Monitor 100 CEOs Discuss Transforming Leadership for a New Era

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Monitor 100 CEOs Discuss Transforming Leadership for a New Era

The equipment finance industry’s enduring resiliency means it is always adapting and in today’s era, that means transforming how to lead to ensure success now and in the future. With how we work changing daily and employees looking for more from company leadership, Monitor 100 executives will gather for a special livestream for Monitor Suite members to discuss how they approach leadership, how they develop future leaders and how they respond to the demand for a transformative type of leadership.

This is a Member Live+ event, which are only available to members of Monitor Suite, Monitor‘s newly unveiled subscription platform for exclusive premium equipment finance industry content. Along with Member Live+ events, Monitor Suite members have access to high-quality video streaming series, a library of in-depth data reports and much more. The platform officially launched on Aug. 9 and is currently available for an introductory annual rate of $99. Group rates are also available.

Click here to learn more and subscribe to gain access to this event and much more.

Moderator:

Lisa Rafter
Publisher, Monitor

Lisa Rafter has been in the equipment leasing and specialty finance industries for more than 30 years, most notably as publisher of Monitor Magazine, ABF Journal, IFA’s Commercial Factor magazine and NACLB’s DealMaker Magazine. Rafter is also CEO of Molloy Associates. Molloy is a boutique executive recruitment firm focused on the equipment finance and asset-based lending industries. In addition, Rafter is founder and CEO of Stripes Leadership Program, a program designed to develop the leaders of tomorrow’s equipment finance industry.

As the former editor and current publisher of the aforementioned publications, Rafter was instrumental in the creation of many ground-breaking products such as the Monitor 100, the annual ranking of the top 100 equipment finance companies, monitordaily.com, the industry’s first website and daily e-news blast, World Leasing News, the industry’s first online magazine and ABF Journal, the asset-based lending industry’s first independent publication.

Rafter’s commitment to high performance doesn’t stop at the workplace. She is also involved in numerous community-building projects and services. Rafter delights in giving a voice to the unheard and, through various leadership roles, strives to provide people with the tools and distinctions to live an extraordinary life. With this commitment, Rafter has served on the boards of non-profit organizations and also has volunteered for many community organizations dedicated to serving at-risk populations. Currently, Rafter is on the board of MAGIC Charities and serves as the chair for the Adoption & Foster Care Committee.

Panelist:

David Walton

President and CEO, Caterpillar Financial

Dave Walton is a senior vice president of Caterpillar and president and CEO of Caterpillar Financial Services. He has administrative responsibility for the financial products division, which is comprised of Cat Financial and Cat Financial Insurance Services.

Walton joined Cat Financial in 1989 after four years with an Illinois bank. During his first ten years with the company, he held various credit, portfolio management and sales positions in the United States. He became corporate portfolio manager in 1999, where he was responsible for managing the corporate finance portfolio through policy, reporting and analysis. In 2001, he was named U.S. Southern region manager in Dallas, responsible for field operations from Texas to Florida. In 2003, Walton served as managing director of Northern Europe. Based in the UK, he was responsible for Cat Financial’s operations in the UK, Ireland, Nordic countries and the Netherlands.

From 2005 to 2011, Walton was Cat Financial vice president based in Singapore with administrative responsibility for Cat Financial’s nine Asia-Pacific offices, including Singapore, Japan, China and Australia. In 2006, he was also asked to form and lead Cat Financial’s global mining finance organization, Cat Mining Finance, which has equipment and project finance offices in Zurich, Melbourne and Nashville. From 2012 to 2017, he was based in Peoria, IL, with responsibility for U.S. sales, Canada sales and operations, corporate accounts and the Cat Financial commercial account product, while retaining his previous mining responsibilities.

Walton holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Indiana University and an MBA from Keller Graduate School in Chicago. He serves on the boards of the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville, Nashville Chamber of Commerce and FM Global.

Panelist:

Bill Stephenson

CEO, HPS Global Leasing

As HPS Global CEO, Bill Stephenson is responsible for the implementation of the platform’s strategic plans, with a focus on expanding and further integrating its global footprint to deliver integrated financial solutions to manufacturers and distribution partners in Europe and the United States. Stephenson has held a variety of senior industry positions over the past three decades, most recently serving as CEO and Chairman of DLL Financial Services, a global asset finance partner. He played an integral role in the emergence of DLL as a global market leader within the vendor finance and equipment leasing industry, with more than $36 billion of global leasing assets. After attending the United States Air Force Academy, he received his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University.

Panelist:

Nancy Robles

Chief Operating Officer, Compliance Officer, Eastern Funding

Nancy Robles is chief operating officer and compliance officer of Eastern Funding where she is responsible for all of the company’s day-to-day operational, technology, compliance and administrative functions.

Robles joined Eastern Funding in 2005 from Fleet Healthcare Capital Leasing and Bank of America. During her tenure at Eastern Funding, she has managed the company’s operations functions including credit, compliance, documentation, funding, loan servicing, legal and work-out, technology and human resources.

Outside of Eastern Funding, Robles serves on the board of the Berkeley College Scholarship Foundation, Brookline Bank’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, The Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation, Equipment Finance Cares Foundation as well as the Monitor Magazine’s Editorial board.

Robles has been recognized by Monitor Magazine as a Top Woman in Equipment Finance for 2020 and Leadership ICON for 2021. She has also been featured in Hispanic Executive Magazine.

Panelist:

Miles Herman

President and COO, LEAF Commercial Capital

Miles Herman is president and chief operating officer of LEAF Commercial Capital. Herman has 30 years of operations experience at commercial finance and leasing companies in various senior executive operational roles with Fidelity Leasing and its successor, the Technology Finance Group of CitiCapital Vendor Finance, as well as Tokai Financial Services, LSI Leasing Services and Master Lease Corporation. Herman was also a member of the executive committee of the board of directors of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) for several years.