San Francisco – (Business Wire) — Earnest, a fintech company committed to making higher education accessible and affordable for everyone, today announced two strategic additions to its executive team: Chief People Officer (CPO) Leanne Loveday-Smith, SPHR, MS and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) meet Caria. These two will play a central role in realizing the company’s ambitious plans to serve students by ensuring Earnest has the right people, technology and processes in place.
Loveday-Smith has expertise in the high-growth technology sector. She will accelerate plans to strengthen Earnest’s fully remote work environment and enhance the organization’s community culture. With nearly 20 years of global HR experience, she will oversee HR and talent acquisition with a focus on leadership development, talent engagement and advancement, and building high-performing teams. Previously, Loveday-Smith held senior talent management roles at Oura, Mixpanel, Acumen LLC, and Appian Corporation, where she honed her expertise in developing and coaching HR teams and impactful programs.
Karia will help evolve the company’s technology strategy, platform and delivery to support a more holistic, innovative and reliable customer experience. With over 25 years of technology and product development experience, he specializes in building scalable, modern solutions and leading high-performing, innovative and diverse teams. Additionally, Karia will bring his extensive experience in security and privacy to help ensure Earnest continues to keep its user data front and center. During his 10-year tenure at The Zebra, he helped grow an insurtech company into a “unicorn,” where he served as CTO and Chief Data Officer, responsible for driving transparency and simplicity in the consumer experience.
“Earnest is focused on supporting students throughout their education and preparing them for long-term success,” said Earnest CEO David Green. “We have great ambitions that Meetesh and Leanne share with passion. Their experience, expertise and collective commitment to this vision will help us raise the bar and deliver greater value to our clients.”
“I’m delighted to learn that one of Earnest’s company values is ‘passion for challenge,'” affirms Loveday-Smith. “There is nothing I love more than advancing traditional HR approaches. I believe building strong, real relationships—virtual and in-person—is what creates real value. When interconnected communities work together to solve difficult When challenged, businesses, individuals and society all benefit.”
“Earnest is solving a problem that I believe is important to our collective society,” Karia said. “I am encouraged by the company’s efforts to simplify, streamline and humanize education lending and am excited to play a role in making it happen.”
Since 2015, Earnest has provided students with financial support and the tools they need to get on the right financial track. To date, the company has helped more than 228,000 borrowers access more than $19.2 billion in student loan financing to pay back their student loans on their own terms. In 2021, Earnest acquired Going Merry, a financial aid and scholarship application platform that connects students with grants and scholarships, minimizing a student’s total educational debt.
For more information about Earnest, visit www.earnest.com.
about being serious
Earnest is a fintech lender focused on education finance with a mission to make higher education accessible and affordable for everyone. Founded in 2013 on the belief that financially responsible people deserve better choices and access to credit, Earnest’s loan products enable anyone seeking higher education to lower the overall price of their education, enhancing their ability to pay off their student debt ability and get the right financial status tracking fast.
Earnest is a subsidiary of Navient (NASDAQ: NAVI). Learn more at earnest.com.
Earnest loans are offered by Earnest Operations LLC or One American Bank, Member FDIC. Earnest Operations LLC, NMLS #1204917. 535 Mission St., Suite 1663, San Francisco, CA 94105. California Financial Law License No. 6054788. Visit www.earnest.com/licenses for a complete list of licensing states. For California Residents: Loans will be arranged or issued as permitted by the California Financing Laws. One American Bank, 515 S. Minnesota Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57104.
Earnest Loans are serviced by Earnest Operations LLC with support from Navient Solutions LLC (NMLS #212430). One American Bank and Earnest LLC and their subsidiaries (including Earnest Operations LLC) are not sponsored by US institutions.
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