Marketing veteran brings 18 years of B2B and B2C growth experience to support Earnest's mission

Earnest, a fintech company empowering students to maximize their financial futures, today announced the appointment of Shanee Ben-Zur as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Her deep expertise in brand, product-led growth, demand generation, lifecycle, and product marketing will bolster Earnest's thoughtful approach to growing its portfolio and serving more students.

"We listen intently to our customers and constantly seek ways to meaningfully expand how we help past, present, and future students get on the right financial track," said Earnest CEO David Green. "Insights have led us to expand beyond student lending, for example, adding Going Merry and the Student Loan Manager to our portfolio. Shanee's motivational leadership style and growth-oriented approach to marketing will help our teams evolve Earnest's brand alongside our mission and reach more individuals who can benefit from all of our products and resources."

To date, Earnest has refinanced more than $18.7 billion in student loans and helped more than 1 million students through Going Merry reduce their total cost of education. As CMO, Ben-Zur will support initiatives to drive even greater visibility of Earnest's student loan origination and refinance products, as well as Going Merry by Earnest, the company's platform for connecting students, parents, and counselors with scholarships and educational tools. Additionally, she will oversee marketing, community and partnership initiatives that grow Earnest's ability to positively impact the financial futures of even more students.

A seasoned marketing veteran with a deep understanding of the entire customer lifecycle, she most recently served as Chief Growth and Chief Marketing Officer for Crunchbase. Prior to that, she held senior marketing and growth positions at major tech brands like Dropbox, Salesforce, and NVIDIA. Shanee began her career in agencies, supporting consumer and enterprise brands like PlayStation, Comcast, and Intel. In addition to her full-time work, Ben-Zur serves as a marketing and growth advisor to early-stage startups trying to break into the tech ecosystem.

"Earnest is embarking on a meaningful mission to empower all students—past, present, and future—to secure financial freedom at a pivotal time. Who wouldn't want to be a part of making that happen? Marketing has the opportunity to play a critical role in ensuring Earnest's success during this next chapter of their evolution, and I'm honored to be at the helm," said Ben-Zur.

Learn about Earnest's growing portfolio of solutions that empower students and families to take control of their financial future at www.earnest.com.

About Earnest:

Earnest empowers past, present, and soon-to-be students to maximize their financial futures through thoughtful guidance and impactful products. Founded in 2013 on the belief that financially responsible people deserve better options and access to credit, Earnest's education tools and lending products empower anyone seeking higher education to reduce the total price tag of their education, supercharge their ability to pay down student debt, and get on the right financial track fast. Learn more at earnest.com.

Earnest is a subsidiary of Navient (Nasdaq: NAVI).

Earnest Loans are made by Earnest Operations LLC or One American Bank, Member FDIC. Earnest Operations LLC, NMLS #1204917. 535 Mission St., Suite 1663, San Francisco, CA 94105. California Financing Law License 6054788. Visit www.earnest.com/licenses for a complete list of licensed states. For California residents: Loans will be arranged or made according to a California Financing Law License. One American Bank, 515 S. Minnesota Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57104.

Earnest loans are serviced by Earnest Operations LLC with support from Navient Solutions LLC (NMLS #212430). One American Bank and Earnest LLC and its subsidiaries, including Earnest Operations LLC, are not sponsored by agencies of the United States of America.

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© 2023 Earnest LLC. All rights reserved.

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"Earnest is embarking on a meaningful mission to empower all students—past, present, and future—to secure financial freedom at a pivotal time. Who wouldn't want to be a part of making that happen?" said Shanee Ben-Zur, CMO of Earnest.