Building a World Where Money Has No Borders: What It’s Like to Work at Wise

Step 1: Pick a country. 

Step 2: Arrange a place to stay. 

Step 3: Buy the ticket. 

These are not uncommon steps made by many workers around the world when they are either moving abroad or preparing for a stretch as a digital nomad. It’s the steps that follow — particularly in getting paid and using that money in a different country — where hindrances that can occur.

Wise started when the two founders realized how much money it cost to transfer currency between the UK and Estonia. One founder was paid in euros but lived in London and needed to convert those paychecks to pounds. The other founder was paid in pounds and needed to pay an Estonian mortgage in euros. Both saw a common problem that international travelers and workers face — sending money across borders without losing a big chunk of it to fees. 

So they started Wise — and just in time. 

An article in the Journal of Destination Marketing & Management noted that in 2010 there were 21,000 people using coworking spaces worldwide, and by 2019 that number shot up to 2.17 million. 

And the tech industry is leading the way. According to surveys conducted by Statista, the tech industry has the highest percentage of remote workers worldwide, in 2023 it was estimated that 67.8 percent of tech employees were working fully or mostly remote. In alignment with Wise’s origin story, the finance industry came in second place with 50.6 percent of employees working remotely. 

Part of what makes the team at Wise unique started with that origin story and continues today — solving customers’ problems as if they were the team’s own. And sometimes that is the case. 

The company hosts an annual company conference during which it has a “Customer Challenge,” giving all team members the opportunity to step into the shoes of customer service and directly handle customer issues, giving them a refresher on the current perspective and needs of the people it serves.

This customer-centric culture is what makes working at Wise so motivating. Built In Austin spoke with a senior member of Wise’s People Partner team to learn more. 

Emily Foulkes

People Partner Senior Lead • WISE

Wise is a fintech company that makes sending money internationally easier. Wise is built by and for people who live global lives.

Describe your company culture in one word.

Egoless. 

What made you pick “egoless?”

Our culture revolves around putting our customers’ needs first, always. This translates into a working culture where people are not just in it for themselves; one that is thoughtful, humble and mission-driven. Wisers are genuinely motivated by the fact that what we are building is changing the lives of others — something I have never experienced at any company I’ve worked in before. 

“Wisers are genuinely motivated by the fact that what we are building is changing the lives of others.”

In 2022, I had the opportunity to participate in our “Customer Challenge,” an annual event at Wise’s company conference. I stepped into the shoes of one of our customer service agents and directly handled customer questions. In that time, I was able to help unblock a Wiser’s ability to pay for this child’s international tuition, help a business owner pay their employees in multiple locations and guide another customer to get the right ID set up so they could get started with their account. 

This opportunity provided me with a real insight into the daily experience of our customers. It’s a great reminder of why we come to work everyday — we are building something that has never been built before to meet real customer needs and help them lead international lives.

How long have you been with Wise?

I have been with Wise for almost three years now. I originally joined as our first external People Partner hire at Wise based first in our London office, but recently relocated back to my home state of Texas, based out of our Austin office. 

What professional growth or development have you seen in that time?

I have experienced immense growth in my role over the years. I started off as the People Partner for our global engineering team before expanding my role to oversee all of our tech and corporate functions partners. Now, I co-lead our Partner team, overseeing the ways my team works within specific departments at Wise to meet their unique needs. Across these roles, I have helped advance our People agenda and strategy, to create an irresistible employee experience which enhances our customer experience while optimizing ways of working to deliver at speed. 

I have also seen significant growth not just in my own role but across Wise as a whole. When I joined, Wise had around 3,500 Wisers globally and we have now grown to a team over 5,500 strong. In Austin, there are now over 300 of us. The growth of our teams worldwide speaks to the global demand for our products and the way Wise is able to meet our customers needs and expectations.