CCD Editor’s Note: The CCD is proud to use its Employer Perspectives series to showcase the diverse, exciting, and engaged employers that recruit BU students.
The following post is a conversation with Marina Giliver. Marina is a Director of Software Engineering at Capital One. With over 20 years of experience, Marina held engineering leadership roles at Thomson Financial (now Thomson Reuters), Computershare, Genscape, and Linedata where she was recognized for her passion for new technologies. Marina holds a Masters degree in Applied Mathematics from Moscow State University of Engineering and an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.
Can you tell us a little about what Capital One does?
While everyone knows Capital One for its popular banking products and credit cards – and our famous commercials featuring Jennifer Garner and Samuel L. Jackson – we actually consider ourselves a technology company. At Capital One, we’re on a mission to develop cutting-edge solutions that improve our customers’ everyday lives. We’re using machine learning, AI, and real-time data at scale in the cloud to solve unique, challenging problems that will affect millions of customers. And we’re doing this with technology and a culture that nurtures ingenuity and innovation.
We’re delivering best-in-class innovation so that every customer can manage their finances with ease. This vision empowers our engineers to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to transform real-time data, software, algorithms and, ultimately, reimagine the future of finance.
Of course, we are also a financial services company and a full-service bank. We’ve actually had Capital One Cafés in Boston since 2014.
Can you tell us about your experience at Capital One, your role and what has made you stay?
I started at Capital One in September of 2019 and it has been an incredibly fascinating journey since then. I’m really excited about our growing presence in Boston. We opened our new office in Cambridge and I am super excited about being a part of building out the Capital One brand in the Boston area.
At Capital One, I lead engineering teams that are working across several tiers of Risk business lines – Operational Risk and Enterprise Risk Services. Our vision and mission is to transform risk management through building innovative, data driven products and technology solutions that empower our customers with intelligent risk insights. I greatly enjoy working with incredibly talented people solving complex business problems utilizing cutting edge technology.
What is the current work environment like (hybrid, remote, etc.)
We realize following 2.5 years of Covid and working from home that flexibility is key. That’s why we designed a hybrid model that provides a flexible work environment to support our employees who split time working at their home and the office.
It’s a priority that everyone feels included, no matter where and how they collaborate. Mondays and Fridays are enterprise-wide virtual work days. Employees can work from wherever they prefer, whether that’s at home, a coffee shop or Capital One offices. Offices are fully open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for employees to spend time together should they choose to come in. Teams develop their own norms and practices suited to their needs and where their team members are working on any given day.
Can you share about the company cultures and Capital One’s efforts and commitments to DEI and Business Resources Groups? Are you involved in any Business Resource Groups?
At Capital One we don’t just want you to work here – we want you to belong. That means feeling seen, heard, valued and free to be your authentic self. We strive to build a team as diverse as our customers we work for everyday. So that we can be a place of opportunity, where team members from all backgrounds feel welcomed, inspired and driven to build fulfilling careers.
In late 2020, we launched the Capital One Impact Initiative, an initial five-year $200 million commitment to supporting growth in underserved communities and advancing socioeconomic mobility by closing gaps in equity and opportunity. Our key areas of focus include racial equity, workforce development, small business recovery, affordable housing, and financial well-being.
I personally am very passionate about diversity and inclusion in technology and actively participate in Women in Tech (WIT), a Capital One Business Resource Group. I help lead the recruiting efforts for the WIT New England chapter, participate in WIT events and organize a few of them. This year, I will be representing Capital One at the WIT Boston 2022 conference, a premier industry event. I’ll lead a workshop about the topics of personal branding for women engineers and overcoming imposter syndrome.
BU + Beyond 