Meet Christiaan, HEX's New General Manager

Every growing company reaches a point where great ambition needs equally great execution.

That's why I'm so excited to welcome Christiaan Hind as HEX's new General Manager.

Christiaan is one of those rare leaders who's worked across every stage of the startup journey – from university entrepreneurship programs and startup accelerators to venture-backed scaleups growing internationally. Throughout his career he's helped to grow nascent ideas into high-performing businesses, and small teams into operational powerhouses. And just casually – he’s been a CEO and COO at a venture-backed Aussie EdTech before. 

Christiaan joins HEX at an exciting moment as we launch our first programs in Japan, consolidate presence in Vietnam, and build our first AI-powered global education experience (more on this soon…)

We sat down to chat about startups, AI, learning, and why joining HEX felt like coming full circle.

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I like to joke that I started my first startup before I even knew what a startup was.

My mum ran an interior decorating business, and as a teenager I helped take it online by building a forum and an ecommerce store. At the time it was just something fun to work on together – but looking back, it was my first taste of building something from scratch.

I studied Law and Political Science at ANU, which wasn't exactly a traditional pathway into startups. The turning point came when I joined InnovationACT, ANU's student entrepreneurship program. I started as a participant and later helped run the program, and that's where I realised startups weren't just an interest – they could be a career.

That experience opened the door to Canberra's startup ecosystem. Over the next few years I worked with early-stage companies, helped run a coworking space, taught entrepreneurship at ANU, and even spent a short stint in consulting before realising I missed the pace of startups.

It was actually through a very HEX-like overseas program with Startup Catalyst and Austrade which led me to join Telstra's startup accelerator, muru-D, where I worked with some of Australia's most promising founders. One of those companies was Clipboard, an EdTech startup helping schools manage extracurricular programs. I joined the co-founding team and spent four years helping scale the business to more than 200 schools across 10 countries, while leading our Series A raise.

Most recently, I was at Re-Leased, a New Zealand proptech scaleup, where I led business operations through a period of rapid growth. It was an incredible opportunity to help the business scale beyond $50 million ARR while launching new payments and AI products. Seeing how operational excellence and product innovation come together at that stage of growth taught me a huge amount – and it's an experience I'm excited to bring to HEX.

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You've worked across startups, scaleups, universities and corporate. What skills do you think matter most for the next generation of leaders?

Three stand out: learning quickly, being comfortable with ambiguity, and building systems that last beyond you.

Industry knowledge is useful, but it becomes outdated surprisingly fast. The people who thrive are the ones who can walk into unfamiliar problems, figure out what they need to learn, and adapt quickly.

If I had to choose one quality, though, it'd be coachability.

Every major step in my career came from learning from founders, teammates, mentors and customers. The fastest-growing people aren't the ones who know the most—they're the ones willing to change their minds when they learn something better.

As technology keeps accelerating, I think that's going to become even more important. The advantage won't belong to people with all the answers – it'll belong to people who never stop learning.

What's exciting you most about innovation right now?

It's impossible not to say AI, even if it is a bit cliché.

What excites me isn't just the technology itself – it's what it means for the impact one person or one small team can have.

The thing I always loved about startups was how much you could achieve with limited resources. AI amplifies that dramatically. Today you can build, test and launch ideas that previously required much bigger teams and budgets.

For young people, I actually think that's incredibly exciting.

There are genuine challenges ahead, particularly as work changes, but the ceiling on what individuals can create has never been higher. You don't need permission anymore – you need curiosity, initiative and the willingness to give something a go.

What made you want to join the HEXIVERSE?

Honestly, it felt like coming full circle.

My own career exists because programs like the ones HEX runs opened doors for me at exactly the right moments. InnovationACT showed me what was possible. The Startup Catalyst and Austrade mission introduced me to muru-D, which eventually led to Clipboard and everything that followed.

When I looked at HEX, I recognised that same opportunity being created for thousands of young people.

I feel incredibly fortunate that those experiences found me, and I want to spend this next chapter helping create those opportunities intentionally for the next generation.

The other reason is that I genuinely missed education.

After four years in EdTech, I realised how rewarding it is to work on something that helps prepare young people for their futures. HEX is doing exactly that, and at a global scale. That's a mission I'm excited to be part of.

On a personal level, what kind of impact do you hope to leave?

I'd love to leave the world just a little better than I found it.

For me, the clearest way to do that is through young people.

I want to help prepare future generations for challenges we can't fully predict yet, while making sure more people have access to opportunities they might not otherwise receive.

I was lucky. The right people and the right programs appeared at the right moments in my life.

If I can spend my career building organisations that create those moments deliberately, rather than leaving them to chance, I'll feel like I've made a worthwhile contribution.

Finally... a couple of rapid-fire questions.

Coffee or tea? Coffee.

Favourite startup buzzword? "Move fast" (as long as someone remembers to write things down).

Outside of work you'll probably find me... Right now? Watching soccer – or talking about soccer.

Current weakness? Doughnuts. Any good bakery recommendations are very welcome.

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