Week 20 of 52 — Women in Tech Series
Welcome to our Women in Tech series. Over the next 52 weeks, we’ll spotlight inspiring women shaping the technology industry — sharing their stories, achievements, and insights.
From founders and engineers to designers, researchers, and community leaders, this series celebrates the diverse voices driving innovation and building the future of tech.
Maryna Rybalko
Senior Product Manager at Thought Machine
How did you first get into tech/innovation?
I didn’t grow up around technology. I grew up near Kharkiv in Ukraine, where careers in tech felt distant and, for many girls, not especially visible. What I did have was curiosity. I was always fascinated by how things worked, why systems behaved the way they did, and how ideas could be turned into something useful.
I chose to study Computer Science at university, specialising in artificial intelligence and software engineering. During my second year, I joined DB Best Technologies, a technology company based in Kharkiv that was later acquired by Amazon. Looking back, I think curiosity and a willingness to work hard made the biggest difference. I didn’t have a perfect CV or years of experience, but I was eager to learn, took on every opportunity I could, and that helped me secure my first role in the industry.
That experience confirmed I had found the career I wanted to build. What fascinated me wasn’t technology for its own sake, but the opportunity to create products that solve complex problems and have a tangible impact on people’s lives. Ten years later, that’s still what motivates me every day.
What did your career path look like before landing your current role?
My career began in software engineering, but I was always interested in more than writing code. I wanted to understand why we were building products, who they helped and how they created real value. That curiosity naturally led me into product leadership.
At Jooble, a global job platform operating across 67 countries, I became an Engineering Manager at 23. I led teams building AI-powered job recommendations and salary transparency products, helping people discover better career opportunities and make more informed decisions about their future. At 25, I was promoted to Platform Engineering Lead, reporting directly to the CTO, where I defined platform strategy and led engineering teams responsible for improving developer productivity and accelerating software delivery across the organisation.
After moving to the UK, I joined Paydock, a payment orchestration platform for Tier 1 banks and enterprise merchants, including Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Coles Group. My work focused on secure payments and financial infrastructure that people rely on every day when paying for groceries, shopping online or transferring money.
Today, I am a Senior Product Manager at Thought Machine, building modern core banking technology. I am passionate about making payments simpler, more accessible and more reliable, enabling people around the world to open bank accounts, move money securely and access diverse financial products.
What does your role involve day-to-day?
My current role at Thought Machine sits at the intersection of product strategy, technology and customer outcomes. I own a product domain within our core banking platform, taking products from discovery through to delivery. A large part of my role is understanding customer problems before we build anything. I regularly work with banks across the world to understand their pain points, gather feedback, validate product ideas and ensure we are solving the right problems rather than simply delivering features.
Based on customer feedback and market insights, I shape the product vision and roadmap for my domain, ensuring priorities align with both customer needs and business objectives. My role requires a high level of technical depth, working alongside engineers and architects to design APIs, and finding the best possible solution while navigating implementation trade-offs. I enjoy getting into the technical details because the best product decisions are made by understanding how the technology really works.
What motivates me most is the impact this technology has on everyday life. Our platform enables financial institutions around the world to launch new and more personalised banking products faster while delivering better digital experiences for their customers.
What challenges have you faced working in tech, and how did you overcome them?
One of the biggest personal transformations in my career has been learning how to lead as an introvert. Outside work, my ideal weekend is a quiet walk in the park with a coffee. Early in my career as a software engineer, I was happiest solving complex technical problems. As I progressed into engineering management and later senior product leadership, I realised success depended just as much on communicating a vision, influencing decisions and aligning diverse stakeholders as it did on technical expertise.
Public speaking, presenting product strategy and leading executive discussions didn’t come naturally. My curiosity to keep learning and growing pushed me outside my comfort zone. I deliberately sought opportunities to present, facilitate workshops, speak at conferences and lead increasingly complex conversations. Over time, those experiences built confidence. Today, people who meet me are often surprised when I tell them I’m naturally an introvert. They usually assume I’m an extrovert.
The experience taught me that leadership isn’t about changing your personality. It’s about learning how to communicate your ideas with clarity and confidence while staying true to who you are. I hope my journey encourages other introverts to recognise that they don’t need to become someone else to lead. They simply need the courage to let their voice be heard.
Was there a moment or opportunity that helped you break into the industry?
I moved to the UK after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It wasn’t a career move I had planned. It was a decision driven by safety. Like many people rebuilding their lives in a new country, I suddenly found myself navigating an unfamiliar job market and figuring out where I fit professionally. I was fortunate to be hosted by a British family whose kindness gave me the stability to start again.
The opportunity that changed everything came when the founder of Paydock reached out to me on LinkedIn after seeing that I had relocated to London. At first glance, it looked like luck. Looking back, I see it differently. That opportunity was built on years of consistently delivering results, taking ownership and building a strong professional reputation. He already knew my work and had heard positive feedback from people I had worked with.
Joining Paydock became my entry into the UK fintech industry and reinforced one of the most important lessons of my career: your reputation creates opportunities long before you realise you need them. Since then, I have had the opportunity to speak at technology conferences and contribute to conversations across the fintech and product communities.
What advice would you give to women who want to work in tech or innovation?
My biggest piece of advice is to be honest with yourself about what you genuinely enjoy doing. Technology changes so quickly that you can’t build a successful long-term career without curiosity. When you love what you do, learning becomes something you naturally want to do, not something you have to do. Over time, that curiosity compounds into deep expertise, and expertise is what opens doors and creates opportunities.
Once you’ve built that knowledge, don’t keep it to yourself. Share your ideas, ask questions, volunteer for challenging projects and put yourself forward for opportunities, even if they feel slightly outside your comfort zone. Be proactive and take initiative rather than waiting to be noticed. In my experience, opportunities rarely happen by chance. They come because people recognise your passion, expertise, work ethic and willingness to contribute. Focus on creating value, keep learning, and the right opportunities will follow.
What do you love about working in the South West tech ecosystem?
Moving to the UK gave me a new perspective on what an inclusive technology community can look like. One of the things that impressed me most about the South West tech ecosystem was that diversity and inclusion aren’t treated as initiatives, they’re part of the culture. I met people who were genuinely willing to open doors, share their networks, and create opportunities for others, whether through mentoring, community events, or simply taking the time to help someone new to the industry.
Moving to the UK gave me a new perspective on what an inclusive technology community can look like. One of the things that impressed me most about the South West tech ecosystem was that diversity and inclusion aren’t treated as initiatives, they’re part of the culture. I met people who were genuinely willing to open doors, share their networks, and create opportunities for others, whether through mentoring, community events, or simply taking the time to help someone new to the industry.
As someone who rebuilt my career in a new country, that support meant a lot to me. It also inspired me to give back through mentoring, speaking, and supporting women in technology. I believe innovation is strongest when people with different experiences and perspectives feel they belong, and I’m proud to contribute to a community that actively creates opportunities for others to succeed.
Connect with Maryna!
Follow Maryna’s journey and connect with her on LinkedIn here
