Jay Avants

About Jay Avants

Financial services executive specializing in credit card partner programs, retail credit sales, and P&L growth for Fortune 500 clients. Drives new account acquisition, portfolio revenue, and credit penetration through data-driven strategy, compliance-focused execution, and cross-functional leadership across large retail footprints. Recognized for building high-performance teams, elevating customer experience, and delivering consistent, above-target results in competitive markets.

Experience

1. VP Client Development Credit Sales Private Label (Consumer & Commercial)

   Citi

   May 2009 — Present

   Led credit strategy for 31 Home Depot stores, accelerating account acquisition, sales, and market penetration while safeguarding federal compliance and identity theft controls. Drove top-decile national performance in new applications and sales, ranking #2 of 80+ managers in 2023 and sustaining Top 25 status in 2024–2025. Transformed associate training, stakeholder engagement, and KPI visibility to elevate sales execution, customer satisfaction, and regional productivity. Selected for multiple enterprise stretch teams, including Special Initiatives and Team Recognition, and most recently served as a pilot user and prompt tester for a new AI platform launching in 2026.KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS- Generated an average of 36,140 new credit applications and $307M in annual credit sales per year across 31 stores over the last 4 years, while consistently maintaining a 21% share of total store retail sales- Designed and launched cross-functional KPI dashboards for applications, sales, and associate productivity, enabling real-time performance management and driving measurable gains across the region- Recognized as Regional MVP (2023) and Most Valuable Team Member (2024), with a long-term record of excellence including Top Regional Credit Sales Producer (2012), Top Regional New Account Producer (2013), and multiple STAR Awards.

Education

• University of Arkansas

  Bachelor of Business Administration - BBA, Field of Study: Business Finance

  1995 — 2000

• Six Sigma

  Lean Six Sigma

• University of Arkansas at Little Rock

  Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Finance and Economics

  2000 — 2001

• University of Tennessee at Martin

  Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Banking, Corporate, Finance, and Securities Law

Skills

• Analytics
• Account Management
• Credit Cards
• Business Process Improvement
• Leadership
• Sales Management
• Negotiation
• Sales
• Retail
• Relationship Management
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Sales Operations
• Customer Service
• Customer Satisfaction
• Training
• Forecasting
• Strategic Planning
• Employee Relations
• Strategy
• Business Development
• Analysis
• Financial Analysis
• Data Analysis
• Process Improvement
• Six Sigma
• Budgets
• Finance
• Management
• Team Building
• Program Management
• Credit
• Time Management
• Marketing
• Vendor Management
• Project Management
• Portfolio Management
• Customer Experience
• Loans
• Banking
• Financial Services