Bochenek, who has served as Avant COO since 2019, will succeed James Paris, who will become Vice Chairman
Avant, a leading financial technology company that offers a full array of digital banking products to middle income US consumers, announced the appointment of Matt Bochenek as CEO. He will succeed James Paris, who has served as CEO since January 2020. Paris will transition into a new role as Vice Chairman of Avant.
Bochenek has been COO of Avant since 2019 and brings nearly 20 years of experience in financial services to the role. As one of the company’s earliest employees, he has played a significant role in shaping Avant’s business over the past eight years, including spinning off the company’s SaaS business, Amount, in 2020; helping shape the company’s COVID-19 response and heightened support for customers undergoing financial hardship; and the April 2021 acquisition of Zero Financial, Inc. Prior to joining Avant, Bochenek spent over a decade at Superfund Asset Management, a global provider of alternative investment products, most recently as a managing director of business development and strategy.
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“Matt brings to the table a simultaneous strategic vision and unmatched understanding of our operations,” said Al Goldstein, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Avant. “This has been Matt’s path for a long time. He has shown tremendous leadership in the face of complex business decisions, and I’m looking forward to working with him and our entire executive team to guide us through Avant’s next phase.”
During his six year tenure with Avant, Paris orchestrated some of the company’s most significant strategic initiatives, including the spin-off of Amount and the company’s digital banking evolution, which includes the acquisition of Zero Financial and its neobank, Level. Under his leadership, Avant surpassed the 1.5 million customer milestone in 2020 and is now poised to deliver a full suite of banking products and services to even more consumers.
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“It has been a great honor to work with such a talented team of leaders and employees at Avant to bring innovative and transparent financial products to underserved consumers and I look forward to continuing to help drive Avant’s strategy over time,” said Paris. “The company is in great hands with Matt Bochenek’s proven leadership and the team around him, and is poised for tremendous growth and success.”
“James’ depth of experience in capital markets and consumer lending has enabled the evolution of both Avant and Amount over the past six years,” said Goldstein. “James has provided strong leadership through corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions and a global pandemic, all while driving growth and setting Avant up for long-term success. I am grateful for his contributions to date and look forward to having him by my side as a strategic voice that informs our long-term vision.”
