Rish Tandapany is the Group COO of Purple Group and President of EasyEquities Philippines, a global fintech that aims to help wealth creation and facilitate investments for retail customers.  

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👋🏼 How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

I’m in charge of the day-to-day operations and formulating the global strategy for the Group to ensure that we are disruptive, imaginative, and trustworthy in our aim to bring wealth creation and financial inclusion to the underserved.

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🧐 What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

I am the only person in my company out of 220 people who sits in Singapore whereas everyone else sits in the Philippines or South Africa—I am a lonely soul. 

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🏆 What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

Leading and creating two teams on different sides of the globe (PH and SA) and bringing them together to both be closer teams and better productivity agents.

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🔍 What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?‍

Artificial intelligence but especially the misuse and overcommitment to it in certain industries. There seems to be an overreliance and misunderstanding of AI.

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💼 What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry? 

Be courageous. You will have more downs than ups in the short term but, if you persevere, your ups will last longer.

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🗣 What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours? 

Star Wars.

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🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show? 

Star Wars.

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🍨 What's your go-to ice cream flavor?‍

Raspberry ripple.

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FYI. We've edited this interview for clarity.