Maksim Khalikov
Pega Senior System Architect at BPM Company
Maksim: “I was born in Voronez, a city of about one million people, roughly 500 kilometers south of Moscow, but I grew up in the Moscow region, in a small town called Balasjicha, about ten kilometers from the capital. That’s where I went to primary school, before continuing my studies in Moscow and later in Finland.”
My study background
“In Moscow, I studied power grids, and in Finland I focused on control systems and electrical engineering at Lappeenranta University of Technology. My professional career started as a junior engineer at Schneider Electric. It was a solid technical foundation, but I soon realized that I wanted to move into IT.”
My ambition for IT
“That ambition became more concrete after visiting a friend in Utrecht in 2019. He worked at ING and gave me a short tour of the office. Seeing that environment made a strong impression on me; it felt dynamic, modern, and impactful. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to work in that world.
Not long after, I came across a talent and traineeship program at Alfa Bank. They were identifying, onboarding and training new IT professionals. I applied, was admitted to the program and then the Pega department within Alfa Bank contacted me. They were looking for new talent and gave me three months to obtain certifications and prove myself. It was intense, but I learned a lot, and I worked there until May 2022.”
My introduction with BPM Company
“After that, I moved to a smaller company called MasterData. My goal was to broaden my horizon and gain international experience, which they actively supported through their international client base. I spent about half a year there. Interestingly, several people from my team later moved to BPM Company, and through one of them I was introduced as well.
BPM Company immediately felt like an interesting opportunity. It allowed me to live in the Netherlands, a country I already liked from earlier visits, and professionally it felt like a strong next step. After several interview rounds, I joined the team.”
“BPM Company truly values you as an individual”
“What I really appreciate about BPM Company is how personal it feels. Compared to larger organizations, where you often just have to fit into an existing mould, BPM Company truly values you as an individual. There are nice perks, like visiting PegaWorld and the company ski trips, but more importantly, there’s a strong focus on development.
You have direct access to experienced colleagues, plenty of opportunities to grow and the flexibility to switch projects when something comes along that better fits your interests or ambitions. Combined with a strong and interesting client portfolio, it makes BPM Company a great place to gain experience and build your career.”
Outside of work
“Outside of work, most of my time currently goes to our newborn; I’ve been doing a lot of babysitting lately. When I find some time for myself, I enjoy watching football and Formula 1. Also, I enjoy playing guitar.”
