SOURCE Happy Money

Seasoned credit and risk executive joins to drive credit strategy and fuel meaningful growth for the consumer finance leader

TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Happy Money, a leading consumer finance company dedicated to empowering individuals through responsible lending, today announced the appointment of Gaurav Agarwal as its new Chief Credit Officer. In this role, Gaurav will spearhead Happy Money's risk and analytics functions, driving strategic initiatives to optimize portfolio performance and align risk management efforts with overall business objectives.

Together, this high-caliber leadership team positions Happy Money for its next phase of sustainable, responsible growth.

Gaurav brings decades of strong experience and knowledge around credit policy, pricing, underwriting, balance sheet optimization, risk management and collections. His track record of innovation and leadership includes his most recent tenure as Chief Credit Officer at BlueChip Financial, where he transformed the company's credit, fraud, finance and marketing functions. Previously, Gaurav served as EVP and Chief Credit and Analytics Officer at Cognition Financial, where he developed and implemented new credit and pricing models and supported a major capital raise. Gaurav has also held leadership positions at Citizens Financial Group, Inc., Royal Bank of Scotland and Capital One Corporation.

"Happy Money is at the forefront of providing affordable and accessible financial solutions, empowering individuals to use money as a tool for their happiness-an essential need in today's world," said Agarwal. "I'm honored to join this forward-thinking team that leads with its core values of love, trust and hustle in all that they do. I look forward to leveraging my experience to propel the company's credit strategy forward, helping even more individuals reduce financial stress and achieve their goals through lending."

Gaurav's appointment comes at a pivotal moment as U.S. credit card debt soars past $1.17 trillion, compounded by persistent inflation and high interest rates that strain household budgets. His expertise and perspective will be instrumental in fortifying Happy Money's risk management strategies, driving strong credit performance and fostering a culture of data-driven decision-making throughout the organization. 

This latest addition bolsters Happy Money's impressive leadership bench, which saw significant growth in the past year with the appointments of Matt Potere as Chief Executive Officer, Michael Chamberlayne as Chief Financial Officer, Ashley Utz as Chief People Officer and Matt Tomko as Chief Revenue Officer. Together, this high-caliber leadership team positions Happy Money for its next phase of sustainable, responsible growth.

"We are building something special at Happy Money, and Gaurav's expertise is an essential part of our strategy for meaningful growth and impact on consumers' lives," said Matt Potere, CEO of Happy Money. "His extensive knowledge in risk management, credit policy and portfolio optimization will bring significant value to our lending partners and the borrowers we serve together, reinforcing our commitment to use lending as a force for good."

About Happy Money

Happy Money is a consumer finance company that empowers people to achieve their goals through responsible lending. With its fully digital platform, Happy Money partners with credit unions, banks and asset managers to originate high-quality loans, unlocking balance sheet diversification and scale. 

Backed by leading investors like TruStage Ventures, Happy Money provides a turnkey acquisition, underwriting and originations channel for financial institutions to grow as a force for good in their communities. Together with their capital partner network, Happy Money has originated over $6 billion in loans representing more than 300,000 individuals who have taken greater control of their financial futures. Learn more at happymoney.com.

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