This week we continue our Jump Up Stories presenting someone who brings a lot of colour in our A Data Pro team.

Meet Petya

From being an artistic persona, a true challenges lover to passionate learner – Petya has it all to solve a real due diligence puzzle. Her super power, as a Project Coordinator, is to understand our client’s needs and know how to put a smile on their face (and on ours too).

Please tell us a little bit about yourself 

Hey, everyone! I’m Petya. I was born in Montana but was raised in a village about 10 km east of Svishtov. Somewhat an artist by soul, I attended visual arts and languages-oriented high school with the intention of becoming a fashion or graphic designer. Eventually, I grew out of the idea of becoming a fashion guru, and my interest shifted to the (more practical) field of linguistics. After graduation, I moved to Veliko Tarnovo to study Applied Linguistics at VTU. Forever fascinated by its old-time charm, the greenery and the view of the mountains nearby, I chose to stay and live here permanently.

What is your ADP Story? 

My ADP story began right after I graduated from university in 2018. I started as a data analyst and was working on annotating articles from Southeast Asia for the purposes of machine learning. I had prior interest in the East Asian region which made it easier to adapt to the specifics of the project. I deeply value the time I spent on it, because I had the chance to learn a lot about the countries of the Far East – from everyday life through politics and economy. 

After that, I worked on various smaller projects which was great for me, as I love the dynamics of starting a new assignment – getting familiar with the needs of the client, acquiring new skills while also finding ways to apply your previous experience. 

In the summer of 2020, I got transferred to Due Diligence as a researcher. I’m currently one of the project’s coordinators.

What are you most proud of when it comes to your work in ADP?

What I’m most proud of is that I have built enough trust in my managers and coworkers to be presented with the opportunity to coordinate such a demanding project as Due Diligence. Every day brings new challenges and over the past year, I have been slowly but steadily learning to balance between the clients’ and our team’s needs. Additionally, I’m grateful that I can work with people whose knowledge and experience I admire. Working in such an environment, drives me to learn more and work harder. 

What would you advise your younger self?

I would advise my younger self to be confident and to challenge herself more. I would also tell her not to rely too much on other people’s opinion on what she can or cannot achieve in life. And not to start a new TV series 3 days before an important exam.

We live in a dynamic world. How do you expect the industry you work in to change over the next 12 months? (ex. interesting tendencies, trends, latest developments etc.)

With the increased data volumes, I think the industry will rely more on automation of the manual process with the help of natural language processing, AI and machine learning. 

As for content, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is already affecting the business globally. As both countries are major suppliers of commodities, crucial for a range of industries, I believe research over the next year will be focused on the region. Points of interest would be links to sanctioned entities and reputational risks.

Which fictional character do you feel you’re most like? What traits do you share with them? 

I’d say I’m a contradictory combination between Pride and Prejudice’s Elizabeth and Jane Bennet. Like Jane, I’m rather quiet, a bit naive and generally keep to myself. Like Elizabeth, I’m not always the best judge of character and tend to jump to conclusions. I also have quite the sharp tongue (when I’m comfortable enough to use it) and I’m always ready to stand up for what I think is right.

Interested in reading more Jump Up stories from our team members of the Risk and Compliance department? You can check the latest stories from Desislava Belcheva, Marina Tsoneva, and Tsvetomir Tsonev. Access all stories here