“Learning to maintain perspective has been one of the most important lessons in my career — focusing on the bigger picture rather than getting caught up in inevitable setbacks. That mindset now shapes how I lead, helping others grow through challenges with confidence and resilience.”
Christy Kemp’s career in asset-based finance exemplifies how deep operational mastery, technical precision and supportive leadership can drive organizational excellence. She began her journey as a collateral analyst at a regional bank while attending college classes at night. Over more than 25 years in asset-based finance, Kemp has advanced through key operational roles, eventually stepping into senior leadership overseeing collateral analysis and loan administration teams.
A defining moment occurred when Kemp returned to asset-based finance after several years away. Re-entering a rapidly evolving industry with increasingly complex transactions, she stepped into an operations leadership role backed by managerial trust and autonomy. That environment fueled her growth and established her signature leadership style: empowering individuals, aligning talent with strengths and building high-performing, collaborative teams.
As managing director at Ares Commercial Finance, Kemp leads an operations team that she praises for its responsiveness, cross-functional strength and technical agility. Her approach blends rigorous execution with practical problem-solving. In one standout initiative, she led the design of a borrowing base certificate structure for a multi-jurisdictional client with strong seasonality, seamlessly aligning seasonal limits and tailoring net orderly liquidation value approaches alongside appraisal firms, field examiners and legal counsel.
What sets Kemp apart is her dedication to human capital and continuous learning. She measures her personal success by the professional growth of those she mentors, actively encouraging rising professionals to embrace discomfort, learn from mistakes and lift others up as they advance. By pairing operational discipline with genuine mentorship, Kemp continues to strengthen enterprise operations while driving meaningful progress for women across specialty finance.
