Revolut Career Journeys: 5 minutes with Riccardo Cesari

In our Career Journeys series, we spotlight the leaders who shape, mentor, and inspire the next generation of Revoluters. In this edition, we sit down with Riccardo Cesari, Head of Operations and Data in Acquiring, whose path from quant trading and academia to leading high-impact teams at Revolut is anything but traditional.

Ric shares what he’s learned from building products, leading teams, and mentoring interns and grads, and why Revolut is one of the most exciting places to launch a career in tech and fintech.

Tell us about your role at Revolut.

As Head of Operations and Data in Acquiring, I'm responsible for optimising all processes in our department. I know it sounds vague, but flexibility is the main characteristic an Operations Manager at Revolut needs to have. To give a clearer idea, think about all the processes merchants go through when they use our products: onboarding, periodic reviews, opening a chat for a question or an issue, the communications they receive from us, asking for fee discounts...

All these processes used to require a lot of manual work to handle each situation and scenario. My job is to automate this as much as possible — smoothening the user experience and reducing manual work by introducing models (some based on ML, others still using good old linear regressions) that take smart, fast decisions, and building AI automations that can directly interact with the customers.

How does the career you imagined as a grad align with where you are today?

Can I be honest? Totally different. During my first graduate programme, I was working as a Quant Trader in an investment bank, and I decided to pursue a PhD in Maths so I could end up in a hedge fund in London or NYC. Fast forward: I grew up, realised traditional finance didn’t excite me, and that I wanted to build something more dynamic and impactful.

I don’t regret a single choice, though.

What would you tell your younger self starting out?

You’re working for yourself and for your personal growth. You're working because it’s something that excites you, so find a job that makes you truly happy and satisfied. Never settle for something that doesn’t convince you.

Moreover, keep learning as much as you can. Even if you're buried in tasks, always try to think outside the box. Learn a new way to solve a problem, a new model, a new metric, a new way of thinking.

Why is Revolut such an exciting place to launch your career?

You're surrounded by smart people who want to push, build, and create something new and wow. There aren’t many companies where you can grow your career as quickly as in Revolut. If you're smart and self-driven, you can become manager of a team or a product in just a few quarters.

What do you most enjoy about working with interns and grads?

I’ve always loved teaching. During my PhD, my favourite days at university were the ones when I was teaching classes. With grads and interns it’s even better — you’re not only helping them to develop their skills, but they're also contributing to our projects. It makes the whole mentoring process doubly rewarding.

What makes our Talent Programmes such powerful career launchpads?

You'll work with a lot of smart people, and you'll learn how to build products from 0 to 1, grow them from 1 to 10, and scale them from 10 to the moon.

The number of skills you can develop on our Talent Programmes are massive. You’re exposed to cutting-edge technologies and smart ways of solving problems. All this expertise will be incredibly useful in your future, whether you build your next product in Revolut or start your own company.

Do you have any advice for students and grads who are job searching?

Show all your positive energy in interviews. Think outside the box when answering problem-solving questions. Bring original examples when you talk about your past experiences. And most importantly, be yourself. Don’t let ChatGPT substitute you.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?

No matter how hard you try or how smart you are, there’s always a smarter, faster, and cheaper way to do what you’re doing. But this applies to every other person and company out there too. So roll up your sleeves and build the next wow product. Never Settle.

Inspired by Ric’s journey? If you’re ready to learn fast, build meaningful products, and take ownership from the start of your career, explore our Talent Programmes.