Securing Nilos’ First Sales Leader in Africa’s FX & Stablecoin Ecosystem

A Foundational Hire in a High-Stakes Market

When Nilos engaged Find Group, the brief carried strategic weight.

The company was preparing to make its first sales hire — a pivotal appointment that would shape commercial trajectory across Africa’s FX and stablecoin markets. This was not simply about filling a role. It was about defining how the business would enter and scale within a complex financial ecosystem.

Founder Eytan Messika approached Find Group to secure a commercially exceptional operator capable of navigating banks, payment service providers and financial institutions across the region.

The margin for error was zero.

The Challenge

This mandate required a rare combination of expertise:

• Deep understanding of FX and stablecoin infrastructure
• Proven experience selling into banks and PSPs
• Institutional credibility across African markets
• Ability to build a commercial function from the ground up

As Nilos’ first sales hire, the successful candidate would influence:

• Market entry strategy
• Early revenue trajectory
• Institutional partnerships
• Internal commercial culture

Foundational hires compound. The right decision accelerates growth. The wrong one delays it.

The Approach

Given the strategic importance of the mandate, we operated with focus and velocity.

The process included:

• Targeted identification of senior commercial operators within FX and stablecoin networks
• Direct outreach to candidates with established banking and PSP relationships
• Rapid qualification against both technical fluency and founder alignment
• Transparent, constant communication via WhatsApp to maintain momentum
• The emphasis was on clarity, speed and alignment — without compromising quality.

Running a tight process allowed us to maintain energy on both sides of the table while ensuring every conversation moved the mandate forward.

The Outcome

Within three weeks, Nilos secured an outstanding sales executive in Nathan — a commercially credible leader aligned to both the technical requirements and the company’s long-term vision.

The appointment provided Nilos with immediate market traction capability and institutional access across Africa’s evolving digital finance landscape.

For a first commercial hire, speed mattered. Precision mattered more.

Founder Perspective

Following the successful appointment, Eytan Messika shared:

“Owen is the most professional recruiter I have ever come across. He even didn’t wait for us to have a contract to start delivering value and intro me to potential people. We hired a top sales exec in 3 weeks and I can’t recommend him enough.”

Strategic Takeaway

In emerging financial ecosystems such as FX and stablecoins, early commercial hires are leverage points.

When the first sales appointment is aligned — technically, culturally and strategically — it creates momentum that compounds.

For Nilos, securing the right leader was not a hiring milestone. It was a growth accelerator.