Flemming - Manager, Financial Accounting

"When working in SimCorp you gain knowledge that you can reuse in different parts of the organisation. That is why we have colleagues who started out as testers and, after a few years, moved on to sales, or documentation consultants who changed to being a developer. Then there is the opportunity to go abroad, as well as all the challenges we are presented with every day, in our pursuit of solving our customers’ requests. The possibilities here are endless."

Flemming - Manager for Financial Accounting, with SimCorp since May 1985

I am a manager for the group that develops and maintains the accounting module of SimCorp Dimension. Most of my workday involves the planning of and following up on our bi-annual releases and the development of the employees in my group. I basically keep track of our projects and secure that we are moving in the right direction.
I hold a master’s degree in accounting, combined with finance and software development courses from Odense University.

I have been in SimCorp for more than 20 years, and things were a little different back then. We didn't have SimCorp Academy or any formal education when we started, so it was a little difficult for me, especially in my role as programmer, as my main focus up to that time had been within finance. We were only 55 people in the company when I started, of which 6-8 people were in my group. There were a lot of parties and beer on Fridays, and everyone met to celebrate when we got a new contract in. We had a really nice and friendly environment. I think we have been able to maintain this environment and spirit to a large extent today.

How has your career development been?

SimCorp is an inspiring place to work, with a lot of possibilities, and I have worked within different areas over the years. I have been a manager in my current position for 6 years now, but prior to that I moved from being a system developer to a group leader, and back to a development position over a number of years. I think that the company provides this flexibility is great.

The atmosphere here is the best thing about SimCorp: the way we treat each other and talk to each other is fantastic. People here take responsibility for finding solutions to problems, with great motivation and drive.

Why do you think talented people stay with SimCorp?

Because they find a role here where they can use their skills and quickly reach an area in the system where they are the local experts. There are many possibilities here to change positions internally and, in that way, develop both knowledge and skills as well as develop personally.

I think writing a system that our customers use every day and are greatly dependent on, motivates a lot of the employees in my group. We do see some employees going off to other companies, but some of them come back, usually because they didn't feel comfortable in the new organisation and prefer the vast freedom with responsibility that they get here.

We have many different benefits at SimCorp, but what SimCorp mainly offers employees is a constant learning curve, along with a chance to develop themselves in an international environment.

What are your expectations when hiring talent to your department?

Besides fulfilling the criteria regarding skills, I look for people who are determined and willing to give their all. You should be open-minded and unafraid to ask for help if you are in doubt. IT competences are important in my group. The system is so huge and complex that you have to focus on securing the quality and creating solid solutions, and I believe that you have to have analytical skills and a strong background within programming to do that. Obviously, you also have to be interested in and willing to learn about the financial aspects, as it is financial software we are building here.

My group is very mixed, with 5-6 different nationalities represented. Besides the mixed nature of the group, we work very closely with our developers in Kiev, New York, and Sydney, as well as have contact with our business consultants all over the world. This all leads to a very international environment.

What are your own career plans?

I think I will stay with SimCorp, as I feel I will not get stuck here because of all the career development possibilities. I have worked with a lot of our different customers in my time as a developer, and I am still with SimCorp - which I think says a whole lot about the type of company we have.