Why working for Revolut founder Nik Storonsky is a pleasure
Revolut's founder Nik Storonsky is known to be a demanding leader, and not everyone's cup of tea. There are some, however, that think he's great. They include Revolut's chief cheerleader, Michael Bodansky, head of global corporate communications, who recently appeared on a podcast explaining why the opportunity to work for Storonsky was what drew him to Revolut.
Click here to sign up for our fintech newsletter 🤖
Bodansky said he has a habit of falling "in love with the character" of a company's founders, who he says are usually "creative geniuses." He says this applies equally to Storonsky and to Revolut's co-founder, CTO Vlad Yatsenko.
Bodansky's love for Storonsky goes beyond his titillating creativity. He said that Storonsky is a very "present" leader that would "join calls, review things, set the strategy [and] be on town halls." This creates a "real sense of culture and community … because it's coming from the top."
Revolut's culture is driven by its core values, (which senior staff have previously critiqued) instilled by Storonsky. In case of confusion, Bodansky said they're "in neon branding on the wall and on all our stickers and logos." He said a slogan within its 'Dream Team' value is "ship, shipmates, self" which reflects the intense amount of work Revolut employees are expected to do and implies an ethos of self-sacrifice. Storonsky has previously said people at Revolut work "at least 12, 13 hours a day" and work on weekends. Evidently, putting yourself last at Revolut can extend to your work-life balance.
Revolut has avoided extreme friction with this culture through its rigorous hiring strategy. Bodansky says, "we spend a lot of time looking for the best people," and want "A-Players" as the industry begins settling for less. Because of this, Storonsky has an 85% approval rate on Glassdoor.
Bodansky notes Revolut has a "certain amount of turnover;" data suggests the median tenure at Revolut is just over a year 😬. He says, however, "we don't always want people to stay at Revolut forever." Many people at Revolut go on to great things, and Bodansky says Revolut is committed to "equipping the next generation of entrepreneurs." The best way to become a successful founder, it seems, is to work for one... if you can hack it.
Have a confidential story, tip, or comment you’d like to share? Contact: +44 7537 182250 (SMS, Whatsapp or voicemail). Telegram: @SarahButcher. Click here to fill in our anonymous form, or email editortips@efinancialcareers.com. Signal also available.
Bear with us if you leave a comment at the bottom of this article: all our comments are moderated by human beings. Sometimes these humans might be asleep, or away from their desks, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. Eventually it will – unless it’s offensive or libelous (in which case it won’t.)
