Amber Benavides,
Chief Credit Officer,
Honour Capital
In a previous role as a director of credit risk management, Amber Benavides helped establish a de novo bank in Chattanooga, TN. In that role, she was charged with building a knowledgeable, forward thinking and creative team that would help support and drive the growth of the bank, which became a top performing bank in Tennessee and reported top growth numbers for de novo banks started in 2007. The opportunity to be part of that team helped prepare her for her most recent venture in establishing Honour Capital.
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VISION FOR THE FUTURE: “In our industry, we are consistently met with the challenge of growing our portfolios while mitigating the risks of the portfolio at the same time. As we want to do this in an educated and responsible way, I am intrigued by finding ways to leverage new technology for faster response times while maintaining low default rates through the utilization of artificial intelligence.” |
“Amber has helped procure well over $50 million in funding for equipment since the inception of Honour Capital,” Karly Zeller, senior credit manager at Honour Capital, says. “She is the engine behind the Honour Capital team, and she is professional, driven, hard-working and upholds the highest level of integrity in her work. Amber knows how to command an audience but will go out of her way to welcome every individual. She has been able to build relationships with numerous funding sources while managing the operations and credit department. Amber’s strategic vision and values make her an inspiring leader to those around her.”
Benavides is integral to establishing credit and operations teams and syndication relationships in the industry. In her current role, she strives to understand the needs of customers by finding flexible and creative solutions to help support business objectives and to help provide capital to support the growth. Benavides says the name of Honour Capital was intentional for various reasons, as the company’s goal is to honor its customers and employees and to be servant leaders in the communities it serves. Benavides supports various organizations in the community, including Rebuilding Together Twin Cities and Second Harvest Heartland Food Bank, and enjoys supporting her two children in a youth hockey program in Wayzata, MN.
Benavides’ primary goal as a leader is to encourage collaboration, creativity and innovation. One person can have a great idea, but it takes an entire team to develop and implement it successfully, which is something that Benevides says she’s learned over the years of establishing new companies. Her goal at Honour Capital is to strengthen and elevate her team through continuing education, mentorship and new opportunities within the organization.
