APPROVE announced Finance Coordinator Mackenzie O’Connell has earned the Certified Lease & Finance Professional (CLFP) credential. This industry-leading certification will enable O’Connell to bring a new level of knowledge to her work, assuring that applications move smoothly through APPROVE’s tech-driven financing platform, which has drawn attention as an industry disruptor.

O’Connell has worked at APPROVE since 2019, and has held roles in customer support, recruiting and finance operations. Her work as a finance coordinator provides an important human touch to the tech-driven platform, which uses a network of lenders and data-driven technology to match customers at all credit levels with their best-fit lenders.

The CLFP is known as the preeminent credential for equipment leasing and financing professionals throughout the world. Candidates must demonstrate strong knowledge of the industry by sitting for an eight-hour exam, and they must commit to continuing education and adherence to the CLFP Foundation’s standards of professional conduct.

O’Connell is the second member of APPROVE’s finance operations team—in addition to Vice President of Finance Operations Jim Howard—to become a CLFP. She said she sought the certification to more closely understand the equipment financing needs of the APPROVE customers she serves. These include equipment distributors and dealers in industries including foodservice, construction, manufacturing and more.

“I chose to pursue the CLFP designation to expand my knowledge in all stages of the equipment financing process,” she said. “I am so excited to be a part of this foundation and I am looking forward to using this knowledge first-hand with customers to further support their equipment-finance needs.”