Chief Financial Officer

Purpose

Context

1. Financial Strategy & Business Partnership

• Define and lead the financial strategy of the business, ensuring full alignment with corporate objectives, growth ambitions, and regulatory expectations.
• Act as a trusted strategic advisor to the CEO and Executive Committee, providing forward-looking financial insight to support product innovation, market expansion, and capital deployment decisions
• Drive long-term financial planning, including capital allocation, funding strategy, and value creation across markets and product lines.

2. Financial Governance, Control & Reporting

• Establish and maintain a best-in-class financial control environment, ensuring full compliance with IFRS and all applicable local regulatory requirements.
• Oversee the timely and accurate delivery of management accounts, board reporting, statutory financial statements, and regulatory submissions
• Ensure audit readiness at all times, with robust governance frameworks, policies, and controls embedded across the organisation.
• Own the integrity, consistency, and transparency of all financial data and reporting.

3. Finance Transformation, Systems & Scalability

• Lead the transformation of the finance function into a scalable, technology-enabled, and data-driven organisation.
• Design and implement robust, end-to-end processes and control frameworks that support growth, multi-country operations, and increasing regulatory complexity.
• Champion automation, system optimisation, and advanced analytics to improve efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making capability.
• Partner closely with Product and Technology teams to ensure financial architecture, reconciliation tools, and data flows are fit for scale and future innovation.

4. Financial Operations & Liquidity Management

• Provide executive oversight of all financial operations, including reconciliations, settlement processes, escrow management, and partner funding flows.
• Ensure robust safeguarding of customer funds, strict adherence to settlement SLAs, and effective fund segregation practices
• Lead liquidity management, including cash forecasting, working capital optimisation, and foreign exchange exposure management.
• Maintain operational resilience across all financial processes, ensuring continuity under stress scenarios.

5. Regulatory Engagement & Compliance

• Serve as the primary finance interface with regulators, central banks, auditors, and external stakeholders.
• Ensure full compliance with all licensing conditions, regulatory reporting requirements, and fintech/payment services regulations.
• Oversee financial aspects of AML/FCC frameworks in collaboration with Risk and Compliance functions.
• Proactively manage regulatory relationships, anticipating changes and ensuring the organisation remains ahead of evolving requirements.

6. Performance Management & Value Creation

• Lead all FP&A activities, including budgeting, forecasting, and performance tracking across markets and products.
• Translate complex financial and transactional data into clear, actionable insights for senior management and the Board.
• Drive disciplined performance management, including unit economics, product profitability, and cost efficiency.
• Embed a value-creation mindset across the organisation, linking financial performance to strategic priorities.

7. Business Growth, M&A & Strategic Initiatives

• Lead financial evaluation and execution of strategic growth initiatives, including mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and market expansion opportunities.
• Oversee valuation analysis, financial modelling, and commercial due diligence to support investment decisions and transaction execution.
• Support investor engagement, and strategic financing initiatives as required.
• Lead the financial workstreams for digital banking licence applications in selected markets, including business case development, financial projections, regulatory submissions, and engagement with partners and authorities.
• Ensure financial readiness and scalability of the organisation to support inorganic growth and new regulated business models

8. Leadership, Team Development & Stakeholder Management

• Build and lead a high-performing, scalable finance organisation across reporting, FP&A, and operations.
• Develop strong leadership bench strength through succession planning, capability building, and talent development.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Manage key external relationships, including banks, payment partners, auditors, investors, and group stakeholders.

Experience

• Proven track record of building, scaling, and transforming finance functions within high-growth, complex, or multi-entity environments.
• Strong experience in fintech, payments, digital banking, or regulated financial services, with a deep understanding of operational and regulatory dynamics.
• Demonstrated experience in engaging with regulators, central banks, auditors, and Boards, including navigating licensing, reporting, and compliance frameworks.
• End-to-end expertise across financial reporting (IFRS), FP&A, treasury/liquidity management, and financial operations in transaction-intensive environments.
• Experience operating in multi-country or emerging markets, managing complexity across jurisdictions, currencies, and regulatory regimes.
• Proven exposure to strategic finance initiatives, including M&A transactions, partnerships, or investments
• Experience contributing to or leading regulated license applications (e.g. digital banking, payments, or financial services licenses) is highly desirable.

Minimum Entry Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related discipline.
• Professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CPA, or CIMA) is required.
• MBA or other advanced business/finance qualification is an advantage.
• Strong proficiency in financial systems, ERP platforms, and data/analytics tools, with the ability to drive system selection and implementation.
• Solid understanding of financial modelling, valuation techniques, and investment analysis.
• High level of integrity, ownership, and accountability, particularly in regulated environments handling customer funds.
• Collaborative leadership style, capable of partnering cross-functionally with Product, Technology, Risk, and Commercial teams.

Personal Profile

• A visible leader, tech savvy and with a business builder mindset
• Strong analytical capability and gravitas/presence with board
• Confident communicator, authoritative figure with regulators, investors, auditors, and senior leaders.
• Change leader with a strong automation and continuous improvement mindset
• Comfortable operating in a hands-on, scale-up environment, with the ability to balance strategic leadership and operational execution.