Navient's Leadership Changes: How Will it Impact Future Growth?

In a move to align management responsibilities with its evolving business strategy, Navient Corporation NAVI has revised its leadership structure. As part of the move, Steve Hauber, previously executive vice president (EVP) and chief administrative officer, has been appointed EVP and chief financial officer (CFO), effective immediately. Hauber succeeds Joe Fisher, who will support the transition before departing the company in the first quarter of 2026.

Hauber has been with NAVI since 2003 and has held senior leadership roles in risk management, compliance, and internal audit. With this appointment, he will oversee the company’s finance and accounting, capital markets, and investor relations, in addition to his existing responsibilities across legal, internal audit, and corporate compliance.  Separately, Troy Standish, EVP and chief operating officer, will continue to lead its education finance operations, including the Federal Family Education Loan Program, private loan portfolios, and in-school originations, while also assuming responsibility for technology and human resources.

These leadership changes closely align with Navient’s Phase 2 strategy, which prioritizes scaling Earnest, a fintech lending subsidiary of NAVI, toward approximately $219 million in 2025 revenues while managing the orderly wind-down of legacy portfolios. Structurally, the reorganization separates Navient’s high-growth fintech ambitions from its mature, capital-intensive education finance assets.

By centralizing capital management, risk oversight and compliance under the new CFO, Navient strengthens cash generation, governance, and execution discipline as legacy portfolios continue to amortize. At the same time, the creation of a dedicated CFO role for Earnest enhances financial autonomy, accelerates decision-making, and supports targeted investment in talent and technology—key enablers for scaling the platform under Phase 2. Together, these moves signal a tactical acceleration of Navient’s growth strategy and reinforce its competitive positioning in education finance and fintech.

Succession Planning of Other Finance Firms

Similar to Navient, many other financial firms like Citigroup, Inc. C and Bank of America BAC have been reshuffling their leadership structures to align with evolving business strategies.

In November 2025, Citigroup announced it would transition CFO duties from Mark Mason to Gonzalo Luchetti in early 2026. Luchetti’s tenure as head of U.S. Personal Banking delivered sustained operating leverage and improved return on tangible common equity. Alongside the CFO transition, Citigroup is integrating its Retail Banking division into Wealth Management and elevating U.S. Consumer Cards as a core business, reflecting a strategic reset aimed at stronger profitability and sharper competitive focus.

In September 2025, Bank of America announced major leadership changes. Dean Athanasia and Jim DeMare were named co-presidents, while Alastair Borthwick continued as executive vice president and CFO. The reshuffle aimed to strengthen execution, coordination, and accountability across Bank of America’s eight business lines, reinforcing Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan’s “Responsible Growth” playbook.

NAVI Price Performance & Zacks Rank

Over the past three months, shares of Navient have risen 9.8% compared with the industry’s growth of 23.2%.

Currently, the company has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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