Our client is a major global holding company focused on developing innovative digital projects in the MENA region.

Our client is preparing to launch a P2P micro-lending platform, with future plans to expand into payment services, investment tools, and potentially evolve into a full-scale financial superapp or neobank.

While the project is being built from the ground up, it benefits from strong backing by the holding company, including access to investment, resources, and legal and HR support. Despite the company’s scale, the approach to launching remains agile and dynamic.

A critical challenge was assembling a high-caliber C-level team to drive the project forward from day one—including a CTO, CPO, and Chief Data Officer.

The CTO played a pivotal role, responsible for defining the project’s technology stack and making key decisions.

• Finding deep fintech expertise – The ideal candidate needed a strong background in fintech, hands-on experience with credit and loan products, and a deep understanding of their mechanics.
• Balancing corporate structure with startup agility – We needed someone with a solid tech foundation who could think strategically while also making fast decisions, building processes from scratch, and stepping in hands-on when resources were limited.
• Relocation to MENA – While the client was open to a remote setup for the initial months, relocation to the company’s country of operation was a mandatory requirement.
• Navigating regulatory complexities – The fintech sector in the region operates under strict regulations, including compliance with Islamic finance principles, which the candidate needed to understand and adapt to.

We conducted an in-depth market analysis and shortlisted seven candidates with diverse expertise:

• Technical leaders with international experience in launching fintech projects in global markets.
• Executives from banking and microfinance with deep expertise in credit products.
• Consulting experts skilled in building strategies and optimizing processes.

We identified the ideal candidate—a CTO from Kazakhstan with extensive experience in banking and fintech.

Having risen from developer to technical director, he possesses both hands-on technical skills and strategic leadership capabilities. He can dive into development when needed while also overseeing strategy, budgeting, technology selection, and team management.

Previously, he led the transformation of a fintech startup, optimizing development processes and reducing time-to-market, significantly improving efficiency.

After the first round of interviews, the client made an offer to the candidate. Our CTO has already started working remotely and is preparing for relocation to MENA.

Thanks to a carefully curated selection process and our extensive professional network, we successfully completed the search and hiring process in less than a month.