Erris Canamusa

How initiative shaped Erris Canamusa’s career at Third Bridge

“When I look at the culture and the people I’ve met here, the grass doesn’t get a lot greener than this.”

Since joining Third Bridge in 2019, Erris Canamusa has moved across roles, teams, and even continents. When he reflects on his time here, it’s the people and culture that stand out. Along the way, he’s discovered that taking initiative and keeping things simple can take you a long way.

Starting out in New York

Erris joined Third Bridge in late 2019 as an Application Support Engineer in New York, working in a function that preceded today’s Tech Success team.

What drew him in at the start was a mix of curiosity and challenge. “I thought the industry was super niche,” he says. “I always found the business side exciting to learn about.” He quickly discovered that Third Bridge’s business logic is complex, with multiple client bases and a mix of internal and external systems. That complexity appealed to him.

He also noticed something else during his early interviews. “The culture was a massive green flag,” he explains. “I met people who had been here for ages, which pointed to how well they retain talent.”

Moving horizontally and transatlantically

Two and a half years later, an opportunity emerged in London on a newly formed Data Integration team and Erris jumped at the chance to make a move. “The support was amazing and Third Bridge covered everything. The visa was very smooth, and I had a business partner assigned to my case. Moving is stressful, but everyone made it very seamless.”

That transition marked the first of several horizontal moves that would broaden his skills and perspective.“Starting as an Application Support Engineer exposed me to different sides of the business,” he says. “I continued to amass domain knowledge that very few people had. There is some luck and stars aligning, but you need to be relentless in pursuing a horizontal move. Domain knowledge is the key thing. If you have that, you can do a lot at Third Bridge.”

After Data Integration, Erris worked on the Surveys team before stepping into his current Software Engineering role, focused on maintaining and developing Library, Third Bridge’s rich content offering.

Keeping things simple

Erris enjoys the stakes of client-facing software engineering. “It’s the first time I have done anything client facing, and the first time I have done front end,” he says. “You have to be more careful with what you release because you could be disrupting flows directly for users.”

During his time working in Surveys, Erris received some feedback from a Principal Engineer that has become a North Star. “There’s this thing called the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid,” he says. “It’s one of the most valuable pieces of advice I’ve ever been given.”

He carries that mindset into everything he builds. “I try to modularize everything I do as an Engineer and aim for the simplest possible solution,” he explains. “If you go back to something three, six, nine months later, you still need to be able to understand it,” he adds. “Simplicity makes that possible.”

What a typical day looks like

Erris starts most mornings in a technical stand-up with other developers to talk through blockers. “From there it is code reviews, helping junior teammates, and then picking up project tickets,” he says. “I look at the requirements, check the designs, and implement the work. Depending on size, it might take a day or more, then it moves to testing.”

In thinking about the impact of his work, Erris recalls a time when he was tagged into a critical incident that multiple teams had been trying to resolve for several hours. “I was able to identify and fix a third-party dependency that had changed under the hood,” he says. “That unblocked a team of 10 people, which was a great feeling. I love solving problems like that.”

Culture and camaraderie

Erris points to the culture at Third Bridge as one of the factors that helped him feel at home in London right away. “The London office was so welcoming and warm and open. I met friends I still hang out with,” he says. “We hire great people, and that camaraderie is really important. We all just get along.”

Small rituals are what make that sense of belonging real, he explains: “We grab lunch or a coffee chat about anything. On Thursdays we go to the pub after work. They say the grass is always greener on the other side but, when I look at the culture and the people I’ve met here, it doesn’t get a lot greener than this.”

Life beyond work

Outside the office, Erris is often outdoors. “I love sports, so I play a lot of football and basketball,” he says. Weekends are for exploring London with friends, finding events and venues he hasn’t tried before.

He also enjoys traveling and lights up when he talks about Vienna. “I went for my mom’s birthday around Christmas. The architecture is beautiful and there are so many Christmas markets. It’s a lovely city with great public transport and really good food.”

Advice for future joiners

When asked what he would say to someone considering Third Bridge, Erris doesn’t hesitate. “Work hard and show that you care,” he says. “Listening is very important.”

He adds that proactivity has been crucial for his own path. “A lot of opportunities have come my way because I have shown interest and been relentless in pursuing what I want,” he says. “Initiative and proactivity go a long way.”

From Application Support in New York to Software Engineering in London, Erris has built a career by following his curiosity, learning the business deeply, and keeping things simple. His story shows that what makes Third Bridge stand out isn’t just the work, but the people and culture that make it feel like home.

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