SEEN Spotlight: Bryan Furia on Creating an Environment Where Unique Perspectives Collaborate
As Nasdaq continuously strives to advance inclusive growth and prosperity, we spotlight our Software Engineer Employee Network (SEEN), an employee resource group (ERG) for Nasdaq colleagues who are enthusiastic about software engineering. The group seeks to bring like-minded individuals together by fostering a sense of community for software professionals in a fast-paced technology environment. We spoke with Bryan Furia, a software developer senior specialist at Nasdaq, about joining SEEN and his goals for the network.
What is your role at Nasdaq, and please describe what an average day looks like for you?
I’m a software developer senior specialist at Nasdaq, specifically working on the Nasdaq Longitude product. Day to day, I work to improve our software, expand its use cases and support our customers. Throughout the day, I split my time between coding and collaborating with my team.
Our product is unique in that continued research and development can allow it to be used in new ways. Specifically, I focus on advancing our backend calculation service, which utilizes exciting technology like GPUs to accelerate the calculation.
When and why did you decide to join your employee network group?
I decided to join SEEN at its inception. Excellent software engineers are a big part of what makes Nasdaq successful. I want to be a member of a group where I can collaborate with my peers. Together, we can advance our skills and share our experiences.
Please tell us about a memorable experience you had at your employee network group.
SEEN is still in the process of gearing up, and I’m sure there will be many memorable experiences in the future. However, learning about SEEN’s creation was memorable in itself. Not long ago, in a meeting where employee groups were being discussed, it stood out to me that a group for software engineers was missing. I never expected that a software engineering network with already hundreds of members would be created so quickly.
As an ally of your employee network group, what is one thing you would like to tell others?
Software engineering is a huge part of the world today. Regardless of one’s background, learning about what we do is a great way to meet new people, explore new interests and gain new skills.
Why is discussing and advocating for diversity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace important?
Diversity, inclusion and belonging are important in every aspect of our lives, especially in the workplace. When people feel accepted and included, it creates an environment where everyone can put forward their best ideas. Our work thrives when many people with unique perspectives collaborate.
What would you like to achieve at your employee network group?
I’m hoping to build a network of colleagues and mentors. Software engineering encompasses many areas of expertise with unique experiences. I hope to have a community where we can rely on each other. I especially want it to be inclusive for software engineers who are new to the field, ensuring they have a network to be a part of.
Has your employee network group collaborated with another group at Nasdaq? Can you elaborate on that experience and what you learned from it?
As I mentioned, SEEN is still in the process of gearing up, and I believe there will be many opportunities to collaborate with other employee network groups. Nasdaq hosts a diverse range of employee networks, and together we can ensure software engineering is an inclusive field.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.