Welcome to a new regular feature on AccountsRecovery.net. The collections and debt-buying industries are tight-knit communities, but there is a lot that we do not know about each other. To rectify that, we will be posting profiles of members on a regular basis. If you are interested in being profiled, please contact me via email.
Name
Ohad Samet
Company
Length of time at current company
2.5 years
Length of time in industry
I’ve been in lending/fraud prevention/financial services since 2005
How did you get your start in the industry?
I was the Chief Risk Officer for a European company called Klarna when I realized how central debt collection is to any lending operation. So I decided to dive into that and see what exciting opportunities there are in this market. My cofounders and I have been hooked since!
What is your career highlight so far?
Being a Chief Risk Officer for a $1B company that’s in hyper-growth was a really interesting and educational experience. I learned topics I never touched before and was stretched and challenged every day. Then, taking that knowledge into a startup in debt collection was an incredible experience – one we’re still working on.
Which industry professional do you admire most?
I’m new to the industry, so many of those that I meet are both inspiring and a source of learning for me. People have been very kind with their time and thoughts.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
I do a pretty good job of being persistent, even after others have given up. That helped me in a lot of different areas where I had to work hard to improve.
What do you like most about this industry?
It’s potential for growth in the coming years. I think many view upcoming changes as bad, even utterly wrong, but I strongly believe these are growing pains on our way to become better as a whole.
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
I’d like to hear a little bit less of “this is how it’s always been.” A change is coming, and we have to be ready for it.
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
Probably involved in another startup in financial services, probably on the lending side.
Describe a typical work day
I start around 7am having sales calls with the East coast, arrive at the office around 8 for our morning standup, and continue in meetings until the evening when I leave to spend time with my family. We have a strong team at TrueAccord between my co founders, COO and other executives so I get to focus on our growth efforts together with our Head of Business Development, Jason Hass.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Hands down, Cherry Garcia ice cream.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I got in 2015: sales is about listening. I have to remind myself of that often.
What are you currently reading?
Behind The Cloud by Marc Benioff
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you?
I’m always looking to learn!
