Leasepath has expanded its leadership team with the addition of equipment finance industry veteran Michael Baez as Vice President of Professional Services and Customer Strategy.
A thought leader within the equipment finance industry for more than two decades, Baez will provide leadership and direction to Leasepath as it continues its rapid growth. In this newly created leadership position, Baez will lead the company’s delivery and implementation practices as well as oversee the development of new customer offerings.
“We are in a period of rapid growth and adding Mike to the leadership team will ensure that we continue to exceed customer expectations at all phases – from design through the hand off and beyond,” said Leasepath CEO Jeff Bilbrey. “Mike’s unique mix of skills and experience is exactly what we need at Leasepath to help lead us into the next phase of our growth.”
Baez brings to Leasepath unmatched experience having spent more than 35 years in the financial services industry working across multiple business domains including equipment finance, commercial and consumer lending, credit and risk administration, payments, private banking, operations and technology.
A resident of New Jersey, Baez served for over eight years as a Director of Banking & Diversified Financials at Capgemini. In this role, he oversaw IT strategy, system selection and digital transformation efforts within the leasing and lending practice. Additionally, he was the managing editor and a contributing author for eight years to the annual ELFA Business Technology Performance Index (BTPI) presented jointly by Capgemini and Equipment Leasing & Finance Association.
Baez began building his expertise with Citigroup where he held positions of increasing responsibility throughout his 24-year career including time as Vice President, Senior Client Manager with CitiCapital. During his career, he also spent time working with SunGard Financial Services and GE Treasury.
Baez is equipped to implement more efficient processes, improve customer engagement and support systems, and help Leasepath’s talented development and delivery teams better understand the needs, goals, and pain points of equipment finance businesses. Such insights will allow the Leasepath team to ideate new solutions to ensure users stay on the forefront of asset finance technology.
“Businesses today want to implement solutions and changes at a faster pace than ever before,” said Baez. “The Leasepath platform is the best-kept secret in equipment finance. Built on the latest technology, Leasepath can deliver on the pace of change that the industry desires so that our customers be competitive not just today but also tomorrow. I am excited to come aboard at a time when Leasepath is poised to change the industry.”
Over the years, Baez has been an active member of ELFA and has served on numerous committees including the ELFA Equality Steering Committee, the ELFA Technology Working Group and had served as Executive Sponsor for Capgemini’s Hispanic Opportunity and Leadership Achievement (HOLA) Employee Resource Group. He earned both his Master of Business Administration in Finance and Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Long Island University.