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Jack Zhang: CEO & Co-Founder, Airwallex
Episode description
Published 22nd October, 2025.
Episode #229 of The High Flyers Podcast features Jack Zhang, Co-Founder and CEO of Airwallex, one of the world’s fastest-growing fintech companies valued at over $5 billion. Born in rural Shandong, China, Jack moved to Melbourne at 15, juggling multiple jobs while studying computer science before launching Airwallex in 2015. A former engineer and trader turned global founder, he’s known for his relentless drive, humility, and vision — building a company that powers payments for businesses in over 190 countries.
Note: This is a replay of Episode 157, originally released in February 2024 — one of our most loved classics.
In this conversation, Jack reflects on his humble upbringing in China, moving to Australia as a teenager with little English, and the years of bartending, coding, and side hustles that shaped his discipline. He shares the early failures and pivots that defined Airwallex’s journey, what it took to convince banks and investors to believe in a startup from Melbourne, and how he rebuilt the business three times before global success.
We go deep into founder psychology, hiring intuition, and leadership under pressure, as Jack opens up about stress, sacrifice, and resilience — from anxiety attacks to moments of clarity that shaped his philosophy that “wealth is fluid, but time is not.”
It’s time to explore your curiosity, please enjoy.
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Hosted by Vidit Agarwal, Founder of Curiosity Center and The High Flyers Podcast.
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Timestamps
About us
The High Flyers Podcast is a "meticulously researched biography" that uncovers the untold stories of remarkable people and companies—redefining what it means to be a high flyer. Launched in 2020, it has ranked in the global top ten for past two years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200 episodes released. A flagship product of the Curiosity Center, it has been featured in Forbes, Daily Telegraph, and at SXSW, offering raw, relatable insights from childhood to career, helping listeners become 1% better every day.
Some of the notable guests on the show include: Anil Sabharwal (He built/led Google Photos,
Google Chrome and Google Drive), Malcolm Turnbull (Former Australian Prime Minister),
Holly Kramer (Board Director at Woolworths and ANZ), Brad Banducci (Recent Woolworths
CEO), Jack Zhang (Airwallex CEO and Co-Founder), Craig Tiley (Tennis Australia CEO), Elena Verna (Head of Growth at Lovable) and more.
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