Leadership

Sundip Patel is a visionary entrepreneur whose journey embodies resilience and a deep commitment to social impact. Immigrating from Zambia as a child, his early experiences instilled in him a lifelong dedication to financial equity and community empowerment.

He earned an MSc in Social Business & Entrepreneurship from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an MBA from the University of California, Irvine, and holds CPA and CMA licenses. Sundip is a lifelong member of YPO.

Since founding AVANA Companies in 2002, Sundip has grown it into a family of three world-class brands—AVANA Capital, AVANA CUSO, and EqualSeat™—to become a top private credit platform united by the mission “Delivering Capital for a Better Tomorrow.” As CEO, he oversees these entities and leads EqualSeat™, a fractional loan-trading platform that democratizes access for both retail and accredited investors.

Under his stewardship, AVANA Companies, the holding company for AVANA Capital and AVANA CUSO, was named an Inc. 5000 firm, has secured over $6.5 billion in funding to date, manages more than $1+ billion in private credit assets, and created over 5,500 jobs worldwide. AVANA CUSO stands as the nation’s leading provider of full-service lending solutions to credit unions.

In addition to serving on the board of AVANA Bank in Abilene, Texas, Sundip is spearheading strategic expansions into Saudi Arabia through Ezdaher Financing Company and into India via LendThrive Finance Private Limited. Beyond his business ventures, Sundip founded the Giggle Foundation to support underprivileged children.

Splitting his time between Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, India, and Phoenix, Arizona, he continues to inspire future generations as a sought-after speaker on socially and environmentally conscious business practices.

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As Chief Lending Officer at AVANA Companies and Chair of the Board at AVANA Bank, Sanat Patel brings more than three decades of experience in financial services, private credit and commercial banking, with a proven track record in loan structuring, risk management, and balance sheet growth.

Sanat has led strategic initiatives that connect institutional capital with entrepreneurial ambition, supporting the growth of businesses, and  owners engaged in commercial real estate across the U.S. He has built and scaled lending platforms in partnership with banks and credit unions, developing tailored financial solutions that drive job creation and foster inclusive economic development.

Sanat’s earlier career includes leadership roles at JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Household Bank, where he consistently ranked among the top performers nationwide. He is widely recognized for creating innovative niche-lending programs and pioneering “social underwriting,” a relationship-based credit approach that evaluates borrowers’ community ties and business character—particularly for underserved communities.

Sanat holds an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management (2021), is a graduate of California State University at Fullerton, and has completed executive banking studies at the Pacific Coast Banking School. A dedicated community leader, he served as President of the Phoenix Chapter of Pratham USA (2020–2024) and currently serves on the Board of Community Housing Works (San Diego) as Chair of the Finance Committee. He is also a former board member of the Arizona Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

With a servant-leadership philosophy grounded in integrity and humility, Sanat is committed to delivering sustainable value to clients, investors, and community partners. Sanat remains focused on building lending solutions that not only generate financial results but also uplift communities and fuel lasting impact.

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Yiqing Wang brings a global perspective and strong operational acumen to AVANA Companies as Chief Operating Officer and Business Head of AVANA CUSO. With a background in management consulting at McKinsey & Company, she has advised C-suite leaders across industries on large-scale operational transformation, digital strategy, and GenAI-enabled innovation—delivering measurable outcomes such as £500M+ in cost savings and significant process optimization.

Her prior roles include leading EMEA growth at Windtech Consultants and driving sales performance and strategic bids at BMT Global, where she consistently accelerated revenue and expanded market presence. Yiqing’s track record includes securing multimillion-dollar deals, launching strategic partnerships, and building scalable, data-driven systems that enhance performance and ROI.

An MBA graduate from INSEAD and Dean’s List scholar, Yiqing also holds a Master’s from Imperial College London. She combines deep technical insight with strategic leadership to enhance AVANA’s operational capabilities and support its mission to deliver long-term, impact-driven value to clients and investors.

Matt has over 25 years of lending experience and currently serves as the Chief Credit Officer for AVANA. Prior to joining AVANA Capital, Matt was Senior VP and Director of National Real Estate lending for Zions Bank. In that role, he oversaw the bank’s nationwide commercial real estate lending platform with a primary focus in SBA 504 lending.

During his 16 years at Zions, the National Real Estate Group originated over $10 billion in commercial real estate loans, including nearly $5 billion in SBA 504 1st mortgage loans. He brings deep experience, having managed a $5.0 billion CRE portfolio through the global financial crisis and overseeing the secondary market program at Zions Bank.

Matt earned an MBA from the University of Utah in 2010. He also graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from University of Utah in 1998. In 2005, he graduated from the Pacific Coast Banking School.

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Mae Monnette Julian-Ulfindo, CPA, CMA, CSCA, has over a decade of experience in accounting, auditing, and financial management. As the VP-Finance Controller at AVANA Companies, she leads cross-functional teams and drives initiatives that enhance operational efficiency and support the company’s expansion. She oversees several functions such as financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and investor reporting.

Prior to joining AVANA Companies, Mae Monnette built a strong foundation at Ernst & Young, earning accolades for technical excellence and innovative contributions. She led the team to audit financial statements in compliance with IFRS and ISA and led the discussion of audit issues and recommendations to clients. She had also been a part of EY Middle East and North Africa (MENA) where she was involved in the preparation of various technical materials as guidance for the auditors across the EY- MENA region and participated in the development of innovative solutions and digitalization of audit processes and data analytics.

Mae graduated as Magna Cum Laude from Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

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Brianna is a seasoned credit union professional with 25 years of experience in the industry, most of which she has dedicated to advancing the mission of Credit Unions, through their relationships with the CUSO. She began her career immediately after earning her BA in Human Resources from Concordia University, launching into the credit union world through a Human Resources role at a local CU. From there, she built a comprehensive understanding of credit union operations, lending, risk management, and strategic development.

Over the course of her career, Brianna has worked across every department within the CUSO, gaining a 360-degree perspective on how to serve and support credit union partners effectively. In her current leadership role at AVANA Companies, she is responsible for managing and deepening relationships with credit union partners across the entire lifecycle—from onboarding through to long-term engagement and growth. She serves as the primary executive liaison for CU stakeholders and champions the voice of the credit union customer internally, helping to shape product roadmaps, service offerings, and communication strategies.

A recognized Credit Union Development Educator, Brianna is passionate about the credit union movement and remains deeply committed to its philosophy of people helping people. Her work continues to empower credit unions to better serve their members and strengthen their communities.