Asten D'souza

As an E-commerce Entrepreneur, I successfully manage my own online store, specializing in the sale of digital products such as game accounts, car modifications, and virtual items. My role involves not only overseeing daily operations and marketing strategies but also providing exceptional customer service. I actively engage with customers, answering their inquiries, guiding them to the right products, and ensuring they have a positive shopping experience. Additionally, I source requested items to meet customer needs, further enhancing satisfaction and loyalty. This multifaceted experience has sharpened my skills in communication, problem-solving, and market analysis while deepening my understanding of e-commerce dynamics.

In my work with North West Water, I acquired insight into how critical infrastructure depends upon technology in the delivery of its services while facing the challenges in cybersecurity. I developed an understanding of vulnerabilities in IT and OT systems, including the importance of risk management and incident response in dealing with different threats, such as ransomware and insider risks. I also developed strong collaboration and communication skills within a team by interacting with many teams while translating technical problems into real solutions.

Principal Findings:
Cybersecurity: System protection through robust defenses and response strategies.
Systems Thinking: The management of complex, interconnected processes with a view toward resilience.
Data Management: Leveraging analytics and automation for optimization. This has prepared me to apply these skills in the tech industry— designing secure systems, managing risks, and driving innovation.

During my time at HSBC, I was instrumental in the creation of a new Foreign Exchange (FX) payment product during the discovery stage. My major task was to analyse transaction data to determine the top ten currencies that would be included in the product's launch. I started by combining two large data sets: one that provided transaction amounts but lacked currency information, and another that described currencies but not quantities. To do this, I used the VLOOKUP tool in Excel to connect the datasets based on transaction IDs. This endeavour necessitated rigorous attention to detail in order to assure correctness in the data merging process.

Throughout this endeavour, I learnt some important skills. My Excel skills increased dramatically, particularly in data manipulation and analysis techniques like pivot tables and formulae for data transformation. I also improved my problem-solving skills as I faced hurdles in data merging and currency translation, learning how to approach complicated jobs methodically. Furthermore, I received significant experience working with cross-functional teams such as marketing, legal, and product management, which improved my communication skills and knowledge of various views in a project setting. This position not only helped me improve my technical abilities, but also taught me the value of data-driven decision-making in product development and how cross-functional teamwork is critical to project success.

As an IT Support Assistant, I was responsible for a variety of technical and leadership tasks within the IT department. My role involved ensuring the smooth operation of hardware and network systems through effective cable management and the timely replacement of broken or malfunctioning equipment. I took initiative as a team lead, where I was entrusted with decision-making responsibilities that involved coordinating tasks among team members, prioritizing workloads, and ensuring that projects were completed efficiently and to a high standard. My ability to work collaboratively and lead a team contributed to the overall success of our IT operations.

• Maintained skills across various kitchen roles, providing support in alternative positions during staff absences.
• Prepared food for high-capacity events to strict schedules.
• Served food and beverages to dining guests with outstanding customer service.
• Loaded and unloaded silverware and dishes into and from dishwasher.
• Addressed customer questions and concerns with knowledge of menu items, ingredients and allergens.
• Followed prescribed methods of portioning and presentation, consistently meeting customer expectations.

• Input sales, purchase and cash transactions.
• Prepared Excel spreadsheets to track banking transactions and financial performance.
• Produced accurate general ledger entries with software
• Entered financial information into corporate database for easy access and retrieval.
• Met deadlines by managing workload independently.