AN INTERVIEW WITH
Milorad Simic
ESG Strategy Lead | Prague, Czechia
AN INTERVIEW WITH
Milorad Simic
ESG Strategy Lead | Global DE&I Council | Prague, Czechia
Could you begin with a brief overview of your background and journey to NCR?
I was born and raised in a small—actually tiny—place in the hills of Eastern Serbia...
...and moved to our country’s capital, Belgrade, in high school. I started working pretty early and got my first real job after finishing high school. Since then, I dabbled in many different careers such as retail, fashion, filmmaking, international law, teaching and journalism, which was a big love of mine for a long time. It all led me to shaping meaningful experiences for others, which is how I describe my current role. At some point I got a job at a telecommunications company, which was my first interaction with the IT industry. A couple of years later, I was presented the opportunity to join NCR in Serbia. So, my NCR life started in 2013 and throughout my journey here, I have had many different roles within different organizations.
What is your favorite part of your job right now?
Having fun while turning everything I do into meaningful experiences for my customers.
It’s been like that in every role I’ve had here. At NCR, it’s like a white canvas—I get the opportunity to paint the landscape that will become our guiding strategy and to create something that we can all, as one NCR, be proud of. In ESG, Corporate Sustainability and Community Engagement sphere, it comes down to strategy backed up by numbers and making an impact through our global footprint, while bringing positive change in the process.
“At NCR, it’s like a white canvas—I get the opportunity to paint the landscape that will become our guiding strategy and to create something that we can all, as one NCR, be proud of.”
What is the most challenging part of your job?
It would be the creative part of it all.
A lot of my work comes down to communicating things in a certain way, coming up with stories to tell and fitting everything I do into a larger picture that makes sense to the organization. It can be hard to shape and fit creativity into working hours and deadlines, so this is definitely the most challenging part for me.
What makes you want to stay at NCR?
It’s the opportunity to make an impact that matters and then scale that even further.
The culture is also so unique to NCR compared to all the other places I’ve worked. I would have to say the culture of open access is the most unique part. You can always find people to talk to and learn different things from, and for me that’s exactly what teamwork is. That’s how you facilitate innovation and growth, professionally and personally.
You mentioned creativity playing a large role in your job. Where or how do you find inspiration when you hit a creative roadblock or what does your process look like here?
With inspiration, it’s a funny thing.
For me, you can’t go out and find it—you have to lure it back in. The problem is when you need it but it’s not happening, especially if you’re facing a deadline. In these cases, my solution when I get stuck is terribly simple and painful—it’s research. Whatever the topic or assignment is, I would do research. And then some more research. Then, after several hours of research, I’d go and do something else to free my mind, then come back to the research and continue. At this point, it happens—it always does. So my method to break through the creative block is to do research.
“It all led me to shaping meaningful experiences for others, which is how I describe my current role.”
Outside of work, what are you most often doing?
The immediate answer would definitely be related to food.
I’m a big foodie, so I love to cook and experiment with new cuisines. I’ve actually gotten a lot of food inspiration from TikTok during this past year. I also love to travel, but this year has been harder for me since I haven’t been able to do that.
Speaking of the past year, how was your work from home experience and how did you stay motivated?
I actually had some experience working from home for about three years before the work-from-home period started.
Because of this, I already had my at-home office set up (near my kitchen!) and was accustomed to that space. Also, I think that your working hours of the day are your time to shine. To do something meaningful and make a change. So it doesn't matter where you are - you get on, and you get to shine, through whatever it is that you’re bringing to the table. And obviously, the shoes I want won’t buy themselves!