Meet the Team: Stephane Labruyere, Senior Software Engineer

Meet Stephane, the newest and most enthusiastic member of the Payreq team.

Stephane maintains and enhances our platform and its infrastructure so we can provide as much value to our customers as possible. And we just learned he is a student (twice removed) of Stephen Hawking! Read his profile below to find out more.

Stephane Labruyere, Senior Software Engineer

What inspired you to join Payreq?
Having had to use a secure document sharing and bill payment app before, I was always frustrated at how customer-centric it was, as opposed to consumer-centric. I love the fact that, as a user, your Payreq account and the documents there are yours, shared automatically with you and that you can decide on how and when to act on them (like bills to pay).

Technical choices made by the team to be able to innovate quickly are also what made me want to join Payreq.

What do you enjoy most about being part of Payreq?
I really love the fact that everyone here has a very high opinion of everyone else on the team. I have only heard people commenting on how good at their jobs their colleagues are. I love being part of a team where kindness goes along with performance.

What is your professional background and expertise that you bring to the team?
I have been a software engineer for more than 10 years. I worked at startups of various sizes for 7 years. Regarding my technical experience, I started using Clojure professionally 6 years ago.

What are some notable accomplishments or projects you have been involved in throughout your career?
I used to work and study at the Institute for Quantum Computing, in Canada. It was co-founded by Raymond Laflamme, who completed his PhD under the supervision of Stephen Hawking. My supervisor was a former PhD student of his and our teams worked very closely together. That was challenging but absolutely fascinating at the same time.

What motivates you at work?
Being part of team and working hard on a product I wish I had created.

What excites you about the future of Payreq and the industry?
Payreq can serve multiple use-cases and bring value to a lot of different actors across different industries. A growing number of people are becoming aware of data breaches and feel the need for more security in their online communications. Providing a secure mailbox will undoubtedly meet this need.

What advice would you give to aspiring professionals looking to succeed in engineering?
“All that glitters is not gold.” New frameworks and languages are created everyday and it is hard not to get distracted. Stay curious but also learn to stick to things you love, at least long enough that you get a deep understanding of that piece of technology. It is much easier to do it again when you have the experience of having it done once!

My advice would be to focus on the product being built and the team behind that product. If you are aligned with the team and like the product, you are unstoppable, no matter the technology, because your motivation and curiosity will no wear out.

What is your favourite movie?
Back To The Future

Who is your hero?
Marcus Aurelius

What is your life motto?
“The purpose of knowledge is action, not knowledge.” Aristotle

What is the first single/album you bought?
Discovery – Daft Punk