For our #BehindTheScenes series, we’ll shine the spotlight on Obinna, Head of the Engineering team at OhentPay. In this post, we talk about how he’s helping to build functional products, the challenges, the triumphs and everything in between.

On the #BehindTheScenes series, we take you behind the scenes to see who our staff are and what they are up to at OhentPay. In this blog series, we delve into the remarkable work and stories of the talented individuals who contribute to making OhentPay run daily.  Follow this series to learn more about the team’s dedication to improvement and commitment to staying at the forefront of FinTech.

Hi Obinna! Please give us a brief introduction to who you are and how you joined OhentPay.

Obinna: My name is Obinna. I graduated from the University of Nigeria and Birmingham City University, UK. I studied Electronics Engineering and have an MSc in Cyber Security. I joined OhentPay in July 2022 but I had worked as a freelance security engineer before joining permanently.

Can you tell us about your role as the head of the engineering team at OhentPay and what a typical workday looks like for you?

Obinna: As head of the engineering department, I oversee all development work at OhentPay in terms of product development and product management. My typical work day involves updating our development tickets, ensuring that all of our systems are functioning properly, monitoring for bugs and issues in our products and I also do a little bit of development as well both in our mobile and web applications. 

How did you get into the tech space? Was it something you always wanted or you stumbled into the scene?

Obinna: I have been in the tech industry since I was 11 years old. I picked up an interest from my elder brother and I started off programming in Q-basic. So it has been a long journey since then. I have done web development and mobile application development throughout my career. Now I have mostly taken a back seat but I hope to get into programming again.

Tell us about some challenges you face in the process of developing products for OhentPay. 

Obinna: We have a capable team of experienced individuals who make life easy for us. Our team is streamlined so that we do not have operational bottlenecks. Not to be cheeky but I would say at the moment we do not have challenges when developing products for OhentPay. 

Are there days where you feel overwhelmed, as the head of a team? What things do you do to always bring your A-game?

Obinna: I am a huge anime fan. Just watching an episode for me can take the edge off of work stress. When I feel overwhelmed by work, my guilty pleasure is to watch an anime. And because we all work from home at OhentPay, I can always lay on the couch and decompress from stress as well. 

How do you stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in the FinTech space?

Obinna: The Fintech ecosystem is always changing. I enjoy watching videos on everything finance and financial technology. For our technologies, we are always building and because of that, we are always aware of new updates in the technology we use. This would involve reading articles on upcoming changes that might affect our product.

Can you share any memorable milestones or accomplishments of the engineering team during your tenure at OhentPay?

Obinna: The first thing I worked on was the release of version 2.0 of our mobile app and the rebuilding of our web application. I would say that is the most memorable milestone for the engineering team since my tenure. The mobile app is what our users are using now and we have been getting good feedback from clients. So we are proud of that.

OhentPay is a mobile app that lets you send and receive money internationally, swiftly and at the best rates.  With Ohentpay, you can send and receive money to over 190 countries, and exchange over 40 currencies. So you can send or receive support from loved ones back home without delay. 

What advice or insights would you give to aspiring engineers looking to work in the fintech industry or build their own tech products?

Obinna: The fintech space is brutal. For anyone who wants to enter the ecosystem, they need to know how to accept rejection. As a job seeker looking to work in the industry, my advice would be to just know your stuff be it as a backend engineer or frontend engineer. If you want to start your own tech products, you need to persevere and keep pushing in the face of extraordinary circumstances.

What’s one thing that you will always splurge on, come rain or sunshine? 

Obinna: I love to travel. I would like to travel more in my lifetime. So one thing I will always spend money on is a flight ticket to another country.

Here's a bonus question. What inspired you to join OhentPay?

Obinna: I guess it is the vision that the founder has for the startup and I share that vision with him. So when I was offered to join permanently, it was a no-brainer and I was happy to bring my knowledge and experience to OhentPay.

If you’d like to send money from anywhere in the world and you love swift transfers and affordable rates, we recommend the OhentPay money transfer service. Create an account to get started here.

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