VC-Backed Think Finance Names New Chief Analytics Officer

Think Finance said Wednesday that it has named Craig A. Nies as chief analytics officer. Previously, Nies served as vice president and global head of software development at Opera Solutions. Backed by Sequoia Capital and Technology Crossover Ventures, Think Finance is a producer of online financial products.

PRESS RELEASE

FORT WORTH, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Think Finance, a leading developer of online financial products that bridge the gap between payday loans and credit cards, today announced it has named Craig A. Nies as Chief Analytics Officer.
In this role, Mr. Nies will be responsible for all predictive analytics, including the development of new models for marketing, risk and fraud across the company’s suite of solutions. He will also lead research and development of advanced modeling techniques that leverage new Big Data sources and technologies.
“Craig brings an impressive background in designing and deploying new models for predictive analytics. His expertise will be a great complement to our already strong team and will help us continue to innovate and refine our products to better serve our customers,” said Ken Rees, Chief Executive Officer, Think Finance. “We are thrilled to welcome Craig to the company.”
Prior to joining Think Finance, Mr. Nies served as Vice President and Global Head of Software Development at Opera Solutions, where he engineered a Big Data analytics platform that streamlined the development and deployment of predictive analytics and machine learning across a variety of domains. Before that, he served as Vice President, Software Development and Chief Architect for Global Analytics. He also held several management positions at HNC Software Inc. and Fair Isaac.
“Think Finance has been at the forefront of leveraging Big Data to provide better options for the financially underserved consumer,” said Mr. Nies. “The company is a true leader in the space and I look forward to contributing to its mission of responsibly serving consumers who currently lack access to traditional credit products.”
Mr. Nies graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of California – San Diego.
About Think Finance
Think Finance develops online financial products that bridge the gap between payday loans and credit cards. Using our technology and analytics platform, Think Finance and the lenders we work with have provided over $3.5 billion in credit to 1.5 million consumers in the U.S. and abroad and have saved customers over $1 billion compared to payday loans. Think Finance is privately held and is backed by some of Silicon Valley’s most respected venture capital firms including Sequoia Capital and Technology Crossover Ventures. The company was recently named No. 2 on Forbes’ America’s Most Promising Companies list. Learn more at www.ThinkFinance.com.