Some people are happy knowing their own corner of a system. Anna Polyak has never been one of them. Wherever she has worked, she needs to understand how the whole thing fits together, then become the person everyone goes to with their questions.
That curiosity goes back to her childhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, where maths Olympiads and complex puzzles were part of growing up. She began her career in the fast-moving world of offshore IT before moving to New Zealand and joining Foster Moore in 2016, where she worked on replacing the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR). She later spent four years in Munich's fintech sector before returning to Foster Moore in 2022.
Her journey has taken her from Ukraine to New Zealand, on to Germany and back again. Along the way she has picked up a perspective that few in the registry world share: what happens when regulators set the rules of the game and open the door for others to innovate.
We sat down with Anna to talk about how it all happened.
Let’s start from the beginning. Where did you grow up, and what was school like?
I was born, grew up and went to school in Kharkiv, Ukraine. It is a city with many universities, lots of energy, and young people. It has a real educational and university culture. Instead of going to the school a five-minute walk from my house, I travelled an hour each way to a specialist mathematics and physics school from the age of ten. Maths Olympiads were part of my childhood. I always liked logical tasks, those Olympiad questions that really make you think, brain teasers.
The funny thing is that I finished that maths and physics school with honours in English language and sport. I played a lot of sports as a kid. I did orienteering, which isn't very popular, but it was fun.
You went on to study telecommunications at Kharkiv State University of Radioelectronics. Why that choice?
I do not know why on earth I did that! That profession was very popular at the time, and it had the highest entry score of all the university's faculties. My grades let me choose anything, so I chose the hardest to get into. I think it wasn't the right choice for me, and I realised that pretty fast. I still finished it, but I never worked in that profession.
So how did you end up in technology?
My dad shaped my interest in IT. He is a software engineer. At home, I was surrounded by IT books. During summer holidays, I read books like C++ programming basics. I was always surrounded by engineers, their books and their conversations. I even married a software engineer too!
My first job was part-time at the company where my dad worked, a huge outsourcing company that was later renamed GlobalLogic. I started out helping wherever they needed me, but quickly moved into real projects, with a team doing billable work for a US client. I worked with the design team, assisted with RFPs, and then moved into project management.
I learned to take initiative. Whenever I see something that needs doing, I just grab it. I do not wait until someone asks me. I poke my nose everywhere! I also realised that I need to understand how things work as a system. Having my own little area was never enough. I wanted to see the bigger picture, understand how everything connects and explore what comes next. That curiosity has stayed with me throughout my career.
How did you end up in New Zealand?
In 2012, my husband and I both worked in IT, and New Zealand had a skilled migrant pathway. We secured our residency without leaving Ukraine and without ever having been to New Zealand. We arrived with a few suitcases and a guitar. At customs, the officer asked, "Why New Zealand?" We said, “We just Googled it. It looks nice.” Of course we did some research, and yes, I am a Lord of the Rings fan, 100 per cent. But we did not know a single person in the country or what to expect.
Before we moved, I did my homework. I got certified as a Scrum Master and in software testing, and I landed my first job in New Zealand at ORCON as a BA and Scrum Master.
So, the big question: how did you find your way into registries?
After my stint at an internet provider, I knew I was ready for a job that was more product-focused than service-oriented. When my recruitment agency asked what I was looking for, I said: “I want to work on a product, know everything there is to know about it and be the person people go to ask questions.”
Through that agency, I got connected with Foster Moore right as the New Zealand PPSR replacement project was starting. Things moved very quickly, and a few days later I was sitting in the first workshop for the New Zealand PPSR with the customer.
That is quite a quick start. How did you get up to speed?
Luckily, I had some support. I started alongside a few other consultants and was learning, but in the end I was the lead consultant. The customer had this enormous requirements document, so I printed it and read it on the bus every day during my commute. Eventually, I knew it so well that whenever someone had a question, I could say, “Page such and such, section 5.2.” They used to joke that I knew their requirements better than they did!
It was my first project in the registry industry, so I had a lot to learn. But if I do something, I want to do it well.
What made the New Zealand PPSR project so successful, and why was its approach to technology so innovative?
The PPSR is a critical service for banks and lenders, who rely on it every day to make lending decisions. That means reliability is absolutely essential. One of the biggest success factors was how MBIE engaged with the industry from the start, ensuring everyone understood the changes and had time to prepare.
The previous system already allowed businesses to connect directly to the register through APIs, but the replacement introduced more modern technology while maintaining compatibility with existing systems during the transition. This meant businesses could adapt gradually without disrupting their operations. The system was also designed to handle large volumes of automated transactions, not just website access. That combination of collaboration, reliability and forward-thinking design made it a great example of registry modernisation.
After working on such a significant registry transformation project, you moved to Germany and into fintech. What prompted that change?
My family and I picked Germany for two main reasons. One was its central location, because we wanted to travel. The other was the chance to find work in English. I did not speak a single word of German at the time.
Both of my roles in Germany were in product, as a product owner, in Munich. My first job was at a company that offered banking-as-a-service.
It was the most stressful job I have ever had, especially at the beginning. I was put on a compliance project. I worked on open banking regulations and compliance projects. On my first day, I did not even have a computer. What I had were printouts this thick of European regulations and technical standards. I read and reread those documents and joined whatever working groups and sessions I could. We delivered it, and I learned so much.
That experience led you to finAPI. What did you work on there?
finAPI was like a startup: very lean, very agile, and we moved quickly. I loved it because I was involved in every aspect of the product, from understanding customer needs and development costs to making sure our services were reliable and sustainable.
We developed technology that allowed businesses to securely access and use banking information through APIs. What fascinated me most was seeing how companies could use that information to create new services, including verifying customer identities. It really opened my eyes to the possibilities of connecting systems and making better use of trusted data.
What brought you back to New Zealand and to Foster Moore?
After COVID hit, I really wanted to come back to New Zealand, and I had loved working at Foster Moore before I left. It was a no-brainer. Foster Moore was the first company I checked for open positions. I rejoined the product team, focusing specifically on APIs and data migration. I lean naturally toward the technical side of the product space. While data migrations and APIs might sound dry or daunting to some, I really enjoy digging into them.
What could registries learn from fintech?
I think registries could learn a lot from open banking, particularly how public-private partnerships can drive innovation. In fintech, regulators establish the rules and ensure compliance, while private companies develop new products and services. I have experienced both sides of this model, and I believe governments could take a similar approach with registries. By providing trusted data, clear frameworks and opportunities for collaboration, they can enable the private sector to innovate and deliver greater value to businesses and citizens.
Where do you see AI and other technologies helping registries?
I think AI has enormous potential to improve data quality and registry operations. Registers need to be trusted sources of information, and technology can help us make that information more accurate from the moment it enters the system.
At Foster Moore, we are exploring exciting AI applications that could transform how registries operate. For example, imagine being able to automatically check documents and information as they are submitted, flag potential errors before they enter the register and help registry staff review applications more efficiently.
Why is maintaining accurate and up-to-date data a challenge for registries?
A register is fundamentally about data, and people rely on that information to make important decisions. For registries, it is essential that data is not only accurate when it is first submitted but also remains current and reliable over time. That is where the real challenge lies. Information can quickly become outdated, and keeping it up to date requires ongoing effort. Stricter validation can help improve data quality, but we also need to balance that with a good user experience. The key is finding smarter ways to verify information when it enters the register and putting processes in place to maintain its accuracy over time, without creating unnecessary friction for users.
Outside of work, what keeps you busy?
I have two kids, so my life is pretty much work, kids, and sport. I picked up swimming in New Zealand, which I never would have thought about otherwise. I went to a swimming lesson for adults to improve my technique, and started swimming in the pool. Then signed up for ocean swimming races. I absolutely love it. Now I swim in a squad in the pool, do ocean swimming with a group on weekends and attend certain races. This year I ticked a box I really wanted to. I swam from Rangitoto to St Heliers, 4.6 kilometres. And then, in winter, I switch to running, and have even completed a half marathon.
What I have learned through doing that, and through difficult projects at work as well, is that you can do anything. You just have to have a plan and consistency.
From solving maths Olympiad puzzles in Kharkiv to navigating complex banking regulations in Germany and helping modernise registries in New Zealand, Anna has built a career around curiosity and determination. Her ability to see the bigger picture, connect ideas and embrace unfamiliar challenges has shaped every chapter of her journey. And whether she is tackling a complex technology project or swimming 4.6 kilometres across Auckland's harbour, her approach remains remarkably consistent: understand the challenge, make a plan and keep going.
We’ll leave you with the lesson she has taken from ocean swims, half marathons and difficult projects alike:
“You can do anything. You just have to have a plan and consistency.”
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Anna Polyak is Product Manager at Foster Moore, where she leads product development team. With experience spanning offshore delivery in Ukraine, registry projects in New Zealand, and open banking in Germany, she brings an end-to-end perspective on how registry products are built, scaled, and maintained, ensuring solutions are scalable, reliable, and cost-effective. Known for her curiosity, attention to detail, and habit of picking up whatever needs doing, Anna helps registry platforms deliver accurate, trusted data to the governments and users who rely on them.
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