Matthew, Chapter Lead at BNP Paribas Fortis

Matthew is an experienced Chapter Lead at BNP Paribas Fortis, where he excels at combining technical leadership with people management. He is the driving force behind the continuous improvement of DevOps and Distributed Development practices across his Tribe and the wider bank, notably serving as a transversal Guild Lead. His strength lies in his ability to develop young talent, guide career decisions, and ensure the alignment of technical skills.

Portraits23 hours ago

Your journey

Graduating in Industrial Engineering (Informatics) in 2004, Matthew began his career as a Java Developer for over seven years. He then worked as an external consultant for BNP Paribas Fortis for almost 11 years, evolving from development (Java/BTT) into Functional and Technical Analyst roles (ZENA/Hello Bank projects).

Leveraging his deep experience, he joined BNP Paribas Fortis permanently as an internal Dev Engineer, before being promoted to Chapter Lead in the Tribe Customers. In this hybrid role, he provides technical coaching to teams, manages skill sets, and drives the adoption of DevOps/Distributed Development practices. He also serves as the transversal Guild Lead, responsible for harmonizing best practices and co-creation across the entire bank.

His/Her missions

As a Chapter Lead, Matthew is a key figure in managing the technical people across the various squads in his Tribe. He actively handles yearly appraisals and is dedicated to building and supporting the career paths of younger employees. In parallel, he plays an essential role at the bank-wide level as the Guild Lead for Distributed Development. In this capacity, he co-organizes events like DevOps Day with other Guild Leads and initiates major transversal improvements, such as the introduction and harmonization of KATA exercises in recruitment. His mission also includes ensuring quality and continuous improvement in Distributed Development practices within his Tribe (better quality, fewer incidents, and harmonization of working methods).

His/Her typical day

07:00

Handling mails

Discussing planning of the day with team

07:45

08:00

Work/Preparation of transversal things/bilads (coordination, preparing slidedeck, meetings)

lunch break

10:45

11:15

Work/Preparation of transversal things/bilads (coordination, preparing slidedeck, meetings)

ITeam meeting - Discuss ongoing topics at level of IT in our Tribe and specify necessary tasks to do and inform about important decisions at IT level

12:00

13:30

Meeting between all chapter leads (Business/IT) to discuss people related things (issues, performance, changes in organisation,...)

Finalising work

14:30

15:00

End of Day

Daily, Matthew uses

Outlook

Excel

IntelliJ IDEA

Powerpoint

Word

Microsoft Teams

Your skills

Matthew possesses a set of hybrid skills that combine solid technical expertise with interpersonal qualities essential for leadership. His soft skills include strong decision making skills, excellent communication and negotiation and listening skills, along with a sharp analytical mindset. On the hard skills side, his development background is a major asset; this deep knowledge enables him to effectively coach and mentor the technical people within their squads, ensuring that the advice provided is relevant and grounded in operational reality.

Your greatest professional achievement

Matthew has achieved several notable professional successes, each corresponding to a different stage of his career. As a Java Developer, he found great satisfaction in seeing the applications he helped build come to life and be actively used by the bank's clients. In his current role as Chapter Lead, his accomplishment lies in the career development of his teams: he draws energy from moments when difficult but necessary decisions (such as a team switch) prove to be beneficial in the long term for the growth of young talent, and for which he is later thanked. Finally, as the SPOC for Distributed Development, his major success was the creation and deployment of the DevOps Roadmap within his Tribe. Seeing the DevOps maturity of his team significantly increase in just a few months, and observing that colleagues recognize the benefit, is a crucial source of energy and motivation for him.

Your team

Matthew's IT Management Team consists of six people. The direct superior is the IT Tribe Lead (N+1), who holds responsibility for the entire Tribe on the IT side. Matthew works alongside four other Chapter Leads, each focusing on a specific role or set of squads within the Tribe. Two of his colleagues are Chapter Leads managing transversal roles: one is the Tribe Scrum Master Organization, who is also the Chapter Lead for all Scrum Masters and oversees operational follow-up and organization; the other is the Tribe Scrum Master Delivery, who guarantees overall delivery and is the Chapter Lead for transversal roles like Release Engineers and Test Engineers. The two remaining Chapter Leads are responsible for all other technical roles within the squads, each managing their own specific cluster. Together, these six individuals form the Tribe's IT Management Team.

What he likes about BNP Paribas Fortis

What attracts Matthew to BNP Paribas Fortis is the strong culture of opportunity: the bank provides avenues for professional growth for those who dare to seize them. He particularly appreciates the good work-life balance, along with the autonomy and responsibility granted in his role. The corporate culture values decision-making and continuous learning, not by blaming mistakes, but by treating them as opportunities for improvement. Finally, the feedback culture and the possibility of changing roles internally to discover new areas are major assets that fuel his commitment and motivation.