Now Placing Leaders Across Australia & Asia-Pacific

Executive Search for the Intelligence Era of Australian & APAC Fintech

Australia is our home base — Brisbane-headquartered, with deep roots in the Australian fintech and banking market. From here, we connect leaders across Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, India, and the wider Asia-Pacific region with opportunities that shape the next decade of financial services.

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25+ Years C-Level Experience
12+ APAC & ANZ Markets
Zero Fluff. Real Delivery.
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AI & ML· Payments· Super Apps· Neobanks· Open Banking· Buy Now Pay Later· RegTech· Core Banking· Wealth Tech· Insurance Tech· Crypto & DeFi· Cross-Border Payments· AI & ML· Payments· Super Apps· Neobanks· Open Banking· Buy Now Pay Later· RegTech· Core Banking· Wealth Tech· Insurance Tech· Crypto & DeFi· Cross-Border Payments·
What We Offer

Human Intelligence.
Resourcing Evolved.

Executive search and resourcing built on over two decades of insider fintech knowledge — now focused on the world's most dynamic financial services growth region.

01

Executive Search

We place C-suite and senior leadership — CTOs, CPOs, CROs, Heads of Payments, Country Managers, GTM leaders — across Australian banks, fintechs, challenger banks, and payments companies — and throughout the wider Asia-Pacific region.

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02

Board & NED Search

Independent non-executive directors and board advisors for Australian and APAC-headquartered fintechs, digital banks, and financial services companies navigating growth, governance, and regional regulation.

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03

Offshore Resourcing

High-performance technical and delivery teams from South Africa and India, enabling Australian and APAC fintechs to scale cost-effectively without compromising on quality or cultural alignment.

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Cliff van Tonder
Why Fintech HI.RE

Built from
the Inside.

Cliff van Tonder, founder and CEO, spent over 25 years as a C-level executive at global fintech giants including Finastra, Zafin, BNP Paribas, FIS, and Temenos — with deep personal experience leading businesses across Australia and Asia-Pacific as President APAC at Zafin and GM APAC at Finastra — and with Brisbane as his home base.

This isn't traditional recruitment. It's operator-level insight paired with a deeply human approach — no bots, no keyword bingo, no bloated processes.

Our Story
✦

Deep Australian & APAC Market Knowledge

Australia is home — and our roots in the Australian market, from the Big Four's digital transformation programmes to the country's thriving fintech startup scene, run deep. From here, we extend across Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, India, and Southeast Asia.

✦

Proven Australian & APAC Executive Experience

Our founder served as President APAC at Zafin and GM APAC Partners at Finastra, based in Brisbane — the same city where Fintech HI.RE Australia & APAC is headquartered today.

✦

Global Network, Local Insight

A network spanning Australia, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, India, and beyond — connecting you to talent you won't find in any database.

✦

Named Best Global Fintech Exec Search CEO

Recognised two years running by CEO Monthly for outstanding results in executive placement within the global fintech industry.

Our Sectors

The Full Australian & APAC
Fintech Stack.

From Australia's Big Four and open banking ecosystem to Singapore's unicorn fintechs — we serve the full Australian and Asia-Pacific financial services stack.

🤖 AI & Agentic Fintech 💳 Payments & Cross-Border 🏦 Digital & Neobanks 📱 Super Apps & Embedded Finance 🔐 RegTech & Compliance 🛡️ InsurTech ⚡ SaaS & Core Banking Vendors 💎 Crypto, DeFi & Web3
Our Footprint

From Sydney
to Singapore to Tokyo.

Australia is our home and our anchor. From Brisbane and Sydney, we place fintech leaders across every major Asia-Pacific hub — and globally for cross-border mandates.

🇦🇺

Australia — Home Base

Brisbane HQ. Sydney, Melbourne, Perth — Australia's mature fintech scene, open banking ecosystem, Big Four digital transformation, and the country's thriving startup sector

🇸🇬

Singapore

APAC's undisputed fintech hub — MAS-regulated digital banks, regional super-apps, cross-border payments, and B2B SaaS headquarters

🇯🇵

Japan

One of the world's largest financial markets undergoing rapid digitalisation — from legacy bank modernisation to Japan's growing fintech startup scene

🇭🇰

Hong Kong

A global financial centre with Asia's most progressive virtual banking licence framework and a thriving crypto and digital assets ecosystem

🇮🇳

India

The world's fastest-growing fintech market — UPI, neobanks, BNPL, and an extraordinary pool of technical and commercial fintech leadership talent

🌏

Southeast Asia

Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam — 680 million people, rising middle class, and the fastest payments growth in the world

What Clients Say
"

Cliff's personal experience running the APAC business at a tier-one fintech made him a fundamentally different kind of recruiter. He already knew the role before we briefed him.

— MD, Digital Banking, Australia
"

We needed a Singapore-based regional leader who understood both the technology and the regulatory environment. Fintech HI.RE delivered — faster and more precisely than any search firm we'd used before.

— CEO, Payments Fintech, Singapore
"

No keyword bingo, no endless longlists. Three exceptional candidates who all understood our culture and our product. That's rare.

— CHRO, SaaS Vendor, Sydney
Founder's Industry Pedigree

Cliff van Tonder previously held senior and C-level roles at leading global fintech and banking companies

Finastra
Zafin
BNP Paribas
Temenos
FIS
FINCAD

Ready to Build Your Australian
& APAC Leadership Team?

Whether you're an Australian bank, neobank, or fintech scaling your leadership team, a global SaaS vendor entering the Australian market, or a Singapore-headquartered company building regional capability — let's talk.

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