OPORTUN

according to the Consumer Financial

Protection Bureau ( CFPB ).

“ Our goal is to be able to lend them

the money they need today while

helping them establish the credit

history that will help them move forward with their lives tomorrow ,” comments Oportun VP of IT , Hiba Sharief . Oportun ’ s work providing unsecured loans to people with limited or no credit history earned it the 2018 LendIt Award for Financial Inclusion and recognition as a Finalist in the inaugural WSJ Financial Inclusion Challenge for the US this year .

According to Sharief , people

underestimate the importance of having a credit history and score . “ When I moved to the United States in the mid-90s , we couldn ’ t even get an apartment without someone running a credit check ,” she says .

Oportun disbursed its first loan in 2006 from a folding card table at a grocery store in California . By 31 March 2018 , it had disbursed more

than $ 5bn dollars through more than

two million loans . It currently operates

270-plus retail locations in low-tomoderate income neighborhoods

in addition to contact centres and

a mobile platform . “ We want our customers to choose the option that works best for them , whether that means applying in person , using their mobile phone to apply

online or calling one of our contact centre agents ,” adds Sharief .

VP of IT

Hiba Sharief is a seasoned technology executive fueled by a passion for innovation , growth and impact . She currently serves as Vice President of Information Technology at Oportun , a financial technology company with the mission of providing affordable loans to people with little or no credit history so they can establish credit and build a better future . In her role , Sharief leverages more than 15 years of leadership and hands-on expertise in the areas of technology strategy , architecture , and largescale business and technology transformations to build and lead effective , cross-functional teams that can enable business agility and results

240 June 2018