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Saviynt Employee Spotlight: Arek Retkowski

作成者: Sangeetha Iyer|2024/07/09 4:13:55

At Saviynt, you’re not just starting a job, you’re joining a vibrant global family driving the #1 cloud platform in the industry. We’re proud of our talented team and love hearing about the adventures they share with family, friends, and loved ones.

In our ‘Employee Spotlight’ series, meet the remarkable individuals in our diverse, and award-winning team. and find out more about how they tackle challenges, pursue excellence—and have fun while doing it.

 

 

Tell us a little bit about what you do each day at Saviynt.

Each day I wear multiple hats—sometimes as a Customer Success Manager, sometimes as an IT Service Delivery or Coordinator. I’m on the front lines addressing all customer needs, from support and escalations to advisory, ensuring that every issue is acknowledged and progressed.

With the experience I gained through 10 years of working in various sectors in customer-facing roles, I believe in a few simple rules that make all the difference. First, happy customers are long-term customers. An enduring collaboration means that when the Sales Team brings new customers on board, they are driving the company’s growth—not just replacing those who left. And second, I strive to build a clear and fair collaboration based on total reliability.

What’s the next place on your travel bucket list?

I’m still targeting America, as I never had a chance to visit that continent at all. But if you ask me where I want to go first, I’d say Buenos Aires. I hope one day such a small dream becomes reality. Other than that, one of my personal targets is to visit every capital of an EU country—an activity in progress with a 37% completion rate! 🙂

Boating with my daughter on the beautiful lakes of Poland’s Masuria region

How did you get started in your present career?

During my Bachelor’s degree studies, I began working at First Data (now Fiserv), a global company in the electronic transactions sector, initially as a Telesales Specialist. Within two years, I was promoted to the position of Sales & Relationship Coordinator, where I worked closely with vendors like American Express.

Alongside managing customer relationships, I had a chance to delve into data analysis and financials, which aligned with my educational background: a BA in Finance and accounting, followed by an MA in Quantitative Methods in Economics and Information Systems.

Arek, pondering the bright future of identity security

After spending 5 years at First Data, I transitioned to a role as Business Development and Relationship Manager at MoneyGram for Poland’s Baltic region. For another 5 years, I worked on business development utilizing our Partner’s network, including entities like the Polish Post Office. Fortunately, in that position, I was able to explore and work on various business aspects, such as B2C Marketing, Financials, Data Analysis, Product Integrations, and Implementation, all within a very compliance-oriented industry.

In 2021, I commenced my MBA with a focus on Innovation & Data Analysis. A significant module revolved around the Cybersecurity sector, guiding me to the conclusion that this is the path I want to navigate.

Luckily, my path crossed with Saviynt, and here I am!

With my wife and daughter on my little's 4th birthday

What do you do when you aren’t working at Saviynt?

Not to be too predictable, but taking the 2nd place in my heart (right after family) is sport. I follow many disciplines—and have competed in handball and long jump—but football has a special place in my heart. I’ve been cultivating a passion for it since I started school and played with local clubs.

Me representing my ex-employer in Warsaw Football Business League.


As you can imagine, my favorite way to relax is returning to that—physically or virtually. Whenever possible I try to attend big events, and recently had a chance to see Poland winning the Volleyball Nations League or Pole winning World Championship Speedway Grand Prix.

Family is and will always be in the first place in my life. I have a little lady who easily occupies my free time, for example, learning to rollerblade.

Myself and my daughter: first steps on rollerblades.

Are you striving to be known for anything in particular?

I hope one day I’ll be a popular author of children’s books as this is the area where I am finding my creativity to be useful 🙂  Other than that, on each and every job so far, I have always tried to leverage my talent for Finance and Data Analysis, as this is quite a unique skill in customer-facing roles. I hope there will be more chances to showcase its value!

What’s a fun fact that not many people know about you?

Not many people know that I have a diploma in playing the violin. Together with football/soccer, it was my full teenage life. Another little-known fact: for a couple of years I was a part of a traveling folklore group that cultivated and showcased Polish traditions. The best part was meeting new people and taking trips, as our show toured many European countries.

Watching the Polish Team at the Volleyball Nations League semi-final in Poland this summer (they beat USA in the final!)

What honors, awards or commendations have you won recently?

The thing I am most proud of in my career thus far is being nominated by the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland to the ’30 under 30′ leadership development program in 2020. This program, designed for 30 young leaders chosen from member companies, connects professionals under the age of 30 with inspiring leaders within the AmCham Poland community, offering them advice and guidance based on their extensive careers and experiences.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Poland (AmCham) represents the interests of over 350 businesses from a broad range of sectors, being the nation’s largest international business organization.

My diploma from AmCham

What would you say to someone who was considering working at Saviynt?

First and foremost, Saviynt is growing rapidly, so you can be confident that you won’t be bored and your growth will be on a fast track: one year at Saviynt is like 2-3 years at many other organizations. If you’re highly motivated and hard-working, you won’t be disappointed when you join our family. I really appreciate the less formal corporate approach and easy access to everyone in the organization. It’s what makes Saviynt unique.