Invested in Fintech
10+ years of {{ listening / researching / sourcing / iterating }}
AND {{ connecting / storytelling / interviewing / hiring }}
always operating with precision and care
enabling ambitious fintech teams
to scale, thoughtfully
Sample Case Studies
Back in 2011, Reuters were engaged in the global rollout of their brand new desktop trading platform, Eikon. FOB helped them to find Programme Managers to look after their biggest IB implementations in London. This was my first taste of Fintech recruiting.
Now known as Finastra, in 2012 ** Misys** were an aggressively growing banking software vendor with a global presence. FOB focused primarily on headcount growth across two product lines:
--> LoanIQ- an ERP for managing commercial and syndicated loans
--> Summit- trading and risk management for OTC derivatives
Bought by BlackRock in 2019 for $1.3B, eFront develop investment management software for LPs, GPs and Fund Administrators with holdings across Private Equity, Venture Capital, Real Estate, FoF, Infrastructure and Private Debt. FOB made hires for them from San Francisco to Beijing, during a period of critical growth in the Francisco Partners years.
[Murex](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murex(financialsoftware) are a privately-owned French vendor of Treasury Risk Management solutions for buy-side/sell-side institutions, typically ranking #1 in Gartner Magic Quadrant for TCM. FOB bolstered their hiring capability from Santiago to Moscow, across Engineering, Product, Presales, Business Development and Project Management.
Acting as a shadow resource, FOB played a role in identifying and engaging with product managers and software engineers, several of whom would go on to make major contributions to new product lines @ Addepar.
When we first met Brex, they were a minuscule team of <10, with a concrete vision to redefine the landscape of corporate credit. Within 18 months they would become a Unicorn, heavily leveraging their belief in the value of 10x engineers.
In 2015, Xendit were the first team from Indonesia to be admitted to Y-Combinator. 5 years later, they are a global team of ~300, carving out a position somewhat akin to "Stripe for SE Asia". FOB has been helping them with their market entry in the Philippines, both on the engineering and business side.
About
+ Born in South Africa.
++ Raised + educated in England.
+++ Studied Lit. Hum. @ Univ. of Oxford.
++++ Recruiting for 10+ years, largely Fintech.
+++++ Afriphile, barefoot runner + yogic sporty spice.
++++++ Plants, mushrooms, bacteria, permaculture, tracking.
++++++++++ Low-impact living, closed loop systems, sustainability.
Philosophy
--> most of recruitment is listening and intelligent iteration
--> dedication and discipline are trusty allies
--> data is not like oil (extract, exploit, profit); it's more like a seed (nurture, cultivate, respect)
--> quality over speed (do things right, don't do them quickly)
--> people who have invested in themselves deserve acknowledgement and respect
--> consistency breeds trust; trust enables meaningful collaboration