Nancy Fitzgerald, co-founder and CEO of iLendingDIRECT, has been named as a finalist for the Denver Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business award for the second year in a row. Nominees are judged based on innovation, entrepreneurship, professional accomplishments, and community leadership. Nancy is one of three finalists in the large business category.
As the CEO of iLendingDIRECT, Nancy is our visionary. As she likes to put it, she’s the “big idea person.” Nancy leads the management team and drives execution of the company’s business plan. Furthermore, she fosters relationships and develops partnerships with national and international financial companies to help provide their employees and members exceptional financial services.
Nancy founded iLendingDIRECT, originally named Fleet Financial, with her husband Patrick in 2006. While Patrick took on the role of CEO, Nancy led the entire sales and marketing arms of the company. In 2014, when he was cycling home from work, Patrick was struck and killed by a distracted driver. Suddenly, Nancy became a widow, a single mother, and the leader of over 100 employees; alongside her many professional achievements, her strength and perseverance in the face of tragedy make Nancy an Outstanding Woman in Business.
Personally, Nancy has been awarded the Auto Remarketing Women in Remarketing Award in 2016, the Insights Success 30 Most Influential Women in Business in 2016, and was also a finalist for the 2018 Denver Business Journal Outstanding Women In Business.
Under her leadership, iLendingDIRECT has won several awards, including placement on the Inc. 500 in 2016 and The Denver Post Top Places to Work in 2017. Similarly, the company has won the Denver Business Journal’s Best Places to Work every year since 2016. In 2018, the iLendingDIRECT won the Better Business Bureau® Torch Award for outstanding business ethics.
Finalists, family, and friends will gather on August 21, 2019 for a ceremony. The Denver Business Journal will honor all of the contenders and announce the 2019 award winners. Please wish Nancy Fitzgerald luck as she competes against several respected Colorado women for this recognition.