The Certified Lease & Finance Professional Foundation added seven new CLFPs who recently sat through the eight-hour online CLFP exam, including Katoh Hamadou Kone, head of retail and SME banking at BICICI, BNP Paribas Group, who became the first CLFP in Africa.

The entire group of new CLFPs includes:

• Todd Chase, CLFP – Senior Vice President of Sales at Ascentium Capital
• Jacob Griffin, CLFP – Vice President of Sales at Ascentium Capital
• Rhonda Howlett, CLFP – Assistant Vice President at Key Equipment Finance
• Thomas Long, CLFP Associate – Broker at Impact Commercial Capital
• Katoh Hamadou Kone, CLFP – Head of Retail and SME Banking at BICICI, BNP Paribas Group
• Chad Schaffner, CLFP – Vice President of Sales at Ascentium Capital
• Armando Yepez, CLFP – Senior Business Development Manager at Wintrust Commercial Finance

“Getting this certification was important to me because it gave me more skills and knowledge in the field of leasing and equipment finance,” Kone said. “There is something to do and I am eager to play a significant role in the development of this field to provide a better and well fitted financial solution in a country where only 15% of the equipment market is financed.”

The CLFP designation identifies individuals as knowledgeable professionals to employers, clients, customers and peers in the equipment finance industry. There are currently 979 active CLFPs and associates in the United States, Canada, India, Africa and Australia.