Greg opens up about his unconventional journey into tech recruitment and how his experiences across multiple industries have shaped his current role at Airwallex. He shares how the company’s rapid growth has influenced their approach to early careers hiring — shifting the focus from volume to impact-driven recruitment.
“We’re not just looking for people who can tick a box. We’re looking for people who want to grow with us.”
Retention is a recurring theme throughout the discussion. Greg explains how retention in graduate hiring isn’t just about onboarding well — it’s about creating a culture of continuous challenge and mobility.
“The graduates who stay are the ones who feel like they’re learning something every day. If they plateau too early, they look elsewhere.”
Airwallex’s grad hiring approach is intentionally lean but high-touch. Greg walks through how they design their graduate experience to balance autonomy with support, emphasizing:
Mentorship over micromanagement
Clear growth pathways
Real-world responsibility from day one
For employers, Greg encourages focusing less on academic perfection and more on problem-solving ability and adaptability. For students and graduates, his message is clear: curiosity and hunger to learn are more valuable than a polished résumé.
“We’ve hired grads who didn’t come from target schools, but they had something different — they asked better questions, they showed up with ideas.”
Retention begins long before a grad’s first day — it starts in how you hire.
Graduates want progression, but also purpose. They stay where they’re challenged.
A fast-paced company culture doesn’t mean throwing grads in the deep end — it means giving them real responsibility, with the right support.