What’s your name and what do you do at Liberis and where in the world do you work?

My name is Mira Bragg, and I am the Marketing Manager: International Acquisition based in the United States.

When did you join Liberis and what were your first impressions?

February 2020, I was blown away by how friendly, kind, compassionate, intelligent, and helpful every person in the office was. I felt immediately welcomed and part of the team.

What makes you proud to work here?

I’m proud to work for a company that always strives to do the right thing and find the best approach to any solution. We don’t want to just be the best alternative finance provider, we want to be the best place to work, we want to have the best products, the best customer service, the best everything! We don’t settle for ‘just okay’ – not for our customers or our employees.

What are your stand-out memories of working at Liberis so far?

Doing an escape room with the US team in Denver, including our general manager. It was an oddly equalizing experience full of laughing at the absurdity of the tasks. 10/10 would do again.

Since working here, what ways have you developed – personally and/or professionally?

This list could be pages long, so I’ll pick out my top four:

1. Presenting – I used to totally freeze up during calls or meetings with clients/partners in previous roles. Anyone who knows me now may not believe me but meetings used to make me really nervous! Since Liberis is so supportive and my managers give me great feedback, I was able to gain confidence in meetings and speak up without fear.
2. Branding – I was so honoured when I was given the opportunity to lead Liberis’ rebrand. I’m so proud of the brand that we developed and happy that I was able to do something in marketing I’ve always wanted to do. Knowing that my work has impact keeps me going, and big projects like the rebrand satisfy my creativity.
3. Data Analysis – Through Liberis, I was able to take a digital marketing analytics course that significantly improved my ability to analyse trends and present data effectively.
4. Industry Knowledge – When I was first hired, I knew nothing about FinTech. Now I’m reading articles about the Buy Now, Pay Later trend FOR FUN and read LinkedIn forums about the future of FinTech. If you asked me two years ago if I would be into finance OR technology, let alone FinTech, I would have laughed in your face.

What makes you stay working here?

The people, the flexibility, the trust. The culture is top-notch. I’ve had the best managers I’ve ever had in my career at Liberis. They truly took an interest in my goals and career path, which made me feel extremely supported. There’s no micromanaging. The level of trust my managers and colleagues have in me always makes me want to turn up and do my best – I don’t want to let these amazing people down!

What do you look forward to most in Liberis’ future?

I look forward to Liberis equalizing the access to funding for POC and women-owned businesses. Historically, these groups experienced were systematically barred from receiving the finance due to both prejudice and unconscious bias. In America, a report by the Federal reserve found black-owned firms report 81% more credit availability challenges over white-owned firms. The same report found that more than half of black-owned businesses were turned down for loans at a rate twice as high as white business owners. Even when black business owners get approved, their rate of failure to receive full financing is the highest among all ethnicities. Less than 47% of loan applications completed by black-owned businesses get fully funded. A study by professors at the University of California found that FinTechs discriminate 40% less by utilizing lending algorithms, which still isn’t perfect but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. I look forward to future where Liberis eliminates those discrepancies altogether.