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Balancing the Grind with Nick Kirtley, ANZ Country Manager at Riskified

Nick Kirtley is the ANZ Country Manager at Riskified, a company on a mission to empower businesses to realize the full potential of eCommerce by making it safe, accessible, and frictionless.

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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?

After two decades working across various banking roles, I decided to pivot into fintech to flex my entrepreneurial muscle and haven’t been disappointed! 

As the Country Manager ANZ at Riskified, I’m responsible for helping Enterprise merchants determine whether their current fraud solution is declining genuine customers or exposing the business to unnecessary costs.

Riskified’s mission is to empower businesses to realise their full potential of eCommerce by making all transactions safe, accessible, and frictionless and providing them with a robust eCommerce fraud management platform so they can capitalise on every opportunity without having to worry about getting caught up in fraudulent activity.

2) What does a day in your life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?

My day really starts the night before with a to-do list and a review of my weekly tasks. 

However, I like to spend my mornings with my young family. These are precious years so I happily sacrifice my beloved early morning workout to help serve breakfast and have that time with them!

After school drop offs on a WFH day, I go hard for 4-5 hours replying to emails, taking calls or meetings with customers and checking in with my team across Australia and New Zealand. At around 1pm, I take our cavoodle for a walk so we both get some fresh air, followed by a quick lunch. Then I’m back at it for another few hours before dinner and family time again. 

I usually log back on once the kids are in bed, to wrap up anything that’s still on the to-do list, or have the odd call with Tel Aviv (HQ) but mostly I try to spend time with my beautiful wife.

3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?

I’m so thankful that Riskified allows for both flexible and remote working because it works so well for me and my family.

Being able to be more present with my family and participate in running the household not only gives me joy but also provides some relief to my wife so she can also focus on other things that are important to her.

Not having to commute to and from work or to and from meetings have freed up time that I can give to my children or my fitness for example and this has had a tremendous impact on my mental health in the best way possible.

4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?

Work-life balance is about being able to keep the most important balls in the air. Family first, health, relationships and a tidy-ish house. It’s in the simple things where I find the most balance. A bit of gardening, a BBQ, bike ride or a bush walk tend to do the trick. I love activities that tick multiple boxes such as playing basketball is not only exercise but it’s also fun and a great way to catch-up with friends.

5) In the past 12 months, have you started/stopped any routines or habits to change your life?

I’ve always been a creature of habit and I strongly believe that maintaining a good diet, exercising regularly and investing time in the family is a good recipe for long-term happiness and success. I recently joined back up at the gym which I enjoy and use the time to hatch some of my best ideas or solve work problems.  

6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?

I must admit my reading has fallen off a cliff however I’m trying to squeeze in Audible more often. Three books I would recommend are:

  •  Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz is a fascinating take on negotiation tactics 
  • Life in Half a Second by Matthew Michalewicz is another book I highly recommend for anyone feeling they need a measured dose of motivation
  • The Life Plan by Shannah Kennedy is a practical guide to designing the life you truly want by getting in touch with what you really want. 

7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?

Uber and Slack are big in terms of work. Personally, I use OWNA to stay in touch with what my 5 year-old is up to at kinder and ClassDojo for my 7 year-old at primary school. I also use the Apple news, CBNC and AFR apps to stay up to date with what’s happening globally throughout the day.

8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?

I’ll go with young serial-entrepreneur Nick Molnar on this one. Always seems to have a smile on his face and a positive disposition so he must have something going right in this department.

9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is all about balance and it goes beyond one’s physical health and fitness. You need to make the time to recharge and have a routine in place where you’re stepping away from your desk to have lunch or getting some fresh air everyday. 

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About Author

Hey there! I'm Hao, the Editor-in-Chief at Balance the Grind. We’re on a mission to showcase healthy work-life balance through interesting stories from people all over the world, in different careers and lifestyles.