Voices of Nium with Dan Fraguglia

Dan Fraguglia, Talent Lead at Nium for the Americas, cuddles up to an unamused, yet totally adorable, pug in his Slack profile picture. We are reminded with Dan’s wide smile and gentle clutch on the pooch how positive and warm a person Dan is and know that there is no better person to be many Nium’ers’ first point of contact before joining the team. In this blog, we get to know more about the “man behind the pug” and gain a better understanding of Nium’s internal culture and how this impacts the way Nium recruits. 

At Nium, we operate at the intersection of an increasingly interconnected world, where the traditional finance industry has been disrupted, and on-demand is in demand. If you are eager to join our team, why not explore our open roles across all business functions and corners of the globe? 

Dan, firstly, we’re impressed! You hail from an extensive background in tech talent acquisition with time at Stripe and Meraki under your belt. What do you think makes Nium a distinctive opportunity for career seekers?  

Thank you! I’ve been fortunate to grow in my career at both Meraki and Stripe – each company was a fast-evolving, founder-led scale-up (sound familiar?), where I was able to take on a lot of work outside of my immediate scope. I like to think of Nium as a natural progression for my career, as it combines a dynamic environment with a virtuous company mission of expanding economic opportunity. I can also give a quick plug here for our amazing new offices in London, San Francisco, and Singapore.  

If you had to choose a song that best describes your role as Nium’s Talent Lead for the Americas, which song would you pick and why?  

 “Party all the Time” by Eddie Murphy (he has music too!) because I stay on my toes every day. The Americas is a rapidly-evolving region for Nium and sometimes we’re adding multiple new roles or teams every week! This song is also an inside joke with my family as we used to blast it over and over on a drive up to Banff, Canada. 

You achieved your Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of California, Davis. Would you say that this has supported you in your career? If someone reading this is considering a career in talent acquisition, would you advise them to consider studying something similar?  

Yes and no (but mostly, yes). While I wouldn’t say a degree in Psychology impacts the execution of my role’s day-to-day responsibilities, it certainly influences how I make decisions, support candidates/my team, and build strategy. I like to think my degree helps me to solve business problems, whilst keeping empathy front of mind. It also helps with self-awareness – learning how your brain works has the potential to make you much more aware of how you might come across to people in different scenarios. Overall, I’d encourage anyone who wants to go into a career in talent acquisition to consider a degree in the social sciences. Bonus points if they take a class (or two) in data analysis/data science, or a more quantitative field, as the most powerful recruiters I know are data fluent. 

What’s the proudest moment in your career to date?  

While at Stripe, I helped build the Technical Program Management team from around 20 people to 200+ people. This involved creating new interview processes, documentation, leveling guidance, compensation frameworks, leadership principles ... the whole gamut, really. This was a major undertaking, and I couldn’t have done it without strong partnerships with key leaders (shout out to you, Amanda Donohue), and the recruiting team around me. 

Nium’s internal slogan is “Simply Better Together”. How would you describe the culture at Nium?  

There are a few major ways Nium’s culture resonates with me, both in relation to how we get work done. The first is that we work quickly but with consideration for a global audience, which is a challenge, as no two cultures or regions communicate in the same way, but I think we strike a good balance at Nium. The second is that we adopt an inclusive approach to work, one without judgment, where everyone has a seat at the table. I always feel heard and know that I can share my opinions, especially when I feel passionate about the subject area. I encourage my immediate team to operate similarly and to disagree, with respect, when they feel they should do so. 

What is the biggest piece of advice you offer newbies to set themselves up for success at Nium?  

Take time to enjoy being new, learn about the company, our products, our solutions, and our brand. I also suggest that you pencil in 1:1 time to meet members of your global team. Build relationships early on – you never know how you can help that person/how that person can help you in the future! Remember that we hire high achievers, who want to add value from day one, but we also adopt a long-term view on business performance and career opportunities.