Maureen Juma, human resources and administration manager at Flex Money Transfer, shares her perspective on attracting and retaining high-integrity talent, improving the employee experience and helping teams adapt to a changing workplace.
Maureen notes that effective talent management in financial services goes beyond technical competence.
Recruiting in financial services requires finding people who have both technical capability and the right level of integrity. What has been your approach to attracting and retaining talent in roles such as operations, compliance and finance?
I assess talent through three dimensions: capability, character and potential.
Technical competence is important, but in financial services and fintech, integrity, judgement and adaptability are equally critical. I therefore look beyond qualifications to understand how candidates approach responsibility, risk, ethical situations and change.
Retention then depends on creating an environment where people can perform and grow through strong leadership, development, recognition, fair reward and meaningful career opportunities.
With technology increasingly transforming financial services, including digital payments and money transfers, how do you see AI and automation changing HR practices and the skills employees will need in the future?
The fintech space is fundamentally changing how financial services are delivered, and AI and automation will accelerate that transformation. HR will need to move beyond managing roles to shaping the future workforce.
Automation will reduce transactional work and enable HR to focus more on workforce intelligence, organisational capability and strategic decision-making.
For employees, adaptability will be critical, the ability to continuously learn, work alongside technology, interpret data and transition into new ways of working. At the same time, human capabilities such as judgement, leadership, creativity, communication and ethical reasoning will become increasingly valuable.
Employee experience is becoming increasingly important in financial services. What initiatives have you found most effective in supporting employee engagement, wellbeing and retention?
I believe strong employee experience is built on clarity, growth, recognition, leadership and trust. I also place great value on being an accessible and approachable HR partner, where employees feel comfortable raising concerns, seeking guidance or sharing ideas, knowing they will be heard and treated fairly and confidentially.
In a rapidly changing fintech environment, employees also need to feel that the organisation is investing in their ability to remain relevant. My focus has therefore been on learning and development, performance, wellbeing and communication, while equipping managers to create supportive and engaging teams.
As someone who has managed both HR and administration, how do you ensure HR remains a strategic function rather than being viewed only as an operational support department?
Strategic HR starts with understanding the business. The question should move from “what HR process do we need?” to “what people capability does the business need to achieve its objectives?”
In a rapidly evolving fintech environment, this means anticipating future skills, workforce requirements and organisational risks rather than simply responding to current needs.
I use workforce data and business priorities to inform decisions around talent, performance, learning, organisation structure and workforce costs. HR earns its strategic seat by bringing a clear understanding of people into broader business decisions.
What is one area where you believe HR leaders in financial services need to focus more to prepare organisations and people for the future?
I believe the priority is organisational resilience and workforce adaptability.
The global fintech landscape is evolving rapidly through AI, digital payments, embedded finance, changing regulation and increasingly sophisticated customer expectations. Organisations therefore need to build the capability to continuously learn, adapt and innovate.
For HR leaders, this means stronger workforce planning, continuous reskilling, leadership development, succession planning and people analytics. Ultimately, strategic HR should help organisations innovate at speed while maintaining the culture, talent, governance and customer trust required to scale sustainably.
