

Seeing how much work TransferGo is doing to help Ukrainians is amazing. It’s great to see how much we’re helping our neighbours on a daily basis. We’re really doing something. And everyone, even the managers, is involved. It’s great.”

“Banking & Infrastructure is all about collaborating with other institutions to make things happen…

I’m part of the Banking & Infrastructure team. I’m a Polish lead and I work with Simon and Anna. Mostly, I’m responsible for the existing relationships with our banks and financial providers. I make sure that things like compliance and AML issues are up to date. There was a lot of work to do when the war started and sanctions were imposed on Russia and Belarus. We had to go through everything and make sure that our partners were happy with everything. 

I attend conferences and industry meetings and meet with our partners to establish further relations. One of our financial partners is based up North so part of my job involves travelling. My responsibilities also include establishing our presence in Poland among regulators and decision-makers. So for example, I’m currently looking at the licensing in Poland. I work closely with the C-level managers on a daily basis. The whole idea of Banking & Infrastructure is that we want to be in a certain market and deliver certain products but we need other institutions to provide them.”

“It’s really important to own your work and what you do. I expect it from myself and also from others…

‘Owning it’ is an important value to me at work. It’s very much what I believe in. Own what you do on a project and if you make a mistake, own it. Own your project. Do not delegate, just do it. It’s something that’s very important to me. From that value, you have transparency and everything else that goes along with it.

I also like to create challenges for myself because it drives me. If I’m in too much of a routine, I find it boring and I don’t like that. Obviously, not too many challenges; you don’t want a load of fires that you have to put out. But if it’s challenging and intellectual work, I find it inspiring.”

“I love the transparency at TransferGo. Nobody is hiding anything. When I ask for information, it’s there…

I love the openness at TransferGo. I’m a newcomer and I already feel like part of the family. Nobody is hiding anything here. When I ask for information, it’s there. We’re always working towards the same goal. And no matter what that is, everything is explained and we know what the managers and shareholders are doing and want. You’re part of a team working together. There’s no competition and I really like that.

I also love the initiative we have here called Coffee for Success. Because we’re all based in different departments and countries, it’s great. Each week it spotlights somebody different and I always make sure I take the time to take part and learn about what they do. It’s such a great way to learn about the company and what other departments are doing. I really enjoy it.”

“I’ve developed a really strong bond with my line manager, Anna. It’s a relationship built on trust…

I’m really proud of the work Anna and I have done on virtual IBANs. And when Daumantas said during the Town Hall (our monthly company meeting) that it was a top priority for us, we got it done. The work is ongoing and we’re collaborating with banks in Poland to make it happen. I think everyone is happy with the results.

When I joined TransferGo, a lot of Ukrainians were coming to Poland to escape the war. One of them was my line manager, Anna. I was able to help settle her in Poland and I’m so happy and proud that I was able to do this. It helped develop a really strong bond between us. We now have a relationship that’s built on trust and friendship.”

“I really value my morning routine and sport is very important to me. It’s vital to have time to yourself when you’re a single parent…

I love my mornings. I wake up at 5.30am and get some things done, then I take my dog to the park for a one-hour walk. She meets her friends and I meet mine and we talk for an hour. I love being around nature, the woods and the trees. I really believe in the Japanese concept of forest bathing. It’s all about mindfulness. I love inhaling in and out. It grounds me.

Sport is very important to me. I cycle to work most days. It takes me around half an hour each way and it clears my head and gives me such an energy boost. It’s important to have time to yourself when you’re a single parent. I currently work from home two days a week, but I may increase my time in the office now that we’ve got a new office and there’s more space. I love going to work and getting dressed up.

I’m also a member of a book club so we meet up once a month to discuss books. It’s something I really enjoy. At the moment, we’re reading Doris Lessing. She’s my favourite author. To me, she’s perfect. In April, we had a book of essays written by Oksana Zabuzko from Ukraine. It was published in 2016 and reflected on what happened in the war in Ukraine in 2014. Reading it now, with everything going on, was a big eye-opener. It was a really powerful read.”

“I took part in an extreme sports week a few years back and I want to do it all over again…

A few years ago, I took part in an extreme sports week in Austria and it was amazing. I love skiing and I know the Alps well. We camped by the rivers and canoed on the small streams. They were fast and dangerous. The canoes would turn and overturn so I had a helmet and all the equipment on. I’m really proud of that experience and I want to do it all over again.”

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