Building Payments Leadership Across Africa for Checker

Delivering a Cross-Border Sales Appointment in 15 Working Days

When Checker (checker.finance) approached Find Group, the brief was clear — and highly specialised.

The business required a senior sales leader to drive growth across key African markets, specifically Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. This was not a generic commercial hire. The mandate demanded deep payments infrastructure expertise, an established track record within fintech ecosystems, and, critically, existing relationships with local banks, payment service providers and financial institutions.

In short, this was a mandate where credibility would determine success.

The Challenge

Checker needed an operator who could:

• Navigate complex African payments landscapes
• Leverage established banking and PSP relationships
• Accelerate regional commercial expansion
• Operate confidently between international headquarters and local markets

The candidate profile required sector fluency, regulatory awareness and embedded network capital. These are not attributes typically found through open advertising or broad outreach.

The search required precision from the outset.

The Approach

Find Group initiated a competitive market mapping exercise across relevant payments and fintech ecosystems. This included identifying high-performing commercial leaders with demonstrable infrastructure exposure and regional banking connectivity.

Our approach focused on:

• Targeted outreach to proven top performers
• Engagement with candidates operating discreetly within existing roles
• Prioritisation of relationship capital within African fintech markets
• Rapid qualification against both strategic and cultural criteria

A curated shortlist was delivered within 72 hours.

The Outcome

The selected candidate was a London-based senior payments professional with strong ties to Nigeria and an established network across regional financial institutions.

From initial brief to signed offer, the process concluded in just 15 working days.

The appointment enabled Checker to secure a commercially credible leader capable of accelerating growth across its priority markets, while also reinforcing its strategic presence within African payments infrastructure.

This was not simply a placement. It was a strategic expansion hire.

Candidate Perspective

Following the successful appointment, Isaac shared the following:

“George is one of those rare gems in recruitment. From the first conversation, he made the process feel genuinely personal. He is the kind of recruiter who isn’t just filling roles, but building relationships and opening doors for people.

And honestly, if you’re not careful, you might get addicted to how much kindness and positive energy he brings to his work.

Keep doing what you do, George. I’ll recommend you any day, any time.”

Strategic Takeaway

In emerging fintech markets, speed alone is not enough. Access, credibility and sector depth determine success.

For Checker, securing the right leadership across African payments ecosystems required more than sourcing — it required network intelligence and trusted engagement.

In cross-border fintech expansion, the right hire is infrastructure.