Marija Buivydaitė-Vitkevičienė

Rolling the dice on a start-up can be sink or swim, but it couldn’t have been a better choice for Marija: 

“Making the jump to join Vinted was a bit like being thrown into hot water, but I’d say I floated pretty well!”

We sat down to hear more about her journey with thriving online marketplace Vinted, and how finance transformation is fuelling the business’s incredible growth.

Senior leadership success

Becoming a VP of Finance wasn’t always part of the plan for Marija: 

“My dream was to be a stockbroker! I started out at a boutique investment bank in Lithuania as a junior investment consultant, but I was longing to work at the desk trading stocks.”

A summer of contemplation aboard a sailing boat, and a well-timed job offer from a certain up-and-coming start-up led Marija to make the switch to corporate finance:

“I found myself out of work one summer and it was while sailing in the middle of the ocean I decided I needed a change. When I got back, I had two job offers - one working as a stockbroker, and one from Vinted. I took a risk and chose the latter.”

The leap of faith paid off, with Marija set to celebrate her tenth anniversary with Vinted this year:

“I gained the trust of the CFO as my responsibilities grew within the company, and I’m now VP of Finance with over a hundred people under my supervision. I’ve led countless finance transformations throughout my time here.”

A lot has changed in those ten years, not least the finance department’s evolution into a powerhouse of digital change: 

“When I first joined Vinted, everything was manual - we pretty much only had Excel! It wasn't until our first investment round in 2018 that we finally had the money for what was a dream ERP solution at the time. That was the beginning of our finance transformation journey.”

Taking the time to build a tech stack fit for the future of finance has been well worth the effort in the long run: 

“I know what it’s like to work with hundreds of spreadsheets that keep crashing and disappearing. Finance transformation ultimately means fewer mistakes because there’s less manual input and having data available in real-time rather than waiting weeks to get the numbers from management.”

Transforming tech and team 

At Vinted, finance transformation hasn’t only involved implementing shiny new tools but an overhaul in the skillset  - and mindset - of the team: 

“It’s not enough to only upgrade the tech we use. It’s been as much about changing up the organisational aspects of the finance department.”

“At one point, the finance team was growing faster than the entire business! That’s because in the past we were very understaffed. We’ve really had to assess the skills maturity of the finance department and decide what can be outsourced and what needs to be done internally.”

Managing the growth trajectory of the finance team is no mean feat in today’s fast-paced world of technological change. Throughout finance transformation, senior leaders shouldn’t overlook the need to support employees with their mental health in what’s become an increasingly challenging career path:

“Of course, it’s important to manage your team’s training and development in digital skills, but it’s equally important to support them with their work-life balance. It’s tough to cope with unplanned or urgent projects alongside new developments in AI all at the same time!”

You’re only as good as your team after all, and for Marija, her colleagues are her biggest inspiration. That’s alongside a genuine belief in the business, which has kept her motivated in her role over the last decade:

“I was a big user of Vinted before I even joined! It’s inspiring to work for a company I truly believe in. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given to develop my creativity and realise my vision of finance transformation for the department.”
 

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