Tatiana Gracheva: leadership, learning, and the art of simplicity

Tell us a little about your background before joining OpenWay.

As a teenager, I was into foreign languages and literature but also good at math. Then I saw a movie about a hacker—a cool, glamorous woman using technology like a superpower. Right then, I told my parents, “I want to be a hacker!” They were shocked but supportive, and I went on to study computer science as well as economics at university.

My career started in banking, handling customer service, data entry, and spreadsheets. Later, my work involved developing banking software, but still with little exposure to payment systems. I’d heard payment software could be configured, but I didn’t see it in action until I joined OpenWay.

What positions have you enjoyed during your OpenWay journey, and what are your current responsibilities?

I started in Engineering Implementation. One of my first big assignments was a large-scale project in Thailand. It was challenging, but it turned out to be good preparation for the future, especially when I started working with major international banks like Raiffeisen.

In 2008, I went on maternity leave. When I returned, I received an exciting new assignment —to develop the OpenWay Academy, a comprehensive course for our engineers. At the time, training for new hires varied depending on which office they joined. It was a massive project, and after a while, I was joined by a team of five instructors. We turned the program into a comprehensive three-month course that eventually became part of the onboarding process for every new OpenWay employee. In 2010, I left my role at the Academy and took on the role of Head of Product Team in Global Support. In 2016 I moved to Cyprus, as the Solution Architect and the Group Manager of the Implementation Team. It was a great opportunity to combine my teaching experience with my work in implementation.

I was put in charge of implementation projects across EMEA for big clients. We handled prepaid projects for the National Bank of Oman, multiple projects for NBG including migration of their credit cards portfolio, and a massive initiative in Bulgaria with Borica where I was involved in pre-discovery meetings and solution architecture. We also collaborated with Comdata, UNICRE and many other clients in various regions. By 2022, my role had evolved beyond solution architecture to encompass large-scale transformation for our clients, like Raiffeisen’s euro migrations for Croatia and Bulgaria. At the same time, I also became the Head of Subject Matter Experts department.

Tell us a little about your teaching and mentoring roles at OpenWay.

I realized early on in my time at OpenWay that I had a passion for teaching. To me, good teaching isn’t just about explaining things. It’s about guiding people. It’s not enough to complete a task correctly; they need to understand the bigger picture—why we do things a certain way and how everything fits together. One of the things I love about OpenWay is that mentorship is part of our culture. Whether it’s spending time explaining something or jumping in to support a teammate, we know that when one of us grows, we all benefit.

I have a deep appreciation for building solutions that are both powerful and beautiful—beautiful in the sense of elegantly simple. Complexity can be overwhelming, both in your mind and on the screen. Simple solutions are more stable, easier to maintain and expand. That’s the mindset I try to instill in the engineers I mentor. The way we implement solutions, migrate data, or configure products—it all needs to be simple, structured, and scalable. I want to support my colleagues so that they walk away not just with knowledge, but with a way of thinking that makes their work easier and more impactful.

One of your many roles in the company is that of Head of Subject Matter Experts. Can you shed some light on what this department does?

Absolutely! The Subject Matter Experts (SME) team is the brain trust of the company. We’re a group of about 80 highly skilled engineers, split into 12 specialized teams with its own focus area. We tackle three main types of projects:

1. Business analysis and estimations. Clients often ask: “I need a solution that does this—how much will it cost?” We assess what’s possible, estimate the effort, and help define the project’s scope and budget.

2. Implementation support and internal consultancy. Once a project is in motion, our team acts as consultants, the second line support for our engineers. We help troubleshoot challenges, and provide technical advice.

3. Working with R&D. When our R&D team is developing new products, they often need real-world insights—what clients actually need, what technical constraints exist, and how everything fits together. We make sure that innovations align with market realities.

I’m always fine-tuning how we work. The demand for expert insights is huge, resources are stretched, and client requests are getting more complex by the day. The faster and more accurately we can estimate project costs and effort, the more deals we can close. My job is to find ways to improve our workflow, reduce risks, and make sure our technical know-how aligns with business goals. Every miscalculation, every missed detail in an estimate can cost real money. It’s a constant balancing act between pushing for innovation and making sure everything stays on track financially.

I also nurture talent. Finding the right talent is a challenge. People evolve; they outgrow roles or seek new challenges. It’s a constant juggling act—matching the right people to the right projects at the right time.

At the end of the day, the SME department is about helping people across the company solve complex problems without overwhelming our developers.

What was it like moving from Eastern Europe to Cyprus?

The move to Cyprus was something I had really wanted. The sunshine, the sea—it was completely different from what I was used to. I still remember the excitement of stepping outside in April to 25-degree weather. I knew a lot of people in the Cyprus office already—at least half the team from my time at the Academy and the other half through Global Support—so settling in was easy. Everything about the transition felt warm and welcoming. The culture was a bit different too—people here are open, quick to greet you with a hug or a kiss, even if they don’t know you well. The Cyprus office felt like a family right from the start. My colleagues were quick to support me whenever I faced challenges adapting to this new country. I truly believe that it was thanks to the kind attitude of the people around me that Cyprus quickly began to feel like home to me. Even after nine years, that sense of love, connection, and support remains the same!

What are some lessons you’ve learned as a manager and team leader at OpenWay?

A strong team isn’t made up of people who all think the same way. Early on, I thought my team should be full of people like me. But then I realized—if we all had the same strengths, we’d have the same weaknesses too. The real magic happens when you bring in different perspectives. For example, I used to hate documentation. But when I started working with people who actually enjoyed it, everything became more efficient. The key is figuring out what people love to do and giving them the space to shine.

I firmly believe that when we share knowledge instead of keeping it to ourselves, we all become stronger. It’s not about competition; it’s about lifting each other up and making sure the whole company moves forward together!