Fox Ridge Capital, a hybrid commercial finance company, added David Lyder has joined the company as president. Lyder brings strengths in accounting, mergers and acquisitions, finance and operations and over two decades of equipment finance expertise with a proven record of building teams, optimizing operations and driving growth at fast-growing organizations.
Lyder will lead Fox Ridge Capital’s strategy and execution to support an aggressive growth trajectory and deepen client service capabilities.
“The opportunity to build something from the ground up again is a privilege,” Lyder said. “The challenge, and the fun, is curating the right culture while growing at a responsible pace. As AI evolves and accelerates, innovation leadership becomes a defining differentiator. We will be at the center, never standing still as we expand our value proposition to exceed market expectations.”
Lyder began his career in public accounting, and for over a decade learned how closely held and family-owned businesses functioned. He entered the equipment finance industry in 2006 when he joined Direct Capital, where he served as controller before rising to senior vice president of operations and finance. During his tenure, he implemented operational best practices and efficiencies, producing a foundation that successfully navigated multiple economic environments. He played an influential role in building the organization from startup to more than $600 million in annual originations which laid the groundwork for a successful acquisition by CIT Bank.
In 2014, Lyder joined Ascentium Capital as senior vice president of direct sales, later advancing to executive vice president of sales and group manager of Regions Bank. Under his leadership, he was widely recognized as a leader who created a unified culture that focused on innovation.
Lyder’s career accomplishments include:
- Positioned Direct Capital as a market leader that provided over 80,000 small and mid-sized businesses with over $2.25 billion in lending solutions
- Instrumental in driving growth as Direct Capital was recognized on the Inc. 500/5000 list of the fastest-growing private U.S. businesses and Monitor 100 for top growth companies
- Continued Ascentium Capital’s momentum as the company was designated the largest private independent in the United States multiple years
- Strategic execution resulted in an increase of over 200% in origination volume at Ascentium Capital during the course of his tenure
- Championed cohesive corporate cultures with more than 400 employees under his leadership at Ascentium Capital to drive growth initiatives while managing risk
- Guided two organizations through successful merger and acquisition processes via his financial, data-driven and analytical acumen
- Scaled sales organizations and strengthened the ethos of innovation to drive long-term transformation balanced with near-term initiatives
“I’m excited to be working with Dave again. I chose him as my successor at Ascentium with one of the driving factors being his hallmark approach as a disruptor. He will be instrumental as we reimagine commercial lending,” Tom Depping, CEO of Fox Ridge Capital, said. “His achievement-focused drive is exactly what we need as we enter the market in an ever-increasing competitive landscape. He will be critical in developing our value strategy using the combined power of technology, operational excellence, finance and risk modeling.”
Lyder holds a bachelor of science in accounting from the University of Connecticut.
