I am Tarik Ballouz, Chief Operating Officer at WIS.

Having a multi-cultural background and spending years abroad alone at a young age taught me a thing or two about life, differences in cultures, tolerance and respect. My entrepreneurial spirit had shown itself already as a teenager when buying desktop PCs, dismantling them and selling their parts for a tiny profit online. It developed even further thanks to various business activities I have been involved in: Being the founder of a company in Germany, being an affiliate myself and becoming a Superhost on Airbnb.

Before, and during, my time at WIS I have always been looking for unconventional methods to drive the business forward.
Be different, but be simple!

First and foremost, my duty at WIS is to lead the team to new records in a sustainable manner!

My focus:

• Deciding on and prioritising operational activities and flows
• Taking part in strategic hiring decisions
• Motivating my colleagues while being able to create room for career and personal growth

Numbers don’t lie.

What was the moment you knew you’d made the right decision to work here?

Since I started at WIS in 2015 it became very clear in the first 6 months that WIS is an environment I would like to grow and leave an impact in. It was an absolutely key for me that I got appreciated for the value I bring to the company while having the freedom to develop and execute impactful activities. It creates a genuine feeling of being truly needed for the company.

What was your best day at work?

There were a ton! Here are some I would like to share:

My time as Product Manager

1. Closing a deal that doubled revenue for our finance products.
2. Raking in thousands of Euro in a 10 days sprint in sponsorship deals: Sales catalogue creation, cold acquisition, negotiation, deal closing.

My time as Head of Operations

3. Being promoted to Head of Operations
4. … and realising 12 months later that we managed to increase the company’s revenue by 50%.

Side note: All increased revenue is now used to enhance the overall quality of the products to guarantee the highest user satisfaction.

What’s something that happened that can only happen here?

Gratitude: At WIS you get highly appreciated for the value you bring for the business. This can be a blessing for people who want to make a change, but a nightmare for those who just want to hop on board to ride the company benefits train.

Challenge: At WIS we are not afraid to try out new, wild activities on a small scale which eventually get rolled out globally, based on their impact. Also, those activities could challenge current ones as we always want to get better. Our imagination is our limit, really.

What are you most proud of?

Overall in life: Being a father of two wonderful kids and a husband to a gorgeous wife!

At WIS: Being part of the change process, from 'Quantity to Quality', and driving it to success. Experiencing acceptance from colleagues while working hand in hand to bring the change was a feeling that I will never forget. Seeing true trust in people’s eyes is priceless.

Which team member is the most helpful for you and why?

I am not a big fan of this concept. There might be a most helpful member, but there certainly should not be one. Everybody based on their individual capabilities should do their absolute best to contribute to the bigger picture. This is exactly what can be found and experienced at WIS.

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