In our ‘PAIR Faces’ interview series, we ask colleagues about their role at PAIR Finance and get to know them personally. This time, we spoke to Ricarda Conrad, Marketing Psychologist, at PAIR Finance.

First of all, we’d like to find out a bit about you and your background. Where are you from?

I come from a small village near Celle in Lower Saxony – really rural, with more cows than people. After leaving school, I went to Australia for a gap year. Clichéd, I know, but during this ‘self-discovery phase’ I learned that I was fascinated by big cities and wanted to study psychology in English.

Initially, I was drawn to the rather tranquil but very charming city of Maastricht in the Netherlands for my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. In order to still experience the big city flair and challenge myself further, I spent two semesters abroad in Hong Kong and Cape Town in between.

I finished my Master’s degree in 2020 and – you guessed it – moved straight to Berlin. Big city – what a surprise!

How did you join us and what has your career been like since then?

The job at PAIR Finance is actually my first full-time job. I found it quite by chance via LinkedIn when I entered ‘marketing psychologist’ in the search – a job title that is rare but describes exactly what I wanted to do: apply psychological knowledge in a business context to impact consumer behaviour.

And suddenly PAIR Finance appeared! After four rounds of interviews, I was accepted in April 2021, one day after my birthday. I started as a Junior Marketing Psychologist in July and now work as a Marketing Psychologist, where I bring my passion to work every day.

What are your tasks as a Marketing Psychologist at PAIR Finance?

As a Marketing Psychologist, I deal with designing and analysing customer interactions from a strategic and psychological perspective. My main task is to understand how people make decisions in stressful financial situations. On this basis, I develop targeted communication and intervention strategies, test them and implement them – if they are successful. By doing so, I integrate psychological findings from behavioural research into our communication processes in order to create the most positive and empathetic customer experience possible.

You work with behavioural science, among other things. Can you briefly explain what this is and how PAIR Finance uses it in receivables management?

Behavioural science is concerned with understanding human behaviour and decision-making processes. It is about how people think, feel and act in different situations – often differently than they should rationally. At PAIR Finance, we use these insights to make receivables management more empathetic and effective. Our aim is to put people at the centre and not just the outstanding receivables. This means that we analyse and understand why customers get into payment difficulties and based on this we develop tailored communication strategies to help them settle their debts. By using behavioural science, we can increase the willingness to pay and at the same time strengthen the relationship with the consumer.

What fascinates you about behavioural science and your job?

What fascinates me about behavioural science is the opportunity to better understand human behaviour and put this knowledge into practice. It’s exciting to see how small changes in communication or the design of our processes can have a big impact. The mix of analytical thinking, creativity, empathy and strategic planning makes my work at PAIR Finance incredibly rewarding.

And what does your life outside the office look like? Do you have a favourite place in Berlin?

During the week, I go to the gym a lot to clear my head. I also love listening to podcasts while on a walk or talking to friends or family on the phone – it keeps me moving and in touch. Some days I just lie down in the park and enjoy a good book or arrange to cook with friends.

My absolute favourite place in Berlin is the Kollwitzkiez. As I live nearby, I’m actually there every day – whether it’s for a decaf coffee in one of the countless cafés or for a relaxing walk.

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Ready to change the world of finance with us?

Would you like to work with Ricarda on the future of the financial world? Then we look forward to getting to know you. You can find our current job offers here.