Is Flexibility the Key to Inclusion in FinTech? A Conversation with Caitriona Staunton, VP of People at Primer
The financial technology industry is evolving rapidly, with businesses scaling at unprecedented speeds. For companies navigating growth, the challenges of hiring, workplace culture, and employee inclusion have never been more critical. At Harrington Starr, we understand how essential it is to build businesses that foster innovation through FinTech recruitment, and in this latest episode of FinTech’s DEI Discussions, Caitriona Staunton, VP of People at Primer, joins us to share her insights into building a truly inclusive workplace, especially in a remote-first environment.
FinTech Recruitment: Why Inclusive Hiring Matters
Caitriona’s career journey has spanned some of the most well-known tech companies, starting with Google, then Atlassian, before joining Primer. Throughout her career, she has been at the forefront of developing hiring strategies that break traditional norms. In the early days of her career, she witnessed firsthand how exclusive hiring policies, such as prioritising elite university graduates, did not always correlate with performance. This experience sparked a shift in how companies approach hiring and inclusion, a lesson crucial for firms in FinTech recruitment today.
With Primer, Caitriona has continued this mission, embedding inclusive hiring strategies into the company’s DNA. At Harrington Starr, we see similar challenges in FinTech recruitment, where firms often struggle to diversify their hiring pipelines while maintaining high-performance teams. As Caitriona highlights, real inclusivity starts at the hiring stage by expanding the talent pool beyond conventional hiring criteria. This means ensuring that skills and potential are the key driving factors rather than institutional pedigree, which can lead to a more diverse and innovative workforce.
To support inclusive hiring, businesses should also invest in structured training programs that help bridge knowledge gaps and empower individuals from non-traditional backgrounds to excel in FinTech recruitment roles. By cultivating talent internally, companies can help shape their ideal workforce while reinforcing their commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Cloud Engineering and DevOps: Creating Inclusive Remote Workforces
Primer has embraced a remote-first culture since its inception in 2019. Unlike many businesses that were forced into remote work during the pandemic, Primer built its operations around remote work from the start. For teams working in Cloud Engineering and DevOps, this approach offers numerous advantages, allowing talent from diverse backgrounds and geographies to contribute effectively.
However, as Caitriona points out, remote work doesn’t automatically guarantee inclusivity. Companies must intentionally create structures that promote engagement and belonging. At Primer, this is achieved through transparent communication, asynchronous decision-making, and strategic in-person interactions. For businesses in Cloud Engineering and DevOps, these lessons are invaluable. By designing work environments that allow engineers and operations teams to thrive, companies can attract and retain the best talent globally.
One major aspect of creating an inclusive remote workforce is ensuring that technology supports seamless collaboration. Cloud-based project management tools, efficient workflow automation, and virtual mentorship opportunities help make remote work not just possible but also effective and engaging. Organisations that prioritise such investments will see increased productivity and employee satisfaction.
Cyber Security and IT Risk: Trust as the Foundation of Inclusion
A key theme throughout the conversation was trust. In the world of Cyber Security and IT Risk, trust is a fundamental principle. Similarly, within workplace culture, trust is what enables employees to perform at their best. As Caitriona explains, many companies resist flexible working due to mistrust of employees, leading to rigid structures that stifle innovation and engagement.
Primer, however, takes the opposite approach. By trusting employees to manage their workloads and offering flexibility, they have created a culture where people feel empowered rather than micromanaged. This shift towards a trust-based work environment is particularly critical in industries like cybersecurity, where employees need autonomy to make informed risk decisions. As businesses in this sector look to scale, creating a workplace culture built on trust can be a key differentiator in hiring and retention.
Trust also extends to data security and governance. Employees must feel confident that their contributions are valued and their information is protected. Companies investing in robust security frameworks, ethical AI applications, and employee training on cybersecurity best practices will not only enhance their risk posture but also foster a culture of trust and responsibility.
Data: Using People Analytics to Drive Inclusion
Data-driven decision-making is at the heart of many FinTech businesses, but how often is it applied to people and culture? Caitriona shares how Primer leverages data and analytics to track inclusion, engagement, and performance, ensuring that hiring and promotion decisions are made fairly.
By using quantitative data to assess employee satisfaction, diversity, and career progression, Primer ensures that biases are minimised. In a sector like FinTech, where data plays a crucial role in decision-making, applying the same approach to workplace culture helps create an equitable environment. Whether a business is hiring for roles in Data Science, AI, or Quantitative Finance, leveraging people analytics can significantly enhance DEI efforts.
Organisations that rely on data-driven insights to measure workplace inclusion can proactively identify gaps, assess the impact of their policies, and fine-tune strategies for long-term improvement. A culture of continuous learning and adaptation, backed by analytics, can pave the way for sustained progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Software Engineering: The Future of Work Is Flexible
The conversation concludes with a powerful message: flexibility isn’t a perk—it’s a competitive advantage. In industries like Software Engineering, where talent demand is high, businesses that offer flexibility, trust, and career development will ultimately attract and retain the best professionals.
Caitriona’s insights reinforce the idea that the future of work isn’t about where we work, but how we work. At Harrington Starr, we help businesses navigate this evolving landscape through FinTech recruitment, ensuring that companies find the right talent to thrive in a flexible, inclusive, and high-performance culture.
Beyond flexibility, businesses must consider how they structure leadership development, performance assessments, and engagement initiatives. By embracing a hybrid approach that balances autonomy with collaboration, companies in Software Engineering and beyond can build workplaces that support productivity, well-being, and innovation.
Final Thoughts: A Blueprint for Inclusive Growth
The discussion with Caitriona Staunton underscores a crucial reality: inclusion is not a passive process—it requires active, deliberate efforts. From recruitment to workplace culture, every touchpoint must be designed with the intention of creating equitable opportunities.
For companies in FinTech recruitment, Cloud Engineering and DevOps, Cyber Security and IT Risk, Data, Infrastructure Support, Network Engineering, Product Management, Quantitative Finance, Sales and Marketing, and Software Engineering, these insights offer a roadmap for fostering an inclusive, engaged, and high-performing workforce.
As businesses continue to evolve, the organisations that invest in people-centric strategies will emerge as industry leaders. Inclusion, trust, and flexibility are not just ideals—they are the keys to long-term success in a competitive, rapidly shifting marketplace.
This episode of FinTech’s DEI Discussions perfectly aligns with both Harrington Starr and Primer as FinTech recruitment leaders by exploring the essential elements of inclusive hiring and workplace culture. Harrington Starr, a specialist in FinTech recruitment, understands that companies need more than just technical talent—they need inclusive hiring strategies to build diverse, high-performing teams. Caitriona Staunton, VP of People at Primer, highlights how hiring beyond traditional criteria fosters innovation, a principle Harrington Starr advocates for in FinTech, Cloud Engineering, Cyber Security, and beyond.
Primer, as a remote-first business, provides a blueprint for scaling inclusion in distributed teams, ensuring trust, engagement, and structured career growth. This aligns with Harrington Starr’s focus on helping businesses attract and retain top talent by designing workplaces that promote equity and opportunity. From using data analytics in recruitment to creating career pathways for underrepresented talent, Primer's approach mirrors how Harrington Starr supports businesses in hiring for Software Engineering, Product Management, and Quantitative Finance roles.
FinTech’s DEI Discussions embodies the core mission of Harrington Starr—to foster inclusive hiring practices and help businesses build high-performing, diverse teams in FinTech recruitment. The conversation with Caitriona Staunton, VP of People at Primer, highlights how companies can move beyond performative diversity initiatives and implement meaningful, long-term strategies that attract and retain top talent in Cloud Engineering, Cyber Security, IT Risk, Software Engineering, and Quantitative Finance.
One of the key takeaways from this discussion is how intentional hiring practices can transform workplace dynamics. Caitriona shares how Primer has embedded inclusion into its recruitment processes, ensuring that individuals are hired based on skills and potential rather than conventional credentials. This approach aligns with Harrington Starr’s mission to support businesses in adopting equitable hiring models that prioritise diversity in FinTech.
Additionally, the podcast explores the importance of remote work in fostering inclusion. Primer, having been remote-first from the outset, has developed systems that ensure employee engagement, trust, and career progression—all factors that are crucial in industries like Cloud Engineering and DevOps, Infrastructure Support, and Network Engineering. Caitriona’s insights provide a roadmap for businesses looking to scale remote teams while maintaining a strong, inclusive culture.
At the heart of FinTech’s DEI Discussions is the belief that workplace diversity should go beyond numbers—it should be about creating environments where employees can thrive, innovate, and feel valued. By tackling topics like pay transparency, performance-based promotions, and workplace flexibility, this episode offers actionable insights for FinTech leaders looking to redefine their hiring and workplace strategies.
For Harrington Starr, this conversation reinforces the importance of being at the forefront of FinTech recruitment, helping businesses navigate the evolving talent landscape while ensuring their hiring practices are inclusive, equitable, and future-proof.
