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pull that knowledge into and hang it on.
Perhaps the best benefit of certification I kept 40 percent of the original material
programs is their capacity to bring and worked with 40 subject matter ex-
perts across the industry, creating build-
together industry stakeholders with varying ing blocks to show how loans and leases
backgrounds and expertise and help them originate and how you manage the entire
lifecycle."
find common ground.
Reid Raykovich, CLFP, executive director
of the CLFP Foundation, praised the 2019
edition of The Certified Lease & Finance Pro-
"There are so many functions and requirements in PCI fessionals' Handbook: The Essential Guide to
that it's crucial to interpret requirements for specific busi- the Commercial Equipment Lease and Finance Industry, not-
ness cases," Cline said. "The program provides access to ing the book helps industry stakeholders understand lease
thought leader insights and a place to consult with other and finance functions beyond their individual areas of ex-
professionals who deal with similar situations." pertise. This is important in a mature industry, she stated,
where there's no single approach.
The three-year renewable PCIP credential provides a com-
petitive advantage, solid payments industry career path "One company does it one way and you do it another way,
and professional credibility, Cline stated. Members of the but academy teachers help identify key areas of focus and
PCIP community are listed on the council's website and what you need to know," Raykovich said. "We constantly
participate in community meetings. The credential allows renew and update our body of knowledge to stay abreast
them to capably support compliance for clients and within of changes."
their organizations and is transferable if they change jobs,
he noted. Ryan Gibbs, YPP

"People who have never gone through a program like this Ryan Gibbs, Electronic Transactions Association Young
don't really understand some of the key benefits a certifi- Payments Professional (YPP) is marketing manager at Ad-
cation provides," he said. "There's a tendency for payments vanced Mobile Payment Inc., a payments technology com-
professionals to think of a certification as just a piece of pany. Gibbs was inducted into the ETA's YPP Class of 2020.
paper, title or a credential. As I looked into it, I realized The year-long scholarship program is designed to prepare
there is much more to the PCIP program." young payments professionals for leading roles in the ETA
and payments industry.
Deborah Reuben, CLFP
YPP benefits include courses at ETA University, confer-
Deborah Reuben, Certified Lease & Finance Professional ence registration and travel assistance, professional men-
(CLFP), is CEO at Reuben Creative LLC, a technology con- toring, and complimentary access to the ETA's Certified
sultancy focused on helping individuals and companies Payments Professional (CPP) exam. After the scholarship
transform legacy systems into modern, innovative plat- year ends, the ETA encourages YPPs to volunteer on ETA
forms. In 2016, she heard of the CLFP program, a global committees and councils, write articles and work with in-
credential for equipment lease and financing profession- coming ETA YPP scholars.
als.
Gibbs had heard about the YPP program from mentors
A consulting friend was preparing for the exam, and be- who made sure he applied and admitted that he would
ing naturally competitive, Reuben purchased the study have missed the deadline if they hadn't been persistent.
guide and enrolled in the Academy of Finance and Lease "YPP's broadly focused program connects me with other
Professionals, a program managed by the CLFP Founda- young people who have similar aspirations and enables us
tion. Reuben enjoyed the academy's bootcamp but found to study and take the CPP exam for free," he said.
the study guide disjointed; she compensated by drawing
pictures and diagrams to help her study. Her graphics Another unexpected benefit of YPP is that it drives inter-
connected the dots, illustrating how pricing, accounting, est and awareness about the CPP program, which Gibbs
legal and tax issues impact the overall business. This con- observed is geared to experienced payments profession-
ceptual framework became the basis for the 2019 edition of als. "CPP seems aimed at people who have been in the
her industry's manual, which she edited. industry for a while, but YPP puts you on a fast track,
with free courses, conferences and access to people who
"There's no single person who knows everything about have already done the certification," he said. "Less than 24
this business," Reuben said. "You have to pull from a hours after my nomination, four individuals reached out
variety of perspectives to understand the big picture. It and suggested setting up a CPP study group."
helps to have some sort of visual framework that you can

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