Post:Chief Executive Officer,
Organization:Grassland Finance, Accion Partner - Grassland Finance,
Location: Beijing
Grassland Finance is a Hong Kong holding company, co-founded by Accion and Sagamore Investments, to
found or invest in financial services institutions in China that provide loans, credit and other financial services to China's vast number of micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs). Grassland seeks to leverage and replicate Accion's microfinance operating model in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, which today serves over 1,400 active clients with a loan portfolio of over $13 million. Over a five year period, Grassland anticipates becoming one of the largest MicroCredit Company (MCC) platforms in China, serving over 10,000 clients, operating in at least three provinces with a loan portfolio of over US$200 million. To achieve these goals, Grassland will attract additional like-minded investors, and, working closely with Accion, build a management team to provide the necessary management and technical support to the network of MCCs. This management team will allow high-level managerial resources to be utilized across a larger asset base and enable Grassland to leverage operational efficiencies across provinces.
About the job
Grassland is seeking a senior executive manager to assume leadership of the holding company. This individual will report to the Grassland board and have primary responsibility for achieving the ambitious growth strategy developed by the founders. This will include assuming leadership in three key areas:
Overall management and governance
Strategic planning and business development
Fundraising and Investor Relations
Responsibilities:
Qualifications:
Organization:Grassland Finance, Accion Partner - Grassland Finance,
Location: Beijing
Grassland Finance is a Hong Kong holding company, co-founded by Accion and Sagamore Investments, to
found or invest in financial services institutions in China that provide loans, credit and other financial services to China's vast number of micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs). Grassland seeks to leverage and replicate Accion's microfinance operating model in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, which today serves over 1,400 active clients with a loan portfolio of over $13 million. Over a five year period, Grassland anticipates becoming one of the largest MicroCredit Company (MCC) platforms in China, serving over 10,000 clients, operating in at least three provinces with a loan portfolio of over US$200 million. To achieve these goals, Grassland will attract additional like-minded investors, and, working closely with Accion, build a management team to provide the necessary management and technical support to the network of MCCs. This management team will allow high-level managerial resources to be utilized across a larger asset base and enable Grassland to leverage operational efficiencies across provinces.
About the job
Grassland is seeking a senior executive manager to assume leadership of the holding company. This individual will report to the Grassland board and have primary responsibility for achieving the ambitious growth strategy developed by the founders. This will include assuming leadership in three key areas:
Overall management and governance
Strategic planning and business development
Fundraising and Investor Relations
Responsibilities:
- Overall Management and Governance
- Serve as member of Board of Directors of Grassland and underlying subsidiaries as appropriate.
- Execute the policy decisions of the Board.
- Participate in the hiring and supervision of Grassland staff.
- Maintain accountability for growth and overall performance.
- Ensure effective collaboration with Accion team to deliver Accion's obligations under the Management and Technical Assistance Services Agreement.
- Control expenses.
- Maintain solid relations with shareholders and external parties, including investors, regulatory agencies, creditors and other partner institutions.
- Uphold standards of risk management at all levels and ensure effective supervisory control and management review.
- Ensure staff and board have sufficient and up to date information.
- Evaluate the organization's and staff's performance on a regular basis.
- Strategic Planning and Business Development
- Work with board to solidify Grassland's expansion plans.
- Identify and develop new business opportunities for Grassland in China.
- Provide leadership and oversight in negotiation process for new licenses and/or partners, including input into deal parameters, contract negotiation and legal structuring.
- Ensure effective corporate legal structure of Grassland and its underlying companies.
- Develop annual budgets and longer term strategic plans, incorporating input from the management team, for approval by the board of directors.
- Develop and implement the Grassland budget and strategic plan.
- Fundraising and Investor Relations
- Develop fund raising strategies with board and take lead in fund raising activities with support of board for both the parent and operating companies.
- Provide leadership role in development and managing relationships with investors and other funders.
Qualifications:
- At least ten to fifteen years of direct experience in financial services, ideally with legal background and direct experience within a financial institution.
- At least ten to fifteen years in management role, leading and building cohesive, high performing teams.
- At least five years of professional experience in China.
- Strong analytical, interpersonal, communication and influencing skills.
- Proven entrepreneurial ability to spot and seize strategic opportunities and demonstrated success in an entrepreneurial endeavor.
- Comfortable in a fluid environment, self-directed, flexible and creative.
- Guided by social objectives.
- Fluency in English and Mandarin is required.
- Willingness to be based in China (Beijing initially) and travel throughout China for extended periods of time.
