Career Stories is an article series about the people who work at Kindred. For this article, we sat down with Maksims Dobrovolskis, Document Verification Manager, to talk about passion, learning and finding that work-life balance.
How would you describe what you do?
My work revolves around managing an exceptional team of document verification analysts. In our industry, compliance with current regulations means everything. It’s a great feeling knowing that we are at the forefront of safeguarding our company and clients from potential fraudsters. Being a team leader is no easy task, but in light of everything you get back, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.
How did you get to your current position at Kindred?
I started at Unibet in 2011 as a part-time Customer Support Agent for the Latvian market. I then got promoted to a full-time Customer Service Agent for the Russian market and in 2014 I joined the company’s player safety department as a Fraud Analyst. In 2017 Kindred saw the need for a new team that focused on document verification and I got the opportunity to lead that team. If anything, I think my journey shows that persistence and a high work ethic pays off.
Kindred emphasizes the possibility to change career without changing employer, how would you say Kindred supports and invests in its employees?
Kindred offers its employees various ways of taking new steps in their careers. If you take the time to invest in learning and acquiring new skills, Kindred will have your back. Believe me, I’ve experienced it first-hand. Kindred is genuinely interested in bringing out the best out of its employees. Never have I worked in a company that invests so much time, effort and resources in employees’ learning and development. We also have Kindred Academy, which is a huge depository of courses available to all employees.
Tell us a bit about yourself, what is your passion?
I love languages, history and sport. I tried learning Chinese and Italian in the late ’90s (with very limited online resources) and I’ve been researching and collecting Latvian and Russian imperial coins since I was 13 years old. I’ve also run marathons and competed in CrossFit, Indoor rowing and Olympic weightlifting.
Finally, what advice would you give to someone who is just starting their career at Kindred?
Kindred is an ideal company for anyone willing to challenge themselves and be open to different perspectives. If you want to learn, grow and get constant opportunities to embrace your curiosity, Kindred is the right place to be!
