A detailed morning till night time routine of StashAway’s co-founder

My name is Michele, and I am one of the co-founders at StashAway.

I spent half of my career in financial institutions, and the other half building consumer-centric internet companies.

I am originally from Italy, and I have been spending the last seven years in Singapore with my wonderful family; my wife Ludo who works 24/7 for our family, and our son Matteo (5) and daughter Agnese (3) who make sure that nobody is ever bored.

I used to play soccer (an avid AC Milan fan!), and I also ran for the New York marathon 12 years ago (and 8 Kilos ago).

Professionally, I started my career at McKinsey, where I advised large banks and insurance companies, before moving on to be a private equity investor.

Six years ago, I found the Italian and Pakistani office of Rocket Internet, where I was responsible for launching and scaling the leading regional e-commerce company.

Before StashAway, I was the Group CEO of ZALORA and sometimes wonder when I will stop being called the ex-CEO of Zalora.

In StashAway, as the CEO of the company, my daily activities mostly revolve around people.

This was something that I was always passionate about (in fact, my MBA application essay was on the importance of people in decision making).

I feel lucky that what I am doing today allows me to build relationships every day, not just with clients, but with my incredibly talented team at StashAway.

I see my job as making sure that

(i) we hire the best talent available and that

(ii) the people that join are in the best position to succeed and have fun in the process.

 

630am: Wake up

 

630am-7am: I spend time with my kids before my wife takes them to their school.

If we have time, Matteo, my son, and I briefly play lego, or I get to read him a book and Agnese, my daughter loves to pretend she’s cooking me breakfast.

I need to order something from her and taste it before she leaves.

We always have a “hugging contest” to see who can hug more forcefully and she usually tells me that I won.

 

7am-8am: I finally get breakfast. My wife Ludo, who is amazing prepares handmade croissants for me (yes!) and I drink tea. I’m an unusual Italian.

 

8 am: Ride my bicycle to the MRT station

 

8:05 am: (Yes, I am fast! or maybe it’s just a few hundred meters from the MRT to the office)

 

8:45 am: I am finally in the office!

I start my workday by clearing up my email and Slack (the application we use for internal communications).

I  like Slack because one can create multiple channels to manage projects and share interesting thoughts and ideas!

We have channels like “reading compilation” and “fin-market articles” where we share general interest and financial articles with the team.

Also, as part of my slack backlog, I read all customers comments in our “NPS Survey” Slack Channel.

This is a channel that every member of the company is in.

We make it a point to have everyone, from the technology to the product and marketing teams, read customer feedback and comments.

We do this to ensure that we are always aware of customer pain points and feedback. It’s also good for everyone to read comments that praise the product and service!

I always drink a cup of warm water throughout the day. 10 years ago it was coffee, then it became green tea, and after I moved to Asia, it’s warm water.

Not sure what could be next!

 

10 am: I interview a candidate for our Client Engagement Team

We give lots of attention to hiring, and all full-time hires are interviewed by two co-founders, while at least one Co-Founder interviews the interns.

I spend a few hours a week interviewing candidates (we are planning to hire 29 more team members in the next six months), and I enjoy understanding people’s motivations and building a point of view from their perspective!

Also Read: Singapore-based robo-financial manager StashAway is now available in Malaysia

10:30 am: Send in monthly investor updates to StashAway’s shareholders

This is an email with a deck attached.

The slides are mostly prepared by a few of my colleagues, and it only takes me less than 30 minutes to review, edit some of the commentaries and send it to our shareholders.

 

11 am: Meet with the team to discuss the details of a new investment product we have been working on which we plan on launching soon. 

This meeting will probably have 5-6 participants, including two of the co-founders, a member of the product team, and a representative from the marketing team.

 

12:30 pm: Team Lunch!

Every Thursday, the StashAway team has lunch together in our office pantry.

I usually get myself a mixed bowl of salad with brown rice, chicken, avocado which I love but am unsure why they charge me an extra dollar for it) along with tomatoes and the flavour of the day.

During team lunch, I usually have multiple conversations with various groups.

It’s 35 of us now, so I am not able to engage with everyone but I try my best to make sure I know people’s upcoming weekend plans.

 

2 pm: This is the two hour time where I work independently.

Today, I am working on filing for a license in a new country.

This means reviewing (and responding) the comments from lawyers and making sure the material is ready for filing. ASAP.

I block 2 hours of independent work slot in my schedule three times a week.

 

4 pm: Meeting with the Business Intelligence team to review the latest KPIs, including client acquisition number, cohort behaviour and the results of the most recent tests.

 

5 pm: Call with our Malaysia Country Manager Wai Ken, to catch up on how things have been going and brainstorm new ideas to serve our Malaysian clients better

 

Also Read: Singapore fintech startup StashAway raises US$2.15M to roll out robo-advisory platform

6 pm: Coffee with one of our newcomers.

I meet all newcomers for a 30-minute coffee during their first 2 weeks at StashAway.

This is something that I do to make sure I get to know everyone. There is no agenda to the meeting, just a light-hearted chat for me to know my colleagues better.

And you are definitely right; I drink warm water during the coffee-conversations. 

 

6:30 pm: Prepare for my StashAway Academy Seminar.

StashAway Academy is the educational arm of StashAway where we host free seminars every week on topics ranging from personal finance to investing. 

 

7 pm: Today’s seminar is on How to Plan for your Retirement.

I talk about Central Provident Fund (CPF), Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS), and how one should go about saving for retirement.

 

9 pm: Take the MRT back home and cycle uphill for the last hundred metres

 

9:30pm:  Dinner.

My wife is usually asleep by the time I get home (she wakes up at 5 am to cook breakfast for everyone!) and she would have left a (fabulous) dinner ready for me.

I usually watch Netflix while enjoying my dinner. I’m watching Narcos right now. Comment below if you have any good Netflix recommendations!

When I don’t have seminars or late meetings, I try to be back home by 8 pm so that I can chat with my wife before the day ends.

My day is hectic from the moment I get in the office.

So, when I get home, I try to unwind by either by spending time with my wife or, if she is asleep, watching Netflix or YouTube.

It is my way of taking a “mental break” before the next day allows me to look at things with a fresh perspective.

 

 

10:30 pm: Typically, I work on emails, Slack backlog and other ad hoc work. 

Today, I am making some edits to StashAway Workplace’s Financial Wellness Presentation we have at a global technology firm at lunchtime tomorrow.

 

 

11:30 pm: Time to sleep. Goodnight! I am an excellent sleeper, and I sleep like a rock until the alarm goes off the next day!

If you’ve made it this far, we have an exclusive promotion for all e27 readers that entitles you to 50% off your fees (for the first SGD 50,000 of AUM) for the first six months if you sign up via this link.

Also Read:  A peek inside the culture at Stashaway

–

Editor’s note: e27 publishes relevant guest contributions from the community. Share your honest opinions and expert knowledge by submitting your content here.

Join our e27 Telegram group here, or our e27 contributor Facebook page here.

 

The post A day in the life of StashAway’s CEO and co-founder appeared first on e27.