#BehindTheScenes: Get to know Carla Guerrero, our Head of Growth

Carla, working initially at ID Finance Mexico as CMO and later on at ID Finance Spain where you are currently Head of Growth makes you one of our veteran team members. Could you tell us a bit more about your professional background? 

Yes, it has been an exciting journey. I already have over 13 years of experience, starting my career at the fintech Konfío. I have also worked for the biggest e-commerce in LATAM Mercado Libre. Graduated from Anahuac University, I have a Master’s Degree in Growth Hacking from the Innovation and Entrepreneurs Business School and additionally an Executive degree in Product Strategy from Kellogg School.

I have carried out all my career in the Fintech industry where I have had the opportunity and challenges of managing different types of products such as business loans, personal loans, debit account and credit lines.

What does a regular day look like for a Head of Growth at ID Finance?

Each day I face a different challenge. This makes my job really interesting and dynamic. I usually start my day reviewing and analysing the KPIs to make sure they evolve as expected and find opportunities to improve the performance of the acquisition channels, as well as identify improvements in the conversion rate (CR) and approval rate (AR) that impact directly  on the acquisition growth.

Putting it simple: I monitor, analyse, adapt, test, measure, improve and optimise. And I do this over and over again, testing different iterations to find new opportunities that allow us to grow.

Driving the growth of a new product such as our financial wellness app Plazo from scratch looks like a great challenge? What do you think has been key so far to onboard 130,000 customers?

We are constantly trying to find new ways to make the company, and specifically our Plazo app, grow. Therefore, we focus heavily on Marketing performance and branding strategies to find the way to increase our acquisition. As a part of it, I define digital strategies to find the most suitable acquisition channels. This entails as well doing tests to improve the iteration and I very often turn to our Product and Risk department, especially when there are inconsistencies in data, like peaks or lows at unusual times.

Overall, I believe that correctly identifying our target and fine-tuning segmentation have been key elements for the growth of Plazo. As a tech-shaped company we rely 100% on data which enables us to get comprehensive insights and identify new opportunities for growth. Another ingredient for success has been our ability to adjust the product to the market needs.

Additionally, the great in-house expertise we have at ID Finance, as a company with a strong track-record in credit and risk management, has proved to be vital to propel the growth of our flagship financial wellness app.

But above all, we have come this far mainly thanks to the highly qualified and experienced team we have.

What role do KPIs play for you? How do they help you?

KPI’s play a key role to me. They offer me great visibility of the business expectations, help me trace the challenges and see how to give that extra push to further boost growth. For me it’s not just a matter of accomplishing those KPI’s but to beat them.

In this regard, one of the most relevant KPIs is cost reduction and cost efficiency, as this helps me significantly to scale the product.

How is Growth management related to the product?  

To Growth, Product is like a first cousin. There are great synergies between both areas. I share with the team the results and give them the visibility of the acquisition channels and strategies. Working close together is key, for example to reduce steps during the onboarding process and while operating with the app, thus improving the customer experience. The data generated by our users help Product to significantly fine-tune the acquisition funnels, making them more agile and efficient. If in addition, we manage to reduce costs, we achieve to further drive conversions.

What potential do you see for Plazo?

Plazo has great potential. We keep working around the clock seeking to improve the customer’s experience and offering new features that add value to our existing ones and that attract new ones. Regarding our credit offering, we seek to offer non-aggressive and competitive annual percentage rates (APRs) and better conditions than other competitors to cover customers’ needs, in line with our commitment to improving people’s financial wellness. In addition, we are the only app offering 2in1, that is debit and credit in just one account.

What do you like best about working in ID Finance as Plazo’s Head of Growth?

Working in the fast-changing environment of Fintech is really exciting. As an agile, tech-led firm, we quickly react to new challenges and make changes happen immediately. Of course, this is only possible thanks to the fantastic team we have. In addition, we share one and the same vision with the management, which offers us great stability. We also have enough autonomy to keep innovating and are motivated to think out of the box, to think about what else can be done to lead Plazo and the company overall to success.

From a human point of view, I also have to say that at ID Finance we are not just colleagues but a united family working in a caring environment.

What advice would you give someone joining the Marketing / Growth areas of Plazo?

I would advise him or her to be flexible, open-minded, curious, and creative, be proactive and embrace the company’s dynamism and its team. People are our greatest asset and therefore, teamwork is one of the pillars of our day-to-day activities. At ID Finance you will be able to learn a lot from our colleagues and develop new skills.