On Monday, Southern Auto Finance Co. (SAFCO) welcomed Brian Hopper as its new senior vice president and chief risk officer, bringing more than 20 years of expertise in risk management and strategic portfolio oversight to the company that specializes in subprime auto financing.

Prior to SAFCO, Hopper held senior roles in business risk, analytics and credit at AutoNation, where he led initiatives in process efficiency that yielded significant cost savings, and at LL Funds, where he drove a major portfolio turnaround and developed new data oversight solutions.

Hopper also founded HRI Analytics, providing comprehensive risk and operational strategies for mid-sized companies.

Earlier, Hopper held pivotal roles at United Auto Credit and Westlake Financial, where he managed large portfolios, enhanced credit risk processes and executed securitizations exceeding $1 billion.

“We are thrilled to welcome Brian Hopper as our new chief risk officer,” SAFCO CEO George Fussell said. “Brian’s extensive experience in risk management and his strategic approach to process efficiency and portfolio oversight will be invaluable as we strengthen our risk framework and pursue new growth opportunities.

“We are confident that Brian’s leadership will drive substantial value across our operations and position SAFCO for continued success,” Fussell added.

It’s been busy year at SAFCO, which previously chose a new general counsel as well as a senior vice president of account services.

The company also unveiled a rebranding initiative to expand credit access for all consumers, regardless of their credit history.