Litefi, a rising player in the African vehicle financing and credit space, has officially announced the appointment of Leading Eyiangho as Executive Director and Chief Operations Officer (COO). The C-suite appointment marks a pivotal moment for the startup as it transitions from its early stealth operations into a phase of aggressive growth and institutional scaling.
With this move, Litefi establishes a clear and formidable executive structure. While Co-founder and CEO Kayode Alao runs the company, steering high-level strategic direction, finance, technology, branding, and investor relations, Eyiangho steps in to execute the vision. As COO, he takes total command of Litefi’s engine room, overseeing day-to-day credit operations, talent recruitment, performance management, and the end-to-end delivery of the company’s core vehicle financing products.
“Having dual leadership proves that the company is stable, and it shows we are getting very serious about our growth trajectory,” Alao explained. “It gives the market confidence that this is not just a one-man show. We are formalizing a structure that allows us to work effectively, rather than having both of us trying to oversee everything all over the place.”
A Pedigree Built Across Global Giants and Industry Pioneers
Eyiangho brings a highly diversified and formidable pedigree in financial services and automotive technology to the COO role, drawing on extensive experience across several major institutions.
His foundational understanding of credit and asset financing was forged at Rosabon Financial Services, a major institutional player in the Nigerian financial sector. At Rosabon, Eyiangho managed high-value operating leases and corporate relationships with major multinationals, gaining vital, hands-on experience with underwriting controls, loan structuring, and collateral protection. This deep technical knowledge now serves as the bedrock of Litefi’s lending architecture.
He further honed his expertise at Cars45, driving vehicle valuation and sales operations, before joining Autochek Africa as a foundational employee. During his four-year tenure at Autochek, Eyiangho established a reputation as a relentless operator capable of executing complex B2B partnerships from the ground up, including massive fleet financing deals for logistics operations like TradeDepot and Kobo360, as well as onboarding over 130 vehicles for Bolt drivers.
Prior to taking on his full-time executive role at Litefi, Eyiangho served as an Operations Manager at RedCloud Technology, a global technology giant. His time at RedCloud allowed him to integrate global operational standards and high-level enterprise logistics into his repertoire, completing an executive toolkit that is uniquely suited for Litefi’s ambitious roadmap.
The First 90 Days: Execution and Early Profitability
While many early-stage startups prioritize scaling at the expense of unit economics, Eyiangho is taking a starkly different approach for his first 90 days as COO. His immediate operational roadmap is anchored on rapid efficiency and an uncommon focus on early profitability.
“With every business, it is about sustainability and profitability,” Eyiangho stated. “For a lot of startups, you typically begin to look at profitability at year five. At Litefi, one of the things I want to achieve is hitting the ground running. We are looking critically at the ratio of what we are disbursing versus our operational inputs, and how that translates directly to the bottom line.”
To achieve this, Eyiangho is prioritizing aggressive talent acquisition to build out a robust execution team. He is also laser-focused on streamlining internal processes to drastically cut down the turnaround time for loan disbursements and vehicle financing, ensuring that Litefi delivers a frictionless, top-tier customer experience while maintaining strict collateral security.
Positioned for Institutional Scale
As Litefi positions itself for future funding rounds and market expansion, the formalization of Eyiangho’s role provides a compelling narrative for prospective investors. The startup is no longer just a promising concept; it is a meticulously structured financial entity led by a clear visionary and a battle-tested operator. With CEO Kayode Alao charting the course and COO Leading Eyiangho driving relentless day-to-day execution, Litefi is uniquely primed to capture a significant share of the continent’s vehicle financing market.
