Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) – Group Level
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Grit Search has been retained exclusively to identify a Chief Compliance Officer for Asia's largest independent trust, fund, and family office providers. The company is a multi-jurisdictional financial services group that bridges two worlds — a long-established institutional platform in wealth management, fiduciary services, and fund administration, and a technology-forward regulated digital finance business spanning digital assets, custody, and digital banking across Asia.
This is a build-and-transform mandate. The incoming CCO will be based in Malaysia overseeing across multiple entities and jurisdictions into one unified team. The successful candidate will unify an entire group-wide compliance function spanning both traditional fiduciary and cutting-edge digital assets/fintech into one modern, AI-native operating model — reporting directly to the Group Chairman and Vice Chairman.
Role Overview:
- Unified Compliance Leader: Build and lead a single global compliance team (30+ staff across 7 jurisdictions), establishing one framework, one methodology, and one AI-driven operating model across the entire group.
- Business Enabler: Find the compliant path to yes — enabling the business to move quickly while holding the line on every legal and regulatory requirement, without exception.
- Transformation Architect: Design the target operating model from the ground up, leveraging AI and automation to make compliance a source of competitive advantage, not a brake.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own group-wide AML/CFT/CPF, sanctions, and regulatory compliance across all entities and jurisdictions.
- Manage a matrix of local statutory compliance officers (MAS, SFC, Labuan FSA, and others) who functionally report to the CCO.
- Lead regulatory relationships across 3+ jurisdictions at board and regulator level.
- Build and deploy AI/agentic workflows for CDD, transaction monitoring, and compliance operations.
- Straddle both worlds: traditional fiduciary/trust/funds on one side, digital securities exchange, crypto custody, tokenised Islamic finance, and digital banking on the other.
What We're Looking For:
- Multi-jurisdiction compliance leadership — 3+ jurisdictions, deep AML/CFT/CPF and sanctions experience; regulator-facing at a senior level.
- The traditional-and-fintech straddle — credible in both fiduciary/trust/funds AND digital assets/VASPs/digital banking. This dual credibility is the crux of the search.
- Genuine, hands-on AI fluency — not AI-curious. You've personally built or automated compliance workflows using AI tools. This is a hard requirement.
- Current titles in scope: Group CCO, Regional Head of Compliance, Head of Compliance & MLRO, Chief Risk & Compliance Officer.
- Legal qualifications or substantial hands-on legal experience is a strong plus.
- KL-based candidates only. This is a KL-anchored hire.
If this resonates with where you're heading next, click Apply or send your latest CV directly to [Confidential Information].
