In the latest installment of our Meet the Team series, we sat down with Sara Azer, Quality Assurance and Business Analyst at myprosperity.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a computer science graduate with a passion for the software industry, who loves working with innovative teams. I enjoy bringing change wherever I go, and making a positive contribution to people’s lives.
For this reason, I’m actively involved with a number of volunteer organisations and charities; it’s also what drives me to work in the technology industry, particularly when it comes to products that help people flourish in life. I love meeting new people and I’m in constant search for inspiration.
I immigrated to Australia 2 years ago with my husband. We live in Melbourne and are really loving it! Sometimes I find it hard to adapt to the sudden changes in weather but I love the diversity and the richness of this city.
When did you join myprosperity? Where were you before?
I joined myprosperity in May of this year, and it didn’t take me long to know I was in the right place. Not only is it the ideal place for me to put my 8 years of experience in the IT industry to good use; it’s also an ethical business that is very much aligned with my values and view of the world.
Before myprosperity, I was a business analyst at Onset Design, a Melbourne based small startup that works on providing engineering management solutions. I also worked as a database administrator for a charity called International Needs Australia. My overseas experience includes working for a software company in Cairo called Arkdev for 7 years as a technical tester and business analyst.
What would you say is the top trend to watch out for in the tech industry?
Definitely Big Data and Business Intelligence (BI).
Big Data is the key to better understanding customers, their behaviors and preferences. Businesses today won’t survive without the ability to obtain this data and get a more complete picture of their clients; leveraging data is no longer a luxury but a necessity.
Similarly, business intelligence is crucial to a company’s decision making process, especially for larger businesses: no growth can be planned without a BI solution to gather, store, access and analyze data. It’s becoming the magic word for strategic planning.
What would you say is the most overrated trend?
Traditional digital advertising tactics, such as banner ads or search ads, are, I would say, very much overrated – as well as incredibly disruptive. There are undeniable signs of “banner blindness” and a general sense of fatigue among consumers when it comes to standard digital advertising tactics. Businesses need to think of creative and immersive campaigns that provide value without being disruptive if they want to recapture customers’ attention online.
What’s a little known fact about Sara?
I’ve been active in promoting peace, interreligious understanding, and cross-cultural exchanges. Participating in the Egyptian Revolution back in 2011 was a life changing experience: I got to know a wonderful group of people dedicated to promoting peace and supporting social dialogue. The initiative I was involved with, “Selmia”, is one I’m still engaged with to this day; even though I live In Australia, I try to support them where I can.
Quick Round:
- Biggest pet peeve? Spiders… and yet yes, I still decided to move to Australia 🙂
- Favourite movie? Monsters Inc.
- Favourite food? Egyptian stuffed vine leaves and a unique Egyptian green soup called “Molokhia”
Molokhia is the name given to the leaves of a shrub that has been cultivated throughout Asia, Africa and the Middle East for centuries. In Egypt, it is used to make a soup of the same name, generally considered to be the country’s national dish.
Can you give us a sneak peek of some of the most exciting items on the myprosperity 2018 product roadmap?
We have a bunch of amazing things planned for 2018 so picking one or two is going to be a challenge, but perhaps I can start with the new Partner dashboard. Currently, when a Partner logs in to their account they see their client list, however this is all going to change next year when we release a dashboard filled with graphs, tasks and other data valuable to Partners.
We are also looking forward to supporting financial advisers all through the SOA process by automating a big portion of fact finds, as well as supporting review meetings with real time data, and automating reminders for any data collection needed during the process.
Last but not least, further changes to the tax wizard are in the pipeline, to cater to the needs of landlords and investors. You’ll have to stick around and tune in to the next What’s New at myprosperity webinar on Tuesday January 30th, 2018 to find out more!