Today we travel back in time with one of the first employeesworking at iCard. He’s super charismatic at work and outside of work, and it’s not by chance that everyone likes him so much. Our “Meet the team” hero is also part of the group of colleagues who are passionate about hiking, and he can definitely make us laugh with today’s interview.
We present to you Zhivko Monev the way he is – full of positive feelings, always helpful, and exceptionally responsible. Enjoy his stories!
What’s your hobby?
I really enjoy spending time in nature and going hiking in particular. This hobby of mine was born in iCard when some of my colleagues and I started organizing our hikes together. It’s definitely an activity not everyone can handle, but I find it super addictive. My body and my mind become dependent on the adrenaline and experiences and seek more and more adventures. You get tired, sometimes you get the chance to take a shower and sometimes you don’t, and you start thinking that you won’t do this again anytime soon, but a week later, you’re back in the mountains. That’s exactly the place where I can feel free. People there are very different and change for the better.
Is there a hike you’ll never forget?
I remember all my hikes with a smile but I definitely won’t forget our Romanian adventure. Last year we went to the Carpathians and they turned out to be different from the Bulgarian mountains. There were challenging terrains which had no safety ropes. We saw a few marmots and bears strolling along the path without bothering anyone.
We decided to go hiking at Mt. Negoiu but we didn’t manage to go early in the morning. At first, we calculated that it would take us a bit more than three hours with a fast pace to reach the peak, but by the third hour we were three hours away from the top. Dancho (a close friend and colleague of mine) and his wife decided they wanted to make it to the top, so they increased their pace and, in the end, they succeeded. Two of my colleagues and I decided to stroll around and enjoy nature instead. Two other colleagues, however, couldn’t keep up with the same pace, so they joined Dancho and his wife. By 3 PM, the three of us reached a smaller peak and thought we should head back before it got dark. When we reached our starting point, we realized it would take too long to wait for everyone to come back, so we decided to have some beers. Not so long after that, Dancho and his wife called to tell us they were done with the hike and met our two colleagues on their way back. Dancho decided to wait for them, and a few hours later, he saw their headlamps shining bright and going down the alternate route in the dark. They weren’t answering their phones, so he met them on the way. It was already late for the rest of the group, so we wanted to head back. Unfortunately, our colleagues, whom we had no clue when they would come back, had the key to the guest house we were staying at. We opened a small bathroom window and one of our colleagues squeezed through it. Then she opened a bigger window from the inside for the rest of us to get in. The other part of the group got back around 1:30 at night. It was one of the most memorable events ever. 😃
Now, we go hiking in smaller groups, but years ago, there used to be a significant number of people going. I’ll never forget our first hike. We were a group of 25, 23 of whom had never been to the mountains and 21 never went outside the city. Yet, we decided we’d go hiking at Mt. Botev. I have to mention that it’s around a seven-hour hike from Kalofer to the peak, and we started hiking around 3:30 PM. We were laughing, joking, and complaining on the way, and we reached “Ray” hut at night. It was the midpoint of our journey. You’ve probably already read the interview with Dido, where he talked more about that hike. There was some kind of force that kept most of our colleagues strong on the way there, but when we reached the hut, people started going crazy. Some were crying, others were feeling sick, and the rest of us were wondering what was happening and how we could help them. It was the first time I saw someone eating moussaka in a can and crying at the same time. We decided to continue to the peak the next day, feeling more energized than yesterday, in completely normal weather – it was rainy and foggy. Again, we had many doubts along the way, but we succeeded.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
I want to speak and understand all languages, so I can freely communicate with people. Some nations are not very keen on talking to you in a language different from their mother tongue. Yes, they correct your mistakes when you speak their language, but their approach to you is different. When I travel, I feel slightly anxious going to places where people don’t speak English very well and there’s a chance we won’t understand each other. Some time ago, I decided to visit Portugal and started taking Portuguese lessons months before my trip. I struggled finding a teacher but I managed to do so – I found an old lady who spoke Brazilian Portuguese and would teach only sailors working on platforms. She was surprised I was only trying to learn the language for a trip. In the end, I was so happy I could freely speak Portuguese during my visit.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I can cook very well and I love pretending I’m a craftsman. I constantly buy various tools as I prefer repairing stuff at home on my own. My love for cooking was born when I was a student and I was working in various food courts as a waiter and bartender. My colleagues at the time managed to teach me the basics and some precious details of cooking. When I’m cooking, I love to improvise and I don’t follow any recipes strictly.
What did you dream of becoming when you grew up? Has your dream come true?
I definitely wanted to be a sportsman. I was mainly playing basketball in high school but due to some injuries, I can no longer dedicate myself to this hobby. As I mentioned, I was working at restaurants before I started working at iCard in 2008 – the year in which my journey at the company began. It was my last year at university where I studied accounting, and an acquaintance of mine, who was working at the holding company, recommended me to apply for a job here. The company had just been founded and I was one of its very first employees. I remember there was no furniture at the Business Park, and there were only four of us working on a desk for four.
Initially, the company offered just a single product, and our customer service was for credit cards only. Our client base was increasing and so did the work, so this led to more open positions in the company. I switched to the “Back Office” team where I was processing our clients’ records and claims within the systems. I was a “Front Office” Supervisor for a while and I was responsible for insurances and mutual funds. After that, my team and I started processing the clients’ records for the company’s new products. We were also responsible for the chargeback, card schemes, and other operations. At one point, someone had to be responsible for the inquiries. It turned out I was the right person for the position since I was familiar with the system and products. I learned everything by myself, and everything I absorbed was thanks to the Software Developers who would show me everything I needed. I was all alone in the beginning, but now we’re a group of four and one of my colleagues is currently on maternity leave.
What is the “Reporting” department responsible for?
I am Head of the “Reporting” department which collects information on all processes happening within the company. No one can make decisions and strategies, or assess any results before analyzing the data that we provide first. My team and I are responsible for all the activities, processes, products, and services at iCard. This is why we need to be very well familiar with the products, functionalities, processes, and the systems behind them. This is why we work with almost all departments in the company. We also create plenty of management reports and regulatory inquiries.
Which project are you proud of the most?
There’s a data warehouse implementation, which I’m currently proud of the most. A couple of years ago, my colleagues and I created a place to keep all the information and database we need for our reports. It’s the place where we can transfer data freely without disrupting the regular working processes of the rest of the infrastructure. It is the environment in which only our department operates, and we manipulate it according to the goals of our tasks.
What’s your greatest memory at iCard?
I have lots of wonderful memories at iCard. For several years now, we have been undergoing rigorous inspections from the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), and it’s always a relief for me after each one ends. I’m joking. 😃 I met many colleagues at iCard, with whom we shared many unforgettable moments in our personal and professional lives. My favorite moment was definitely at the summer party in 2022 when a few of my colleagues and I were awarded for the overall contribution to the company’s development. It was also when Maya, Mira, Tanya, Georgi, and I celebrated 15 years at iCard and the management surprised us. I was feeling delighted by this gesture. I’m happy that after all these years, I can still feel the support, recognition, and respect that I need. I’m glad that I developed my professional growth and met many friends exactly at iCard.
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