Brianna Wilson,
Managing Editor,
Monitor

That’s the focus of this year-end issue. Combining deep industry expertise with passion and care, Monitor’s sixth annual list of the Top 50 Women in Equipment Finance exemplifies the essential qualities needed to be a great leader who fosters an exceptional company culture and moves their business, and the industry, successfully into the future.

Continuing on the path of highlighting and elevating women across the industry, Monitor also sat down with three women leaders who, in the past few years, have been promoted to particularly notable positions — Tina Eickhoff of U.S. Bank, Leigh Lytle of the ELFA and Yke Hoefsmit of DLL — to discuss the definition of success and how other women can define and achieve it for themselves.

Another centerpiece of this issue is the annual Bank 50 ranking. Banks have had an interesting year, to say the least, but continue to show resilience and optimism — though, in a much more cautious manner than we saw the prior year.

Valerie L. Gerard, Jim Jackson, Jim Merrilees, Rick Remiker and David Wiener of The Alta Group discuss the forces shaping equipment finance’s future, including interest rate drops and political shifts, and offer strategies for navigating the complex economic landscape.

We rounded up summaries and key takeaways from the most popular of the more than 160 stories posted to Suite, by Monitor through the first three quarters of the year, including the implications of Basel III Endgame, emerging technologies and innovation, insights from equipment finance leaders and trends in certain sectors of the industry.

In Capital Markets Corner, Scott Kiley discusses how hiring the right personnel for a capital markets group will result in funding stability, syndication fee income and diversified asset growth.

In The Tomorrow Zone, Deborah Reuben reflects on highlights from her column this year, rounding up takeaways from each of the six leaders she talked to about innovation through 2024. She explores how the traits of true innovation — curiosity, courage and humanity — are shaping the future and are vital to formulating a strategic approach to AI and innovation in 2025.

In Doing the Work, we discuss the “DE&I cycle” (often, one step forward results in two, three or 10 steps back), which is primarily a result of underrepresentation of affected groups in decision making positions.

As we turn the page from our last issue of 2024, stay tuned for our first 2025 (Jan/Feb) issue, which will focus on our second annual Best Companies in Equipment Finance list, and provide more information about Converge: The Virtual Experience.

On behalf of the Monitor staff, we wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season and best of luck wrapping up all those year-end details!