When did you first join the equipment finance industry and what has been the trajectory of your career?

I joined Alfa in 2014 and moved to the U.S. in 2015. I spent some time working as a consultant to implement our software primarily with some of the largest U.S. automotive finance companies, with some equipment finance work mixed in, before working more directly with equipment finance clients in 2020 when I became program manager for one of our equipment finance projects. This has allowed me to work with both captives and banks in different roles, including supporting business configuration, project management, as well as overall client relationship management.

During this time, I was also elected as Alfa’s U.S. equipment market lead, meaning I am responsible for understanding the needs of the market and feeding those back into Alfa’s product development process. This has exposed me more to the industry, attending ELFA conferences and events regularly, as well as connecting with our customers on roadmap and strategy.

You were recently selected to join ELFA’s 2025 Service Providers Business Council Steering Committee. What aspect of that are you most looking forward to?

Being part of the conversation regarding how service providers, especially in the technology space, can help member companies solve challenges and capitalize on opportunities is something I’m looking forward to. I’m also looking to bringing a cross-industry view, talking about similarities between industry requirements and the solutions they employ to solve them.

For someone like yourself who sits in the middle of business and technology, what are some of the biggest challenges that you face?

The biggest challenge is translating the needs of the business into requirements that make sense in order to drive out the most optimal technology solution. This requires boiling requirements down to their fundamentals and then working collaboratively with our engineers to ensure we’re building features that solve those needs. I find that asking why is the most important part of this process, as this helps us get to the root of the requirement and uncovers important context.

What has been the most rewarding achievement of your career to date?

Completing the delivery of a complex technology transformation is absolutely the most rewarding achievement, especially when I’ve been involved since the beginning. Transformation is hard, with progress being measured in very small increments. But the completion of those projects is a very satisfying feeling, especially when you start to see the positive impact that the transformation is having on the business and their customers. Despite this being something we do regularly at Alfa, it is hard not to become invested in each project and celebrate the success.

When looking to hire or have someone join your team, how do you weigh soft skills vs. technical skills? Is one more important?

People are a key part of our project delivery, and a balance is important in this space. Technical skills allow us to be the subject matter expert, which is hugely important in ensuring our clients get the answers they need. But who people are and how they go about their work is just as important. Building relationships with our customers is what ultimately carries our projects: empathizing with challenges, collaborating on solutions and supporting customers through difficult moments. All of those require soft skills.

What recommendations do you have for someone who is just starting their career?

Be open to learning as much as you can, utilize the knowledge of the people around you, as well as the resources offered elsewhere, such as by ELFA. And build relationships everywhere you can.