Mary Ann Hudson

EVP, Managing Director, eCapital

In what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry, Mary Ann, EVP, managing director, stands out as a leader in alternative lending to the transportation industry. She has been a true pioneer within this niche market with almost three decades of managerial, operational and digital application development experience. Her primary focus has been to provide easy-to-access financial services designed for busy owner operators on the go. This effort has played a critical role in challenging the status quo and driving radical change within the transportation space. Mary Ann’s success is rooted in a thorough understanding of the needs of the trucking industry. Active in many transportation-focused organizations, including American Trucking Associations and the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, she developed a clear perception of the needs of her target audience. Mary Ann continues to capitalize on this in-depth knowledge to maintain her leadership role in the quickly advancing industry of alternative lending. 

Prior to joining eCapital, Mary Ann served over 14 years as the head of Transportation at Bibby Transportation Finance and 13 years with COMDATA Network Inc. In these roles, she provided hundreds of millions in financing to companies that primarily do business while on the road. Mary Ann studied management information systems at Hopkinsville Community College. 

What do you enjoy most about your role? Least?

I enjoy being dedicated to solution-focused efforts that lead to positive results; it generally leads to strong relationships anchored in mutual trust. Being knowledgeable, thorough in preparation and forward-thinking in approach is empowering as you go about your day. Over the years, I have been fortunate to have worked with some very talented individuals in the alternative lending industry from all over the world. This experience has deepened my ability to be responsive and adaptive to the financial needs and situations of eCapital’s transportation clients. From this advantage, I’m able to forge long-term relationships with our transportation clients who depend on reliable funding to support business growth and remain sustainable. Being recognized as a trusted advisor is very enjoyable.

It sounds cliché, but there really isn’t anything I don’t like about my role. My greatest frustration is just not ever having enough time in the day to get everything done!

How do you balance work/personal time?

We live in an ever-changing and fast-paced world, and balancing work and personal time is more challenging than ever with today’s technologies and social platforms that allow you to be “connected” all the time. Finding the right balance is important to help you stay focused on each area of your life. Discipline, structure and having the ability to compartmentalize the various activities of your busy life is key to finding balance. When it comes to your work, prioritize and organize your days as much as possible. Then, take your PTO or vacation days and use them to engage in the activities that uplift you — giving yourself plenty of time to recharge is an important aspect of maintaining your overall balance between work and personal time. This way you can be more focused in all aspects of your life.

What do you think work will look like in the post-pandemic world? 

The pandemic has forced change upon change, creating a lot more flexibility in how people and organizations manage their work duties. Whereas, expansive brick-and-mortar office space was once the necessity of large organizations, this is now no longer the case. eCapital serves an essential service industry — trucking has been critical for keeping the nation’s food and medical supplies in reaching their needed destinations. Daily access to working capital is vital to keep these trucks moving. Despite the massive disruptions across all levels of infrastructure and services, reliable same-day funding to our trucking clients has remained seamless and uninterrupted. This is due to our robust technologies and dedicated teams. To gain and retain talent in the industry, a form of hybrid work weeks will undoubtedly become the norm. I believe we now live and work in a world where former obstacles are no longer barriers to innovative organizations. Technology-driven companies like eCapital will continue to move forward while traditional companies will suffer. This is where I feel fortunate to be involved in a technologically advanced industry where innovation is at the forefront of all that we do.