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MortgagePoint » Your Trusted Source for Mortgage Banking and Servicing News 18 July 2023 J O U R N A L focus on processes through a changing mac- roeconomy and Zillow's strategic shift toward the transaction," added Barton. "We're very grateful for Allen's leadership over the past five years, and for his continued support of the team over the next few quarters to ensure a smooth transition." Prior to joining Zillow, Hofmann spent nearly 10 years in financial services, predom- inantly at Goldman Sachs, where he was a VP of Investment Banking, closing more than $40 billion in transactions. "Being part of Zillow's growth over the last six years has been incredibly rewarding," Hofmann said. "Zillow has always been a leader in delivering transformative tech-en- abled solutions for customers and partners in real estate, and I couldn't be more optimistic about the opportunity in front of us. I'm excited to take on this new challenge, leading our business with a strong focus on driving revenue and prudently managing costs on behalf of our shareholders." DAN KELLET TAPPED AS NEW FIRSTCLOSE CTO Austin, Texas-based fintech provider FirstClose, Inc. has named Dan Kellett as the company's new Chief Technology Officer (CTO), bringing more than 10 years of experience as a software engineer and leader of develop- ment teams in SaaS organizations to the role. In his new role as CTO of FirstClose, Kellett will be responsible for overseeing the company's information technology and strategy spanning applications, data, cyberse- curity, and infrastructure. With many lenders looking to capitalize on the nearly $28 trillion home equity market, Kellett will play a pivotal role in the delivery of FirstClose's full suite of solutions, including FirstClose Equity for lenders and FirstClose Gateway for settlement services providers, as well as the buildout of future solutions. "We're pleased to welcome Dan to the FirstClose team. His skillset and knowledge of the latest technology trends will be invalu- able as we continue to innovate, grow, and expand our product suite," said Tedd Smith, CEO of FirstClose. "Dan has been charged with raising the bar on quality, scalability, performance, and security, and we are de- lighted to have him on board." Kellett brings more than a decade of engi- neering and information security expertise to FirstClose, most recently as Head of Technol- ogy and Architecture at Blink UX, where he was responsible for designing software sys- tems, collaborating with senior leadership on strategic initiatives, and providing technical guidance to the product development teams. Previously, Kellett was CTO of MarcomCen- tral, a marketing software firm. "It's exciting to join FirstClose at this time of immense change, challenges, and innovation in the mortgage industry," Kellett said. "FirstClose's focus on providing a true digital home equity experience makes this a unique opportunity, and by expanding the ecosystem leveraging our platforms and provider network, we'll increase our speed of adoption which will keep us at the forefront of mortgage innovation." DONNA CICHANI AND GAURAV JAIN JOIN VALID SYSTEMS VALID Systems, an account-based decisioning and machine learning model provider that works with banks to improve the customer experience and reduce risk, has added Donna Cichani, a former executive with JPMorgan Chase, as SVP of Product Management, while Gaurav Jain, a former Senior Product Manag- er at Capital One, has joined as SVP of Credit and Product Innovation. Cichani will be responsible for oversee- ing the enhancement of VALID's solutions, including the company's revolutionary Inteli- FUNDS offering, which enables instant, risk- free check deposits. She began her career at KPMG before spending three years at Chase as VP and Lead Product Manager. "When I saw VALID's amazing technol- ogy and how it is revolutionizing banking, I knew that I wanted to be part of this transfor- mative company and help bankers be more successful," Cichani said. Jain will oversee the alignment of VALID's account-level decisioning and machine-learning capabilities around new- use cases and will identify new solutions, including how to best utilize bank account data for credit-risk decisioning. Jain began his career as a risk analyst intern for Deut- sche Bank. Prior to joining VALID, he spent 11 years at Capital One, most recently as Head of Product Marketing and Analytics and Senior Product Manager. "I'm excited to work with such an incredible team whose mission is to help the nation's banks deliver a better customer experience while managing risk," Jain said. VALID Systems CEO John Templer, said, "We are delighted to add two true innovators in the banking industry to our team. Donna's deep expertise in product management will ensure we continue to provide value to our customers, while Gaurav's experience using advanced technology will keep us on the forefront of banking innovation. I couldn't be happier to welcome them aboard." "When I saw VALID's amazing technology and how it is revolutionizing banking, I knew that I wanted to be part of this transformative company and help bankers be more successful." — Donna Cichani, SVP of Product Management, VALID Systems