About Tom

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Tom Wajnert is a leasing pioneer, having launched his career in 1968 with US Leasing, a NYSE- listed company that is widely regarded as the progenitor of the modern equipment leasing industry. For over 40 years, Tom has navigated the changing currents of the equipment leasing industry and built an impressive list of accomplishments.

He joined AT&T in 1984, founding AT&T Credit Corporation, a captive finance organization, which quickly expanded and evolved to become AT&T Capital Corporation, an international, full-service equipment leasing and commercial finance company. Under Tom’s leadership, AT&T Capital grew quickly, became publicly owned, was bought out by management, and subsequently sold in 1997.

“My interaction with clients at the most senior levels has been very gratifying. Whether it has been a market entry project for a large firm entering the leasing industry, considering alternative capital structures or mentoring a CEO of an emerging leasing organization, the opportunity to help shape and build an effective enterprise is rewarding.”

After his success with AT&T Capital, Tom’s career took an entrepreneurial turn as he invested in and created an HR outsourcing firm, EPIX, and later a technology-based business, SEISMIQ. In 2001, he co-founded FairView Advisors LLC, a middle-market merchant bank. From 2006 to the present, Tom has provided advisory services to several private equity firms. A former chairman of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), Tom also served as the chairman of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation. He now Chairman of the Board of RAI (NYSE), serves on the Board and is Chairman of the Audit Committee at UDR (NYSE) and serves as a Trustee of Wharton’s Center for Financial Institutions.

Tom brings a remarkable depth and breadth of experience to The Alta Group and works primarily on projects involving: merger, acquisition and funding management; strategy development and execution; captive and vendor finance; competitive analysis; market entry and global portfolio management.

  • 36 years experience in international business and equipment finance
  • Former ELFA chairman
  • Specializes in merger and acquisitions, strategic planning, captive and vendor finance, competitive analysis, market entry, global portfolio management
  • Clients include Caterpillar Financial Services, Information Leasing Corporation (ILC), First American Equipment Finance, HSBC, The CIT Group, American Express, UPS