Founded in 2019, Lendwise Consulting has helped companies large and small solve some of their most pressing challenges. Scott Rhode, Founder and Principal Consultant, can help your organization by evaluating the current state of the business to find opportunities to become more efficient and profitable.
Expertise:
With over 25 years of experience in the Financial Services industry, Scott is an executive leader that will partner with your Board or Executive Team to set the long-term strategy and vision while also executing on the tactical milestones to enable attainment of that strategy and vision. He has experience at start-ups, early-stage companies, and large, multi-national public companies with particular expertise in Consumer Lending.
Key Strengths include:
- Driving business efficiency through deployment of scalable technology
- Bringing structure and process discipline to less structured environments
- Running large cross-functional technology program and project management teams
- Creating or enhancing a sound, yet nimble Compliance Management System
- Leveraging Bank Partnerships for FinTechs and Platform Lenders
- Deploying automated credit decision, loan origination, and collections systems
Experience:
Scott has held leadership roles in Operations, Risk, Compliance, and Strategy at a variety of companies including early-stage FinTechs, community banks, and Fortune 500 companies. Most recently, Scott was the Chief Operating Officer at Century Consulting Services and Meritize Financial. In these roles, Scott was focused on enhancing the customer experience, driving efficiencies through technology, reducing compliance and credit risk, and championing a diverse, engaged, and mission-focused team.
Accomplishments
- Grew YoY revenue 25% and doubled EBITDA at Century Consulting Services
- Deployed company-wide servicing system, eliminating 3 disparate systems into a single platform, saving significant cost while increasing operational efficiency.
- Launched new, employee-focused tools to greatly improve performance management and peer to peer recognition
- Established budgeting, financial planning, and forecasting for the company where there was none prior
- Eliminated ineffective vendor relationships, saving the company more than $2m annually
- Guided the company through the pandemic, moving to a fully remote workforce without disrupting normal business operations
- Revamped the loan originations platform, introducing a mobile-friendly credit application, industry-standard decisioning system, and documents platform
- Moved Meritize from a bank-sponsored lending model to a state-by-state model quickly and efficiently
- Fostered inclusive culture, driving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives for the company
- Quickly drove improvements in change management processes to improve Operational Efficiency
- Deployed BorrowersFirst’s Compliance Management System, reducing compliance risk to the business and bank partner
- Reduced overall business and bank sponsor risk through improved reporting, complaint tracking, and issue mitigation
- Identified and implemented improvements in the EMEA credit process that reduced manual decisions by 30%
- Successfully negotiated strategic partnership agreement with primary credit decision engine provider to reduce overall costs by $1.5 Million over the life of the contract
- Played a key role in establishing Dell Bank International, LP in Ireland which was the first bank charter granted by the Central Bank of Ireland after the financial crisis in 2008
- Reduced spend by $250k for credit bureau data costs in EMEA through partnering with key suppliers
- Delivered all milestones for integration on time and within established budget
- Drove all Risk-related due diligence and integration activities for the acquisition of two businesses in Canada and Europe
- Led the system implementation to support the launch of Dell Preferred Account and Dell Business Credit with both cards driving significant financial returns to Dell