Fintech expanding to India required a country head with regulatory depth

A US-headquartered fintech company with $50M in funding was expanding into India, one of the world's fastest-growing digital payments markets. They needed a country head who could build the India operation from scratch: securing regulatory approvals, hiring an initial team, and establishing banking partnerships. The role was existential for their international growth strategy.

The ideal candidate needed to navigate RBI compliance frameworks while maintaining the pace and decision-making style of a Silicon Valley startup. Most candidates with deep regulatory experience came from large banks and struggled with the ambiguity of a startup environment. Conversely, candidates from fintech startups often lacked the regulatory relationships needed to secure critical licenses. The company needed someone who could operate in both worlds.

Having operated across both the US and India ourselves, we understood the cultural nuances this search demanded. We mapped candidates across three pools: senior regulatory leaders from Indian fintechs, compliance heads from progressive banks who had shown entrepreneurial tendencies, and India-origin executives at global fintechs who might be drawn to a leadership role closer to home. Our cross-border network gave us access to candidates that India-only or US-only firms would have missed.

We shortlisted 5 candidates within 2 weeks, each vetted for both regulatory depth and startup compatibility. The final hire, a former compliance director at a leading Indian fintech, secured a key banking license within the first quarter. The India operation reached profitability within 14 months, ahead of the board's 18-month target. The country head has since grown the local team to 35 people.