World, meet Sten Raak, our 42nd Bondorian in the Spotlight. He started out as an intern and very soon proved to be a perfect match for our team. He contributed in such valuable ways that two years later, he’s now exceeding in his role as Credit Risk Analyst and Data Scientist.
Discover more about his daily tasks, the rewards and challenges of working in Bondora, and how coffee keeps him going in the world of credit risk analysis.
The Bondorian Spotlight #42 — Sten Raak
👨🏻Bondorian since June 2022
📈Role: Senior Credit Risk Analyst / Data Scientist
🔏Team: Credit Risk
Sten’s journey at Bondora:
I initially joined Bondora as an intern, but I proved myself enough to continue as an actual employee after the initial three months of the internship. From there on, I’ve been doing different things in Bondora; at first, I was more of a categorization model analyst, then pivoted into reporting, moved more into the credit risk analytics side, and now managed to also join and work with the Data Science team.
I’ve been working in Bondora while graduating with my BSc in Mathematical Statistics, and now I’m getting a degree in Actuarial and Financial Engineering (MSc).
What does your typical workday look like?
I usually go to the office when possible, as I feel more focused and productive there. Also, it is easier for me to talk and share information in person rather than in Slack or via Teams. And I enjoy the endless supply of coffee at the office. ☕
I start my day by quickly reading all the Slack messages and emails and making a plan for what I will work on today and over the next few days. Then, I grab a quick coffee and start working.
I use SQL to retrieve data daily, as it is pivotal to everything in this department. If something is more difficult, I switch to Python or R.
On the Data Science side, I am using R to create models. Of course, Jira is also used to track all my tasks. Lastly, I cannot live without Excel, love it or hate it.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Making a significant impact on the company with the results of my analyses or bugfixes.
What does the Credit Risk team do?
We do everything in our power to optimize the loan flow from the credit risk side – this means decreasing risk (defaults, for example), being a responsible lender, and developing different strategies to increase profitability.
What is the best meme that sums up working in the credit risk team?
How do you determine credit risk for the company, and how to avoid them?
I would define it as a potential default probability alongside recovery leading to financial losses. We cannot avoid it entirely, but we can try to optimize it.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Our team is almost fully remote, which can prove challenging. And having to document all the things I analyze or investigate.
And what makes being in Bondora awesome?
I have to say the people and the lack of bureaucracy. It is fast-paced, and the company is purely based on data, so there is always a lot to learn from the automation and data science side here, be it new tools/technologies or from other employees.
You aren’t put into a single box, and then you do your thing. Here you can branch out and work on several topics that might not be that closely related, which is why it is such a good learning experience.
What is your best investment advice?
I would say: Don’t put all your eggs in a single basket. Diversify stocks, bonds, and maybe even crypto if you are feeling a little risky 😉
Usually, it is not worth searching for the single ‘to the moon’ investment asset; people will find higher success with stable, already well-known companies that have the financials to back them up in case something in the world goes south.
And now, let’s get to know Sten on a personal level!
What are some of your hobbies? What do you like to do in your free time?
My main hobbies are video games and building/modifying computers. Building a computer is like playing with LEGOs. I like to play video games with my friends. Otherwise, I like playing airsoft and swimming🏊
🏍️Oh, and I also like riding a motorcycle. I got my license last year (A2 category because I was too young), and I will be upgrading my license this summer.
Do you have any pets? Please share a picture and a funny story.
I have a Dwarf Rabbit named Bosse and a Pomeranian puppy named Milo. My puppy really likes to play, but the bunny doesn’t like it too much—she would like to lounge on the carpet all day and is quite irritated when Milo tries to play with her😄
My puppy is the brown one. The white one is my partner’s sister’s dog, who is a little grumpy in his old age.
What are your favorite games to play?
I enjoy Monster Hunter World and Dark Souls on PC and console (and, of course, the classic: Counter Strike). I absolutely love the card game Exploding Kittens.
What’s your favorite TV show?
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: it has a lot of good stupid-funny jokes.
What’s your favorite kind of music?
I mostly listen to Rock or Alternative Rock music, like Shinedown, Billy Talent, and Aerosmith. Now, for a couple of weeks, I’ve been really liking Trad.Attack!
Bacon: yay or nay?
It would be a yay if I could eat it 😜🥓
What superpower would you like to have and why?
From a practical standpoint – Reality Manipulation. I think you can use this in absolutely every aspect needed.
What’s something that you want to do that scares you?
I would like to parachute out of a plane, but I haven’t done that yet. It is quite scary, but I feel like the desire to do that is stronger than the fear 🪂
Thank you for following Sten on his incredible Bondorian Spotlight journey!
Tune in again next month to read another episode of The Bondorian Spotlight and meet our 43rd Bondorian!
P.S. If you want to become our next Bondorian, head to our Careers Page to check out our open positions.
