How I Became Head of Compliance for 3 Regulated Fintechs With Just 6 Years of Experience
- Razin Nizar
- May 6
- 15 min read
I became the Head of Compliance for major, highly regulated fintech companies in APAC under Sea Group (ShopeePay, SeaMoney, and SeaInsure), which at the time, served over 10 million customers and operated across multiple financial sectors. And I did it with just 6 years of experience under my belt. Like Ash Ketchum, I did not have the strongest Pokemon and all the badges when I started. I just wanted to be better. Here’s the story of how.
If you're here for actionable steps, scroll down to:
🔧 Practical Ways to Climb the Ladder
📈 The 3 Principles
🧠 Things I Wish I Knew Earlier
Note: 📌 means real-world tips that matter.
My Relationship with Compliance
The First Date with Compliance
“I don’t think a career in compliance is for you.”
That was one of the first performance reviews I ever received. Did it hurt? Of course, I was hurt and confused. I was performing well and genuinely liked what I did, but I questioned the system and norms too much. I was not able to accept things just because “that’s just how things are.” And my personality traits, at first glance, did not fit the stereotypical “Compliance Officer” personality. Compliance is often defined as the act of conforming, acquiescing, or yielding. That has never been my nature. I’ve always been curious. I’ve always wanted to find smarter ways to solve problems, especially in the places where no one else was paying attention. Even among my peers early in my career, I felt the difference. Some doubted whether I truly belonged in this field.
But I am glad I chose and stuck to doing what I love instead of making decisions based on one piece of feedback. Along the way, I came to figure out why I love compliance, notwithstanding the so-called mismatch of personality:
Falling in Love with Compliance
I liked compliance when I first started in anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) investigator. It was definitely an eye-opening experience to understand how criminals think and operate, how to stay ahead, and honestly, it did feel good to be part of a community that fights financial crime.
I knew some parts of compliance were about risk-based approaches during my first professional certification. But it was not until I was tasked to facilitate a regulatory audit, one that could have cost the company millions in fines if done poorly, that I truly understood the practical application of a risk-based approach. That experience completely changed my perspective. I saw how modern compliance actually pushes for innovation. I fell in love with compliance.
During that experience, I learned that being “compliant” is not about projecting an image of perfection or hiding mistakes. In fact, that contradicts the very essence of compliance, which is integrity. Many parts of compliance are now driven by risk-based approaches, and what that means is in order to succeed in compliance, instead of “trying to appear perfect” or hiding mistakes, one needs to focus on critically assessing and understanding their company’s compliance risk exposure, how that should have formed the basis of a company’s compliance controls, and knowing when to defend or justify decisions and how to continually improve controls.
I also learned how to merge the ideas of being strategic and maintaining integrity at the same time. I learned to see regulators as partners and collaborators instead of enemies; where both parties have the same goal, i.e. to innovate while protecting the interests of consumers (i.e. innovate products/services and/or controls that are commensurate with compliance risk level). I learned how to effectively plan and manage regulatory audits that respect both the needs of businesses and regulators. Lastly, I learned a lot about the art of negotiations, how to win them, and how integrity actually goes hand-in-hand with being strategic.
Through this practical experience, I fully understood that compliance is not just about following the rules. When done correctly, you can redefine compliance to become a strategic advantage rather than a cost. And for the first time, I saw how my instinct to question systems and my drive to improve and innovate could actually make a difference. It is possible, in fact, necessary, to be strategic and maintain integrity at the same time. Strategy without integrity is manipulation. Integrity without strategy is naïveté.
Having the opportunity to properly get to know compliance (from an academic and practical standpoint) was the moment when I fell in love with compliance.
Practical Ways to Climb the Ladder
Now, what did I do that worked for me?
Step 1: Mindset
The easiest yet sometimes the most difficult step to overcome is our own mindset. Over time, our negative experiences condition us to be afraid of rejection and to associate rejection with “failures” when rejection just means one door is closed. In response to this fear, we rationalise our lack of action to take a step ahead as being realistic with our abilities. In my experience, many talented, capable people continue to minimise themselves. In relation to job applications, I have seen many qualified people refuse to apply for a certain position because they say “I don’t think my experience is good enough for this role,” or “I’m not good enough for this role.” Listen, I am not asking you to apply for jobs you are not qualified for. I am asking you to also understand that in order to move forward, you have to acknowledge your potential and apply for positions that match it.
The reality is, most job descriptions are drafted to cast the widest net possible while attracting higher-quality talents, even when the descriptions fall under “minimum requirement” (of course, subject to exceptions. For example, if there is a compliance requirement for your sector to be certified, then you have to meet that requirement).
📌 A simplified but practical idea I learned early was: if you are good at even half the things listed in a job description, then it is very likely that you’re qualified to apply. You do not need to have done everything to move forward, you just need to be ready to learn the rest.
The takeaway is, just do it!
Step 2: Strategise Your Job Application
First, the objective of your job application is to increase your chances of at least getting a call back and reduce the risk of rejection. Each application takes effort, and your time is valuable. Therefore, your focus should be to spend more time and resources on quality rather than quantity. This allows for more time to study the job offered and research the company you are applying to and tailor your application to the job and company.
Second, one of the most ignored factors when candidates apply is culture fit. Culture fit is not just about whether you can get along with the team, it is about whether your strengths are properly recognised and valued so that you can progress. It is even worse if you land a job at a company that struggles to understand your strengths, as you’ll need to double your effort to be valued. Most companies already have an idea of what type of personality fits their dynamic culture, and you should also have an idea in mind of what type of environment you would thrive in most (most companies would ask this question in an interview too). The goal is not to establish a completely different personality to fit into the dynamic. The goal is to find an environment where you can perform your best.
📌 The practical step is to know how to research the culture fit of a company. Since culture fit can be very subjective, there are many ways to do this before the interview: look at Glassdoor reviews and figure out what you like and/or can tolerate, or get a glimpse of their culture by copying and pasting the company’s “About Us” section as well as the job description into a word cloud generator to identify repeat words.
Lastly, even with a smaller number of job applications, prioritise jobs that benefit you the most and filter out companies that do not align with your culture.
Step 3: Tailor Your Resume
You do need to tailor each resume to the job description and the company’s personality and culture, while maintaining your core identity and personal branding. Why? Because sometimes one job offer can attract hundreds of candidates, and the hiring manager would probably spend 6-8 seconds reviewing each application, so your resume has to stand out.
The first rule is formatting your resume. For hiring managers, this is the easiest way to filter people out due to the overwhelming number of applicants. You could have the best experience, but if the format is not right, your experience will not even be read. Therefore, you have to get the format right.
Second, always include your achievements and quantify them. The biggest misconception I’ve heard is that there’s no way to quantify compliance achievements. Compliance achievements (or any function considered a “support function”) are absolutely measurable; figure out how you contributed to cost savings, increased revenues, operational efficiency, licences secured, or even feedback scores.
📌 You can describe your achievements however clearly highlights them best, but my personal favourite is one I learned from Jeff Su: the X-Y-Z formula: “Accomplished X by doing Y, resulting in Z.”
Third, match the tone of how you describe your achievements, roles, and responsibilities to the job description. If the role is a leadership role, highlight how many people you’ve managed (directly or indirectly).
📌 A practical trick to tailor language is to identify repeated action words from the job description e.g. “lead,” “strategise,” “optimise” vs “implement,” “monitor,” “track” and mirror them authentically where possible. Tailor your resume for the leadership level you’re applying for. When I applied for Head of Compliance, I built my resume for a C-Suite audience, focusing on business value, leadership philosophy, and transformation impact.
Fourth, consider incorporating personal branding. Think of it like this: companies (and individual personalities) spend a lot on branding because it matters. So should you.
📌
You can develop this through introspection or using personality tests (my favourite is Enneagram) to help align your identity with visual and verbal branding. I’ve always used dark red because it fits my personality and the intensity required in my roles. It’s subtle but consistent, and people remember.
Step 4: Interview Preparation
In my opinion, interview preparation is at least 80% of the interview work.
Before the interview:
No matter what level of leadership role you are applying for, you should already be prepared to answer these questions:
Tell me about yourself
What are your strengths/weaknesses?
How do you deal with conflicts?
What do you expect from this company and/or role?
The way these questions are asked may vary, but these are the complete basics, which in my experience, only 10% could even answer well. Furthermore, always substantiate your responses with evidence and examples.
📌 Next, for compliance roles, you have to know the compliance requirements of the area(s) you are currently working on (i.e., what guidelines, their principles, and some of their rules). If you list down your role in the resume, you should expect to be asked about that topic. For example, if you are a transaction monitoring analyst, at minimum, you need to be well-versed in AML/CFT fundamental requirements and key concepts overall and not just transaction monitoring and suspicious transaction reporting.
📌 On top of that, you also need to demonstrate some research into the compliance requirements applicable to the role, the company, the sector, and their products and services.
📌 In a leadership role, you must be able to demonstrate leadership strengths, negotiation skills, and business acumen as required of the Head of Compliance (or other department). One example I remember using was how I improved compliance culture at my company at the time, how many branches/individuals benefited, which functions were involved, how I led other business units to achieve compliance goals, and how I used metrics to measure the success. This is one way to demonstrate leadership even if you’re not the highest leader yet.
During the interview:
Focus on being adaptable, not perfect. This is very important because things can shift quickly, and focusing your energy on adaptability can help reduce anxiety. If you are not currently a Head of Compliance (or department head), chances are you are still learning, which is completely fine as long as you observe and improve.
📌 In my case, I had to learn and improve each time along the way. How do you improve? After every interview session, ask:
“Do you have any feedback about how I performed?”
“Do you have any hesitancy about moving forward with me?”
(Note: Business owners always ask for customer feedback. Treat yourself like your own business and always ask for feedback).
In my experience as a hiring manager, only 1–2 candidates have ever asked these important questions. But asking them gives you direct access to the truth - and a chance to fix things before the next round.
For example, it took me five rounds of interviews, with eight people in total, when I applied to Sea Group. At the time, it felt overwhelming, but for senior or leadership roles, this is common to assess cross-functional buy-in. I did well in compliance competency, but one of the business leaders was not impressed. I asked if they had any reluctancy to hire me and was told that when asked about project management experience, I said I didn’t have any. I misunderstood the question as I thought I was asked if I had experience working in the first line of defense. After that, I clarified that I had led cross-departmental projects with measurable outcomes. If I hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t have had the chance to explain and I might not have gotten the job. My final interview lasted just 15 minutes, and I was hired.
Bonus tips:
Take control of the energy in the room. Sometimes interviewers are nervous. Sometimes they’re just exhausted from juggling back-to-back meetings. I always start interviews with friendly, upbeat energy. Being bubbly doesn’t mean being unserious. It means showing up with confidence, composure, and a human touch. Even in serious, technical roles, your energy matters. It sets the tone, builds rapport, and makes you memorable for the right reasons.
After the interview:
Follow up with a thank-you note, remember interviewers’ names and feedback, and be professional in your follow-up.
The 3 Principles I Live By
1. Be Competent
Competency is non-negotiable. In roles that demand high technical expertise (especially in heavily regulated sectors) I don’t believe in faking it until you make it. Regulators and industry experts will know if you’re faking.
If you don’t know something, say so but explain how you’ll figure it out. Honesty paired with initiative is much better than bluffing. In the compliance field, competency is often measured by certifications and how well you perform in them. But it’s okay if you’re still in the process of getting certified.
When I became Head of Compliance, I was only certified in AML/CFT. I got my compliance certification afterward. But I closed that potential gap by knowing all the relevant guidelines, principles, and proposed legislation (at the time, it was the MACC (Amendment) Act 2018) inside and out and knowing how to operationalise them.
📌 If you want to stand out, identify your secondary (or tertiary) strengths and use them. I’ve loved art and design since school and always considered myself creative. Instead of hiding that, I used it — in slide design, resumes, branding, storytelling, and simplifying concepts. If you love music, create compliance jingles for staff training. If you’re good with data, build a tool. Apply your strengths to your field. Make them an asset.
Also, you have to showcase your competency. Especially when you’re early in your career, people may default to assuming you’re inexperienced. Don’t wait to be noticed. Learn when and how to showcase your value.
For example, I once opened a job interview by saying I love compliance because it lets me be creative. That line stuck with the hiring manager. First impressions matter. When I was preparing for a performance review, I made presentation slides on why I should get promoted, with measurable contributions to the company, what more they could gain if they promoted me, and external benchmarks - and I got promoted.
2. Be Business-Minded
Yes, compliance should be independent from business. But that does not mean we delay or block progress. Being business-minded means identifying risks and finding solutions that are both ethical and practical. It means asking how integrity and strategy can work together — not against each other.
Second, highlight how compliance creates value. Help decision-makers see that your controls do not just prevent fines, they build trust. That trust translates into reputational advantage.
📌 One way to do this is to work with your marketing team. Offer to speak at events or publish content that positions your company as trustworthy and sustainable. That’s free PR - and it makes compliance visible in a good way.
Third, manage your own reputation externally (with regulators) and internally (with your manager). One of the most important career lessons: who you report to matters. If your manager has integrity, they’ll credit your work. If not, they might take it — and you might never be seen. If that happens, keep your head down and quietly plan your exit. Don’t burn bridges. Just know when it’s time to move on.
3. Be Collaborative
One of the most common and frustrating things I hear: “Compliance and business don’t get along.”
People say it like it’s a fact that cannot be changed.
But collaboration is everything. Your job is not just to “do compliance.” It’s to help the business succeed while staying compliant. That means listening to what other departments need — and helping them get there safely. When internal teams trust you, everything gets easier.
If no one wants to work with you, it does not matter how competent you are. They'll just find ways to shut you out. So yes, how you work with others is part of your job performance.
Highlight others’ achievements. Give credit. Everyone wants to be valued. If you’re kind and consistent, they’ll often do the same for you.
People gossip. You can’t stop it. But you can shape the story by consistently doing good work and being decent.
Things I Wish I Knew Earlier
Before I wrap up, here are three things I wish someone had told me when I started out — things that would’ve saved me time, energy, and self-doubt.
1. Feedback is a projection
All feedback given to you, whether positive or negative, is based on one’s projection of their own experience. When I was younger, I did not know how to tell the difference between helpful feedback and someone projecting their bias.
In my early career, I’ve consistently received multiple bizarre comments, in professional settings, like:
“You do not seem smart because you go to the gym.”
“Huh, you have a Law degree? You do not look like it.”
“You don’t look like you could work in this field.”
I have been stereotyped for not fitting into the appearance of professional competence before, which honestly surprised me because my papers said otherwise. But the comments did make me insecure, as they were consistent, and I received them from multiple people. However, while I took into account the frequency of comments, I failed to take into account who made the comments and why they did it; and that frequency and quality of data may not necessarily correlate. Think about it this way: there are still people out there who will question the singing capabilities of the likes of Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga, even though they are already accomplished megastars. If I had known this earlier, I would have spent much less time feeling insecure and more time being productive.
In my experience, typically, successful people are more likely to provide positive, honest, and constructive feedback. Instead of a passing judgment, constructive feedback is usually accompanied by practical ways to achieve something, for example:
“Perhaps you could highlight your achievements more in your resume.”
“If you reduce your hand movements, you may appear more confident to the audience.”
“If you deliver your message this way, it may have been received differently.”
Once I figured this out, I learned to value feedback that matters and silence the noise that did not. Eventually, the real growth came not from proving myself to everyone, but from knowing what feedback to take in, what to block out, and how to keep moving forward.
2. Rejection is not a bad thing
You will get rejected a lot whenever you try something new. Most of the time, you will be rejected for reasons outside your control. In relation to job applications, you could be rejected due to budget issues, internal referrals, cultural mismatch, or any other reasons unrelated to you.
Earlier on, I used to associate rejection with being a bad thing. So when faced with rejections, I processed them by associating them with my worth, and thus slowly dimmed my desire to move forward. However, if you look at most successful people, most of them started with multiple rejections before they could make their big break.
Rejection does not mean you are not good enough. It could mean many things — whether it is not the right time, whether it is not the right fit for you, or any other reasons unrelated to you. When we internalise rejection as failure, it stalls our momentum. Instead, treat rejection as part of the process. Learn from it. Move forward strategically. Keep aiming higher.
3. Understand politics
I hate politics. I just wanted to work hard and deliver results. However, I wish I had learned about politics earlier to understand, identify, and deal with them when needed. Politics are a natural part of how people operate in groups, and they can be negative or even positive. Politics in a workplace setting can be very subtle and very challenging to identify.
For negative politics, some of the red flags include information asymmetry, exclusionary behaviours (e.g. excluding you from a meeting you should have attended), backchanneling, and lack of transparency in decision-making. Although there is no place without negative politics, one should always be aware when something is too rampant and unsalvageable — and make decisions on whether it can be mitigated or not. The key is to recognise when it’s happening and protect yourself.
Kindness and integrity are political moves, too. Some examples include advocating for your team during meetings, giving credit when it's due, and mentoring or guiding your colleagues. In my opinion, kindness and integrity are much more solid, sustainable political moves.
Understanding politics is not so that you can “play politics.” The reason why it is important to understand politics is that, apart from your competency, a group’s dynamic and your reputation can be factors that can advance (or break) your career.
Conclusion
You do not need to be perfect at something to move forward; you just need to start. The truth is, no one becomes a great compliance leader by being perfect. We grow by being strategic, staying grounded in integrity, and learning how to bring others along with us. Of course, you have to be competent, but what’s more important is the desire and humility to learn — and always seek feedback and take what’s valuable.
Leverage your existing talents. Build your competence. Stay kind.
Learn More About Us
Pragmax Consulting is a compliance, risk, and governance consulting firm with a diverse clientele, including a Fortune 500 asset management firm, a global fintech leader in digital payments across international markets, statutory bodies, and various virtual asset management companies.
Website: https://www.pragmaxconsulting.com
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