Case study · First finance hire
Building an in-house finance function
How Argamon made its first dedicated finance hire after separating from a legacy business, and found the founders a right-hand.
- Client
- Argamon Group
- Sector
- Fintech / Prime Broking
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
- The hire
- Head of Finance
Jeremy Kinstlinger, Founder at Argamon, on making the hire.
The situation
Argamon is a Sydney-based financial technology group founded in 2016, specialising in liquidity optimisation, prime broker relationships and margin financing. Having recently separated from a legacy business, the founders were relying on internal operators to cover finance, a function previously run by an external partner in a separate office. Following the split and a period of attrition, they needed to restructure the team and take real ownership of finance.
Why bring in a specialist recruiter
Historically, Argamon grew organically, hiring through community and personal networks. But for a hire this important, the founders wanted to get it right rather than “pick at straws.” They valued a recruiter who could help them define exactly what they needed, then introduce them to enough people to be confident they had found the right person, not just the first person.
We really wanted to just do the one hire properly, and find a recruiter that was able to work with us, understand what we were looking for, and find us that person.
What made this hire different
This was Argamon's first truly in-house finance person. In a small, open-plan Sydney office where the founders “wear their hearts on their sleeves,” culture fit was non-negotiable. They needed someone who could tune in, absorb what was happening around them, and add value from a finance perspective the founders could not see themselves, becoming part of the team rather than just “the finance person.”
I really wanted to find someone that has a really good DNA fit for the office, someone who could see things we didn't and really become part of the overall team.
The result, twelve months on
A year in, the biggest change the founders point to is a sense of support. Their hire takes on whatever is needed, translates specialised tax and accounting concepts for a non-finance leadership team, and manages outsourced providers. He also brought in an additional firm to take over parts of the function, freeing the founders to move another team member into a role that suited them far better. The result is a top-down shift in how Argamon runs its entire business.
He's a superb hire. We just feel really protected, cared for, looked after, it's a massive change in how we run our finance function.
Would you recommend it?
Jeremy's advice to other founders: understand what you actually need before you engage, and for a hire this critical, a specialist recruiter is worth it. What set the experience apart was the ongoing care after placement, checking in with both the client and the new hire long after the deal was done.
It's not like ‘we got you the guy, see you later.’ I've never seen that before with another recruiter. I'd absolutely do it again and recommend it.
Making your first finance hire?
Argamon's started with working out what the role actually needed to be. Yours can start the same way.
Hiring your first finance leader?
Every search starts the same way, working out what the role actually needs to be before anyone is approached.