Zuzanna Capozzi, CLFP, joined North Mill Equipment Finance (NMEF) in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within a few short years, she has grown to become not only a key member of NMEF’s finance team, but a leader at the company in her own right.

What makes Capozzi’s body of work most impressive is that she had no previous experience in the equipment finance space. Her industries of origin were commodity trading software and petrochemicals – a universe apart. For more than a decade in those markets, she held senior leadership roles in trade financing managing all aspects of the banking relationships including securing loans to pay for trades, managing the borrowing base and generating letters of credit.

Now, Capozzi is doing the same thing for NMEF. Her primary function is managing all facets of NMEF’s banking relationships. Her key responsibilities include ensuring appropriate liquidity for NMEF, managing the borrowing bases, bank covenant compliance and monthly reporting. Moreover, she is implementing a treasury management system to improve reporting and forecasting abilities. The solution will connect the finance management function directly to NMEF’s banking partners resulting in a much swifter, automated process that will significantly eliminate the manual workload.

Ultimately, the initiative will have a resounding impact and strengthen NMEF’s relationships with those who provide the funding the company so heavily relies on. Additionally, Capozzi has participated in three NMEF securitizations and manages the company’s warehouse facilities.

“Successful organizations, like North Mill Equipment Finance, are embedding artificial intelligence and machine learning into their business models, most notably those initiatives that impact customer service,” Capozzi says. “For finance companies like North Mill, I believe AI will play an ever-increasing role in operations, the credit process, financial management and risk management, which, ultimately, will have a profound impact on business performance. I’m excited about the future and look forward to bringing these programs to life.”

Capozzi has an innate ability to quickly earn respect from colleagues and leadership alike, in part due to her work ethic, consistency, innovation and commitment to continuous improvement. Her leadership style is one that invests in people with a focus on developing individuals in an open and collaborative culture.

Capozzi remains eternally grateful to the leaders at NMEF, who recognized her potential and solid skillset early on: Mark Bonanno, president of NMEF, and Pier Snider, chief financial officer of NMEF. According to Capozzi, they have had an enormous influence on her career, having mentored her both personally and professionally. Everything she knows about the industry, she says, is because of them.

“Capozzi is a passionate leader and an inspiration for her team; she leads from the heart,” Snider says. “I have witnessed her transformation from a great finance professional into an extraordinary business leader. She takes extreme ownership with everything she takes on and has been a key contributor to our continued success and growth.”

“For finance companies like North Mill, I believe ai will play an ever-increasing role in operations, the credit process, financial management and risk management, which, ultimately, will have a profound impact on business performance. I’m excited about the future and look forward to bringing these programs to life.”