Antonino Amato, Head of Customer Care – Allianz Partners Romania
My name is Amato Antonino, Head of Customer Care since 2018 at Allianz Partners Romania. Allianz Partners Romania is a global center of excellence within the Operations department of the Allianz Group. Allianz Partners Romania has over 300 employees who work in the insurance field, from Customer Care to Claims management, mainly for European countries.
How did you start your career? Which were your first steps? How did you envision your career?
My journey started 8 years ago in Allianz. Initially, I had the position of agent. But I have to admit that, until I reached my current position in the company, my path was not without obstacles. What helped me move forward was, without a doubt, my team. My colleagues “took care” to give me the energy I needed in difficult moments, making everything seem much easier.
Considering that I started from college, I never thought that I could grow so much to be in charge of an entire platform, I was lucky in my professional path to work with people who trusted me and my potential.
What were your key career moments?
The greatest moment in my career was when I was appointed as a Team Leader within the Travel team. That was, in my opinion, a moment that gave me great confidence in myself.
What are the three most valuable career lessons you have learnt?
There is no Leader without his own team, which believes in him and in the decisions he makes.
The people around you will always follow your example, both in positive and negative situations, therefore, in order to achieve the proposed objectives, you must be always an example for your own team.
You must always believe and love also what you do; it may not be always with a happy ending, but you must trust your own vision.
Why did you choose Business Service Industry? What were the top 3 reasons for choosing your company?
Allianz Partners Romania is a very expanding company, every employee if there’s a real desire, can grow on the professional side. AP company for those who really want it can also open the doors for an international career, and last but not least, mistakes are seen as things from which you can learn so as not to repeat them in the future.
Tell us a little bit about your private life: your passions, family. What do you do to relax?
Actually, all that makes me happy are my children. I think they changed my life 360 degrees, of course, in a positive way. I have to admit that this pandemic period also helped me a lot to spend more time with them.
If now you were starting your career, knowing the present and near future opportunities, what would you do?
I would do the same thing I did 8 years ago; I am extremely satisfied with my professional path.
What are the top 3 skills that you would develop?
Professionally, I am a very ambitious person, I believe that there is always a way to improve any skill you need, there is always time to learn something new, just to become better.
What would you do and what would you avoid doing? —practical advice to young professionals
Always trust yourself, always observe the others, and pick up only the good from the situation. In this case, after your own experience, you may not repeat the mistakes of others.
Violeta Antonescu, HR Manager – Allianz Partners Romania
I have been working for Allianz Partners since 2017 when I started as HR Consultant and moved forward to an HR BP role. I left the company last year for a few months, but couldn’t stay away for too long and decided to accept a new challenge within AzP Romania as HR Manager.
Allianz Partners Romania is one of the 4 Global Competence Centers that Allianz Partners has around the world. With more than 300 employees, we deliver back office and front office assistance and claims management services for customers or Allianz entities based in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Italy, Romania or Global contracts. Our people’s attributes are Customer and Market Excellence, Collaborative Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Trust.
How did you start your career? Which were your first steps? How did you envision your career?
My career in HR started back in 2007 as an HR Inspector in a small construction company. At that point, it became clear to me that this is the path I want to take, and I continued to build on it, working for 6 years in a bank, 3 years for a local Romanian company, and then joining Allianz Partners, where I have grown like never before in 5 years. For me, joining Allianz Partners was like a breath of fresh air. I found here both very well-trained people from whom I had a lot to learn, and also warm, patient people ready to lend a helping hand whenever needed.
Since I’ve joined the HR field almost 16 years ago, I envisioned my career as a progressive one and as in the case of most people in the HR field, the biggest goal was to become an HR Manager but I have never set a deadline for this goal considering that I am the kind of person who sets realistic expectations and moves forward step by step. For me, it was more important to have always something new to learn, to work with people I can trust and resonate with.
What were your key career moments?
The moment when I decided to leave from the Bank that I worked for 6 years had a great impact on my professional journey. I learned there a lot of things on the legal and admin parts, but even though I was aware that there was no possibility to gain knowledge in other areas of HR, I was afraid to leave as it was my first job in a big company. So, when I finally decided to search for new opportunities, I started to discover new things both in the HR field and about myself as a professional.
What are the three most valuable career lessons you have learnt?
– Proactively meet challenges. Everyone’s career encounters challenges, and you have to take advantage of each and every one because nothing extraordinary will come out without hard work.
– The people and the job are equally important. In order to successfully overcome the challenges that arise, you must know how to create relationships with the people around you, you must learn to listen to them, not submitting to the potential pitfalls of thinking you know it all. Ask for advice and be open to what people have to say.
– Be patient, realistic in regard to your knowledge and aspirations. Do not chase new opportunities, hoping that you will reach your goal sooner. The journey it’s equally important.
Many of the young people, are very hasty in terms of their professional aspirations. Some of them have great potential, but they expect career growth after 6 months – 1 year, forgetting that it is not only about professional knowledge, but also about professional maturity. You have to take the time to earn both, so that you can be sure that when you go to the next level, you are completely prepared.
Why did you choose Business Service Industry? What were the top 3 reasons for choosing your company?
Allianz Partners puts people in the center of its business. Within the Insurance industry, it has a bigger human component as the core of the business is offering assistance during all life aspects: travel, medical, roadside, home, health, automotive, mobile digital device risk, cyber risk, home appliance protection, legal protection etc. There are 4 Global Competency Centers worldwide in Allianz Partners, located in Bucharest, Mexico, Bangkok and India. Our employees are the differentiator: young or middle-aged, early-career or experienced professionals whose job and purpose are to support our insured clients during hard times.
I chose Allianz Partners Romania twice because it is a continuously growing company, is a place where, if you have passion and a can-do attitude, you will have the chance to learn a lot, develop new skills and start building a career.
Tell us a little bit about your private life: your passions, family. What do you do to relax?
Family and work are both important parts of my life. That means that they don’t have to exist in their own separate bubbles, and for me, working from home helped a lot in creating a balance between work and professional life, as I managed to make the best out of the time spent in traffic, for example. Making a choice between family and career no longer makes sense nowadays. You can still have a successful career and raise a happy family, on your own terms. For myself, rather than feeling guilty for dedicating time to work, I choose to spend that energy on being fully present when I am with my family. The best way to find the balance to do both is to always remain present in the moment. For me, the happiest moments are the ones spent with my husband, my 7 years old son, and our cat, Daisy. We like walking in the park, going to the movies, visiting new places, dancing, cooking, and playing all sorts of family and video games.
If now you were starting your career, knowing the present and near future opportunities, what would you do?
I would not change anything. I do not like living with regrets, and I believe that each experience, regardless of its nature, as well as the people we encounter, has a great impact on our development, both as people and as professionals.
What are the top 3 skills that you would develop?
I believe there are always new skills to develop, no matter the age or the position that you may have. You just have to find the right place to work, the company whose values you identify with, where you can constantly learn, grow and evolve as a professional. And pay attention to others’ feedback for continuous personal and professional improvement.
What would you do and what would you avoid doing? —practical advice to young professionals
Think of your career as a journey of experiences and adventures rather than a ladder of increasingly impressive job titles. Careers don’t need to be linear. Be open to opportunities that might take you sideways or that others may consider a backward step. Be open to opportunities that could lead you to different directions. Be brave, curious and open to learning new things. Passion and a can-do attitude are incredibly valuable traits that will help you climb on the career ladder.