Every unique and talented Avantee is a co-creator of the Avant culture we love. We hope the @Avant series helps you get to know who we are, how we do what we do, and what it looks like to build your career at Avant.
Henan Ma
Senior Manager (as of 2023, formerly Originations Risk Manager) for the Credit Card Team
Joined Avant in 2021
What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Henan for his take on our culture, and here’s what he said:
1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?
The first word that comes to mind is transparency. I really appreciate transparency, especially from leadership. At every Town Hall, leadership shares their thoughts about our future plan and how we will grow. And especially in recession times, they talk about their decision process and come up with ways to keep growing. Leadership is good at sharing key focus areas, which I can keep in mind in my daily work to know what to prioritize and how to make decisions with my team.
The second word is responsibility, or ownership. We are a growing company, and everybody brings their own expertise. Whenever I reach out to people on different teams, they are always willing to share that expertise. It’s very reliable—people take accountability and that saves a lot of back and forth. It makes our work more efficient. Of course we all make mistakes, but if everyone is on the same page, then when we make mistakes, we can quickly make improvements and keep going. All of us really benefit from that learning process.
And all of this makes it possible for us to have great teamwork. At Avant, we collaborate a lot with teams all over the organization on pretty much every project. We learn a lot from each other and find ways to make the work more efficient, and everyone is always willing to take the extra step and share their knowledge with you. Because the more they share, the more new ideas we can generate, and the more we grow.
2. Why are you happy/successful here?
I have a great team in a great department. The Credit Card team leadership provides frequent guidance and feedback, so you know what you’re doing well and what you can improve. That helps me grow. I really want my team to be honest with me, and I’m not afraid of “negative” feedback—it’s not negative if it helps me grow!
The other thing is that leadership and team members create a really good environment where everyone is encouraged to speak up and express their own ideas in open discussion. We all share our thoughts, regardless of what level we are, and through the discussion we generate a lot of new initiatives.
We work hard to solve business problems, but also we play hard and have a lot of team activities. My team recently went to a zipline park and it was pretty fun, and great teamwork as well. We also play beach volleyball and lots of other things. That’s the fun part of why I’m happy to work here.
3. What’s your favorite thing about the way your specific job role works?
Problem-solving. Every day in my role, I’m solving problems. You won’t ever feel bored in this role. Every day, we leverage different skill sets and explore new skill sets that will help us solve problems, and every time we solve a problem, we can see the direct impacts to the company. That feels very rewarding.
4. If you had to describe who you are and not mention your work at all, what would you say?
I am outdoorsy and love outdoor activities. Rock climber, scuba diver, snowboarder, runner. I just recently picked up running and finished my first 10K this summer. I also like yoga and cooking. I make traditional Chinese food, and recently I picked up baking, too. Cooking and outdoor activities are relaxing. I just focus on what I’m doing at that moment. You can release everything else in your mind.
5. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was little, my dream was to become a scientist. And my dream kind of came true! Scientists focus on one specific area and you spend a lot of energy and time to study that area really deeply. That is kind of what I’m doing right now. I’m using all the analytical tools and data to explore originations risk. The deeper I go, the more interesting it is and the more opportunities I can find. That’s pretty good.
