- This interview is the sixth in a monthly series, where we explore the mission of Sopra Banking Software (SBS) team members, and how their work contributes to the company.
The Product Manager (PM) plays a central role in the operations of a software editor such as Sopra Banking Software (SBS). In the context of service offerings, Product Management work is crucial to the company’s medium-term strategy: the decisions made today shape SBS’s service offerings for the years to come.
Meet Rémi Morville, a Product Manager for our Core SAB solution. A payments specialist, Rémi has over fifteen years of experience in financial services. He is based in Vannes, Brittany.
Why did you choose to join the financial industry?
Rémi Morville: It’s a series of fortuitous events! With a background in computer engineering, I was exploring opportunities while favoring Brittany. Not necessarily in a field like the financial industry.
I had an opportunity at SAB (acquired by SBS in 2019). So, it was the financial industry that chose me. And I’ve been enjoying it for 17 years now.
After 17 years working in this industry, what is the most significant lesson you’ve learned?
Rémi Morville: You can never rest on your laurels. You have to constantly evolve and learn… The financial industry is always changing. We have functional shifts due to new regulations, market expectations, and payment methods, and we see quick changes on the tech side as well, with the rise of digitalization and go-to-cloud.
You need to adapt to the perpetual changes in the sector, as well as to the individuals you work with daily.
How do you contribute to SBS’s success as a Product Manager?
Rémi Morville: The role of a Product Manager (PM) is at the core of the operation of a software editor like SBS. Our main role is to develop and maintain a consistent product roadmap aligned with the company’s strategy and target markets. As a PM, I contribute to the payments domain (SEPA, SWIFT, etc.).
How do you approach a new project?
Rémi Morville: Usually, each project originates from a regulation. For instance, the requirement for banks to offer instant payments to their customers. We start by identifying these regulatory changes. Then, collectively, we think about how to proceed: How should we incorporate these new payment features into our solutions? At what pace? I participate in identifying the need, explain it to the R&D team, validate the proposed solution, oversee the solution’s production, and finally, its installation at the client’s end.
Can you provide an example of a project you’re currently working on?
Rémi Morville: Currently, I’m heavily involved in an Instant Payment project for around sixty banks. Instant transfers will soon become mandatory for banks. While major banks already have this functionality, many others still need to adopt it. So, there’s a market to capture.
This project engages various departments within the company (Professional Services, SaaS & Cloud Services, R&D, Product Managers). We started working on it in February 2023, and we aim to deliver to our clients in April 2024 for production in November 2024.
What project has excited you the most?
Rémi Morville: It’s precisely this latest project on instant transfers. It allowed me to work with a large number of people within the SBS group. I discovered how each department operates, and there are strong competencies throughout the company. We all worked together to deliver a service offering for our clients.
What are the challenges of your role for SBS?
Rémi Morville: Our work on the medium-term strategy is crucial. The decisions made today shape the outlines of our service offerings for the years to come.
What do you like most about your role?
Rémi Morville: I love challenges. They allow me to step out of my comfort zone and help me progress. The main challenge I face is communication between departments. As a Product Manager, I play a fairly central role: defining the needs feeds into R&D for the production of the solution, and my knowledge of payments assists Support, R&D, and Professional Services. It is therefore essential that we establish connections between everyone to understand each other and find the right solution.
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