How to Retain Fintech Talent by Building a Learning Environment

Investing in Talent Retention and Development in FinTech

In the fast-moving world of financial technology, the competition for top talent is fierce, and the challenge doesn’t end once that talent is hired. Retention, engagement, and long-term development have become as critical to success as product innovation. In this episode of FinTech Focus TV, Toby sits down with Mike Clarke, Chief Executive Officer at Mallon Associates, to explore how tailored education and training can transform the way FinTech companies attract, engage, and retain their people.

Mallon Associates is a specialist training provider with more than 35 years of experience in delivering customised, proprietary training programmes for some of the world’s largest financial services and FinTech organisations. In this conversation, Mike shares his journey from software engineering to corporate training, why knowledge transfer should be at the heart of talent strategies, and how truly bespoke training can be the key to building loyal, high-performing teams.

From Software Engineering to CEO: Mike Clarke’s Journey

Mike Clarke’s career began in software engineering, a discipline he was passionate about from a young age. His path took an unexpected turn when, part-way through a PhD, he discovered a stronger interest in teaching than in completing the doctorate. That decision led him into academia, lecturing at the university where he had been studying, before moving into corporate training with Mallon Associates.

Starting as an instructor, Mike’s first major engagement took him to Mumbai, India, a far cry from his original expectation of a trip to New York. This formative experience not only developed his teaching skills but also broadened his perspective on how different environments shape learning. Over time, he progressed to Chief Operating Officer and ultimately to Chief Executive Officer, leading Mallon Associates as it continues to deliver high-impact, customised training worldwide.

Why Talent Retention in FinTech is an Urgent Priority

In the FinTech sector, the average tenure of a software engineer is less than 18 months. This short timeframe is especially challenging when businesses are making significant investments in hiring and onboarding. As Toby notes in the conversation, the companies that achieve real success are those that build around their people, those that are able not only to attract top talent but to keep it and help it thrive.

While workplace perks like beanbags or social events can add to culture, they are no substitute for a deep, sustained investment in professional growth. As Mike emphasises, FinTech businesses compete not just on products, but on talent. For engineers to feel truly engaged and invested in their organisation, they need access to the right tools, skills, and knowledge to excel in their role. That means bridging the gap between generic industry training and the unique demands of a company’s proprietary technology stack.

Customised Training for Proprietary Technology Stacks

One of the core messages from Mike in this FinTech Focus TV episode is that effective training must be customised to reflect the specific systems, tools, and processes of each organisation. While generic training can be useful for foundational skills, it rarely provides the depth or relevance required for engineers to become truly productive in a given role.

Mallon Associates’ approach begins with capturing knowledge from a company’s senior engineers, documenting the details of the proprietary technology stack, understanding why it has been built the way it has, and identifying the best practices that underpin its use. This process is as valuable for the client as it is for the trainees, often surfacing insights, clarifying terminology, and even stress-testing the technology.

By embedding themselves within the client organisation, Mallon Associates can design training that is directly aligned with coding standards, build tools, deployment processes, and strategic goals. The result is a learning experience that is not only more effective but also fosters stronger loyalty and alignment between employees and the business.

Closing the Skills Gap from Day One

Mike points out that even a single month of intensive, highly targeted training at the start of a graduate’s career can be more effective than six months of learning purely through osmosis. While “learning on the job” has its place, it can leave new hires under-prepared and slow to contribute at a high level.

By investing early in a structured programme that mirrors the company’s proprietary environment, FinTech businesses can dramatically accelerate the time it takes for new hires to become productive. This approach also reduces frustration, for both new employees and their teams, by providing clarity, context, and confidence from the outset.

Training as an Ongoing Commitment, Not a One-Off Event

In the conversation, Toby and Mike agree that development should not end after onboarding. Retaining top talent in FinTech requires ongoing investment throughout an employee’s career. This includes providing opportunities for experienced staff to advance their skills, explore new technologies, and take on fresh challenges within the organisation.

For Mallon Associates, this can mean delivering targeted training for mid-career professionals, facilitating one-on-one coaching for senior engineers, or enabling cross-team knowledge sharing to break down silos. By continuing to invest in their people, companies can enhance loyalty, improve retention, and create a culture where employees feel valued and motivated to grow.

The False Economy of Cutting Training Budgets

One of the biggest obstacles to customised training is budget. Mike explains that while organisations may be tempted to cut costs by shifting to generic online platforms, the long-term impact is often negative. Generic training fails to close the skills gap on proprietary technology, meaning new hires take longer to become effective, are less engaged, and are more likely to leave.

This short-term saving can result in higher long-term costs due to lost productivity, increased turnover, and repeated recruitment cycles. In contrast, customised training delivers a return on investment by enabling hires to contribute faster, stay longer, and add greater value over time.

The Competitive Advantage of True Bespoke Training

Toby highlights that many companies tick the “training” box without truly tailoring programmes to their own DNA. In FinTech, where proprietary systems can be a critical differentiator, this is a missed opportunity. Off-the-shelf training does not account for the unique ways in which an organisation uses its technology, nor does it provide the rationale behind specific design choices.

Mallon Associates bridges this gap by acting as an extension of the client’s business. Their trainers adopt the client’s environment, terminology, and standards, ensuring that every lesson is directly applicable to the work trainees will be doing. This approach not only builds skills but also strengthens cultural integration and loyalty.

The Role of AI in Training and Knowledge Transfer

No conversation in 2025 is complete without addressing artificial intelligence. In the context of training, Mike sees AI, particularly generative AI and large language models, as a valuable tool, but not a replacement for human instructors. AI can assist in documentation, provide chatbots to answer developer questions, and help reframe explanations. However, it cannot replicate the deep organisational understanding or nuanced guidance that comes from human trainers.

AI is best used as an augmentation to expert-led training, not as a substitute. Relying solely on AI risks misinformation, lack of context, and training that is too generic to be effective in a proprietary environment. The real opportunity lies in combining AI’s efficiency with human expertise, mentorship, and contextual insight.

Creating a Culture of Knowledge Transfer

Mike prefers the term “knowledge transfer” over “training,” reflecting a more comprehensive and embedded approach. Knowledge transfer goes beyond teaching “what” a technology is and how to use it; it includes understanding “how” it works and “why” it is designed that way.

This deeper understanding equips employees to adapt their skills, solve problems creatively, and contribute to innovation. It also supports cross-team learning, breaking down the silos that often exist in technology organisations. By acting as a bridge between different subject matter experts within a business, Mallon Associates can help spread expertise across teams, enhancing overall agility and collaboration.

The Long-Term Value of Investing in People

Retention concerns often make companies hesitant to invest heavily in training, what if employees take their new skills elsewhere? Mike argues that the opposite is true: investment increases the likelihood that talent will stay, and even if they leave, they often return with valuable new experiences.

Some employees may move to other organisations, but they can become advocates for their former employer’s technology and culture, helping to build the company’s reputation in the industry. Others return as “boomerang hires,” bringing back external insights that strengthen the business.

Applying These Lessons Across FinTech

Mallon Associates works with a wide range of clients, from tier-one investment banks to start-ups and hedge funds, across areas such as software engineering, infrastructure, data science, and machine learning. The principles Mike shares in this episode are relevant across all these environments:

• Invest early in tailored onboarding to accelerate productivity.
• Continue developing employees throughout their careers to maintain engagement.
• Capture and share knowledge to avoid dependence on individual experts.
• Combine AI tools with human expertise for the best results.

These strategies are not just about retention; they are about creating a workforce that is deeply aligned with the business, equipped to solve complex problems, and motivated to contribute to long-term success.

Final Thoughts from the FinTech Focus TV Conversation

As a FinTech recruitment business, Harrington Starr knows that hiring great people is only half the battle. The other half is keeping them engaged, supported, and developing over the long term. The insights Mike Clarke shares in this FinTech Focus TV episode highlight the power of customised training as a strategic lever for both retention and performance.

For FinTech leaders, the message is clear: your technology is unique, and your training should be too. By embedding learning into the fabric of your organisation, you not only close the skills gap faster but also build a culture where people want to stay, grow, and excel.