In our latest edition of Balancing the Grind, we’re joined by Cynthia De Vera, Head of Australia at Swoop. Cynthia recounts her journey through the fintech industry, starting as a junior finance consultant and rising to her current leadership role.
She talks about her approach to balancing a demanding career with personal time, highlighting the significance of family time and self-improvement. Cynthia also shares how disciplined time management has improved her work-life balance and offers recommendations from her favourite podcasts, newsletters, and books.
Let’s start with your background! Can you share with us your career journey and what you’re currently up to?
I’ve been in the fintech industry for over a decade and have loved it since I started. I took a different path from my peers and decided to hold off University until I figured out what I wanted to pursue a career in.
After I graduated from secondary school, I started my first employment at Eclipx as a junior finance consultant, worked my way up during the 5 years before I moved along to working with a commercial lender for 4 and half years where I was given the opportunity to launch new products in the market. I found that very rewarding.
I figured I would need a tertiary education to deepen my knowledge of business and finance. So I challenged myself and whilst working full time, I pursued my MBA with RMIT and completed it over 4 years. I was later headhunted for a role at Swoop Funding and now lead their Australian office.
We’d love to know what a typical day is like for you. Could you describe a recent workday?
Every day is busy and I wear multiple hats all the time. Somedays, I would review deals, work with the funding managers, help them with their proposals, due diligence checks, speak to equity partners, and grant partners, or some days I would spend it thinking about how to grow and where in the business I need to improve efficiency. I love what I do.
Can you define work-life balance for yourself and share with us your approach in maintaining it?
I think work-life balance is subjective. Everyone has their version of what that looks like. To me, work-life balance is making sure I get family time, going to the gym, and spending time learning something new. It could be anything from woodwork to cooking.
Change is constant, and it’s essential for growth. Have you made any lifestyle changes in the past year to improve your work-life balance? Yes, naturally being more disciplined with what I allocate, how I spend my time and who I spend my time with. There’s never enough time during the day so I am intentional with my time.
We’re always on the lookout for new resources! Can you recommend any books, podcasts, or newsletters that have helped you in your journey towards balance?
Podcasts:
- Freakonomics
- The Financial Modelling by Matthew Bernath
- The Art of Communication by Robin Kermode and Sian Hansen
- Accountantsdaily
Newsletter
- AFR
- Bloomberg
Books
- Usually fictional ones by Kevin Kwan and Lauren Ho
Before we wrap up, do you have any final words of wisdom or insights on work, life, or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
Prioritise your time with family. Work will always be there and truly you’re replaceable so our time with our family and how we treat them is far more important than longer hours in the workplace. Just figure out how to work smarter.
