Neil Chinai

Neil Chinai

Operating Partner, Sand Hill East

Neil Chinai is recognized in the financial services and fintech communities as a thought leader and disruptor. Neil is currently advising several early stage fintech firms and financial service software providers on product strategy, business plans, IT infrastructure and fundraising. Additionally, through his extensive network, he facilitates product sales and client engagements.

Neil has over 25 years of IT experience working with Tier 1 banks driving business growth, IT and operational transformation, delivery on regulatory mandates and evolving organizational models. He brings a depth of product knowledge across capital markets, investment banking, security services, lending and structured products. Neil led the adaption of technology enablers for front office applications, analytics, data science, digitalization, blockchain, and cloud integrations.

Neil is formerly the Managing Director and CIO of Global Fixed Income and Americas Capital Markets and Banking at HSBC. Neil’s previous experience spans Barclays Capital, Merrill Lynch and UBS. Neil’s vast experience covers overseeing technology function across growth initiatives, costs optimization, risk control, offshoring into India and China, and delivering on IT strategy.

In his early days, Neil worked in Front Office IT functions where he learned the front office in capital markets firms and dealt with complex pricing, risk management, electronic trading, devops, operations, and derivatives workflow functions. Thought out his career, Neil has had a passion for innovation and industry standardization through his work on FPML, FIX and ISDA’s Common Domain Model, and promoting adoption through strategic partnerships with market infrastructure providers and fintech.