Star Hill Financial LLC announced Ali Bligh has joined the firm as Senior Vice President, Credit for the Franchise Division. In this role, Bligh will support the underwriting of franchise transactions for the quick service restaurant industry, working closely with the firm’s sales and operations teams to help drive further growth and continue to provide outstanding customer service and move quickly through the financing process.

“We are very excited to have Ali join the franchise division,” said Keith Smith, Star Hill’s President of Equipment and Franchise Finance. “She brings a tremendous amount of experience underwriting and structuring franchise transactions.”

Bligh joins Star Hill from Bridge Funding Group, a division of Bank United, where she spent the past seven years underwriting franchise transactions. Prior to Bridge, Bligh worked in credit and workout functions for GE Capital, Citigroup and Bank One.

“After 19-long COVID months, I am excited to join the Star Hill team and get back to doing what I love: helping franchisees nurture and grow their businesses,” said Bligh. She holds an MBA with a concentration in finance from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and a BA in Finance and Spanish from Butler University.

“Ali is a great cultural fit for Star Hill,” added Hollis Bufferd, Chief Executive Officer. “She has deep experience working with several of our team members and has demonstrated a unique ability as an underwriter to build bridges between the sales team and the credit to support customer growth.”

Star Hill Financial LLC is a certified Women Business Enterprise based in Fairfield, CT. Star Hill’s business is comprised of three divisions: Equipment Finance, Franchise Finance and Advisory Services.