Tokenization as the new rails
26 January, 2026
Building High-Performance Culture in FinTech Teams and Financial Services Organisations
In this episode of FinTech Focus TV, Toby Babb is joined by Tamsin Hobley, Group Head of Partners and Alliances at SIX, for an in-depth conversation on what high-performance culture really means inside a global financial market infrastructure organisation. Rather than relying on abstract leadership theory, this discussion explores the lived reality of building engaged, resilient and high-performing teams in an industry defined by regulation, pressure and constant change.
As FinTech and financial services firms continue to compete for scarce talent, culture has become one of the most decisive factors in hiring, retention and long-term success. This episode goes beyond surface-level narratives to examine how leadership behaviour, psychological safety, goal-setting and learning all contribute to sustainable performance.
SIX, Leadership at Scale and High-Performance Culture in Financial Services
Tamsin begins by outlining her dual role at SIX, where she leads the London business as Country Head while also overseeing global partners and alliances. With an extensive background in sales and sales leadership, she brings a commercial lens to the conversation while maintaining a strong focus on people and culture.
SIX is positioned as a complex and evolving organisation, operating the Swiss and Spanish stock exchanges alongside post-trade services, financial information, and banking services for Swiss clients. The business has grown through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, including the integration of firms such as Ultima and Aquis. This scale and complexity make culture not just a leadership priority, but a structural necessity.
Tamsin explains that while SIX is a large, established organisation, it places significant emphasis on maintaining agility and engagement. This balance between stability and innovation creates both opportunity and challenge, particularly when building high-performance teams across multiple business lines, geographies and regulatory environments. This is particularly relevant for firms hiring across specialist areas such as trading, quantitative finance recruitment, data and engineering
What High-Performance Culture Really Means for FinTech Leaders
High-performance culture is a phrase frequently used in leadership circles, but rarely defined with clarity. Tamsin challenges the idea that performance is purely about output, targets or revenue growth. Instead, she frames high performance as the outcome of strong culture rather than the starting point.
She references research showing that genuinely high-performance cultures deliver measurable improvements in revenue and margin, but she is careful to stress that numbers alone do not tell the full story. The real differentiator is engagement. In many organisations, average engagement levels hover around 30 percent, a statistic that reflects widespread disengagement rather than isolated dissatisfaction.
In contrast, organisations that invest in inclusive, psychologically safe cultures can dramatically improve engagement, leading to stronger retention and more consistent performance. For FinTech and financial services firms, where hiring and replacing skilled professionals is costly and time-consuming, this link between culture and retention is particularly significant, especially in regulated environments such as trading, payments, and cyber security recruitment, where psychological safety and accountability are critical.
Engagement, Retention and the FinTech Talent Market
Toby brings Harrington Starr’s own candidate insights into the discussion, highlighting that a large proportion of professionals are actively considering moving roles within the next year. This context reinforces why culture has become central to FinTech recruitment and hiring strategies.
Tamsin agrees that the traditional transactional view of careers in financial services has shifted. Professionals today are more likely to evaluate potential employers based on leadership quality, development opportunities and whether they feel heard and valued. Salary remains important, but it is no longer sufficient on its own.
For employers, this means that high-performance culture is no longer a branding exercise. It is a practical requirement for attracting and retaining talent in a competitive market. Organisations that fail to address engagement and culture risk losing experienced professionals and institutional knowledge at a time when skills shortages are already acute.
Psychological Safety and High Performance in FinTech Teams
One of the most important themes of the episode is psychological safety. Tamsin describes it as the ability for people to speak up, challenge ideas, take risks and make decisions without fear of blame or negative consequences. In highly regulated and high-pressure environments, the absence of psychological safety can lead to risk aversion, slow decision-making and disengagement.
Drawing on her own career experience, Tamsin explains how being allowed to fail early on accelerated her learning and development. A manager who trusted her to try an idea, even knowing it might fail, created a powerful learning moment that shaped her leadership philosophy.
Rather than avoiding failure, Tamsin advocates for controlled risk-taking within clear boundaries. When people feel safe to experiment and learn, they become more confident, capable and innovative. This mindset is particularly relevant in sales, technology and transformation roles, where adaptability and continuous improvement are essential.
Leadership, Accountability and Empowerment in Financial Services
High-performance culture, Tamsin argues, starts with leadership behaviour. Strong leadership is not about hierarchy, but about clarity, consistency and trust. At SIX, expertise is prioritised over job titles, ensuring that knowledge and insight are valued regardless of seniority.
Accountability plays a key role in this model. Rather than problems being escalated endlessly, individuals are encouraged to own challenges, propose solutions and learn through the process. This approach not only develops capability, but also strengthens engagement by giving people a sense of responsibility and impact.
Toby notes that in financial services, fear of making the wrong decision can often lead to inertia. Tamsin responds by emphasising that leaders must actively create environments where decisions are supported rather than punished. When people believe they will be backed by leadership, they are more likely to act decisively and contribute meaningfully.
Goal-Setting and Alignment in High-Performance FinTech Teams
Clear goal-setting is another cornerstone of performance discussed in the episode. Tamsin explains that well-structured, measurable goals significantly increase the likelihood of success and engagement. However, goals only work when they are aligned with the wider strategy of the business.
At SIX, leadership teams focus on connecting individual goals to business unit and organisational objectives. This alignment ensures that people understand not only what they are working towards, but why it matters. Without this connection, even ambitious goals can feel disconnected and demotivating.
Toby adds that purpose is often under-communicated in financial services roles. Tamsin agrees, noting that helping individuals understand how their work impacts customers is essential. Whether someone works in data, operations or partnerships, understanding how their role reduces risk, improves efficiency or supports clients creates a stronger sense of purpose.
Learning, Development and Capability Building in FinTech
Learning and development emerges as a central theme in building sustainable performance. Tamsin outlines SIX’s approach, which balances on-the-job learning, coaching and mentoring, and formal qualifications. Rather than relying solely on external training, the organisation leverages internal expertise and encourages knowledge sharing across teams.
Mentoring relationships are not limited by hierarchy, allowing junior professionals to learn from senior leaders while also bringing fresh perspectives upward. This two-way learning model reflects the pace of change in areas such as technology and artificial intelligence, where newer professionals may have deeper expertise in emerging fields.
A standout example from the episode involves a junior team member who completed a master’s degree focused on AI and applied that learning to real business challenges at SIX. By presenting his work to senior leaders, he not only demonstrated the value of investment in development but also influenced strategic thinking at the highest level.
Culture, Growth and Acquisition in FinTech Organisations
Managing culture through mergers and acquisitions is another critical topic explored in the conversation. Tamsin reflects on SIX’s experience integrating businesses such as Ultima and Aquis, noting that early integrations highlighted the importance of cultural alignment alongside operational processes.
Rather than forcing acquired businesses into a single mould, SIX adopts a light-touch integration approach that preserves entrepreneurial energy while gradually building alignment. Social integration, shared events and open dialogue are prioritised to build trust and understanding between teams.
This approach recognises that high-performance cultures are not created through uniformity, but through respect for differences and shared values. By allowing businesses to retain their identity while aligning on purpose and principles, SIX aims to create a stronger, more cohesive organisation over time.
Leading Through Change in FinTech and Financial Services
As the episode moves toward its conclusion, Toby asks Tamsin to reflect on what lies ahead. With SIX undergoing significant transformation, leadership through change has become a defining challenge. Tamsin explains that managing teams through the change curve is one of the clearest indicators of effective leadership.
For her, success in 2026 will not be measured solely by commercial outcomes, but by whether teams remain engaged, motivated and supported throughout the transformation journey. This focus on people reflects the central message of the episode: performance and culture are inseparable.
Why High-Performance Culture Matters for FinTech Recruitment and Talent Retention
For Harrington Starr, as a financial technology recruitment business working closely with both clients and candidates, the themes explored in this episode are deeply relevant. Culture has become one of the most important factors influencing hiring decisions across FinTech, trading, data, engineering and commercial roles.
Organisations that invest in leadership, psychological safety and development are better positioned to attract and retain top talent in a competitive market. Conversely, businesses that neglect culture risk higher attrition, slower growth and reduced resilience.
This episode of FinTech Focus TV offers valuable insight for business leaders, hiring managers and professionals alike. It challenges simplistic views of performance and provides a compelling case for culture as a strategic driver of success in financial services and FinTech.
