Conrad Nilsen joined Dext Capital in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Joining the company at such a turbulent time reinforced Nilsen’s belief that great teams can accomplish incredible things. In 2020, Dext outperformed its pre-COVID-19 plan, commenced a second warehouse credit facility, added several new vendor partners and issued its first ABS term deal.

“The entire team stepped up, and I feel fortunate to work alongside such a talented and dedicated group,” Nilsen says.

Nilsen’s responsibilities are primarily based in structured finance, corporate FP&A and data management. On most days, he creates and validates reports that influence Dext’s credit facilities, maintains rolling forecast models and budget variance analysis and works with Dext’s IT group to determine solutions for upcoming operational needs.

“I appreciate that this role allows me to serve as a substantial contributor to many of our business processes, such as creating the annual financial plan and compiling monthly servicer reports,” Nilsen says.

While at Dext and in prior roles, Nilsen developed a leadership philosophy grounded in foresight and optimization. He believes he is at his best when he develops automation and uses personal insight to be agile, accurate and engaged with corporate objectives.

“For me, the best way to exhibit these traits is to remain perceptive and anticipate future needs and obstacles,” Nilsen says. “This mindset is essential to scale with a growing company. In addition, I found this approach allows me to act as a stronger strategic player. Ultimately, my aim is to contribute sophisticated insight into corporate strategy and help others better understand the mechanics of the business.”