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Justin WellenJW

Justin Wellen

Executive Advisor | Management Consultant

€876/day
Chicago, US
15+ years

Average response time: 1 hour

About Justin

I am a management consultant and executive advisor with 20+ years of experience helping banks, lenders, fintechs, and financial services organizations solve complex strategic, operational, and product challenges.

My expertise spans business strategy, operating model design, product strategy, AI adoption, workflow modernization, process optimization, business transformation, and executive advisory. I help organizations improve growth, operational efficiency, customer experience, and business performance by aligning strategy, operations, product, and technology.

Previously, I served as Managing Principal and Co-Leader of the Housing Finance Practice at Capco, advising banks and financial institutions on transformation, operating model redesign, product strategy, workflow modernization, and technology-enabled change. I also held leadership roles at PwC, Cognizant, Mphasis Digital Risk, and Discover Home Loans. Earlier in my career, I co-owned and operated a correspondent mortgage banking company, giving me firsthand experience building and growing a regulated lending business.

My experience spans the full lending lifecycle, including origination, underwriting, fulfillment, servicing, capital markets, risk, compliance, and secondary marketing. I have led initiatives involving AI-enabled automation, platform modernization, business case development, workflow redesign, credit policy, and cross-functional transformation.

Clients engage me to bring structure to complex business problems, align executive stakeholders, evaluate strategic opportunities, and deliver practical, measurable results.

Typical consulting engagements include:
• Business & Growth Strategy
• Management Consulting
• Business Transformation
• Product Strategy
• AI Strategy & Intelligent Automation
• Operating Model Design
• Financial Services Modernization
• Process Improvement
• Executive Advisory
• Due Diligence & Strategic Assessments
  • English

    Native or bilingual

Can work on-site
Chicago (up to 50km)

Experience

  • Discover Financial Services,
    PRINCIPAL PRODUCT
    January 2024 - October 2025 (1 year and 9 months)
    Chicago, IL, USA
    ▪ Led strategic home lending initiatives focused on growth, customer experience, eligibility expansion, and operating performance. Drove expansion of maximum loan eligibility from $300K to $500K, creating projected access to more than $200M in annual origination opportunity.
    ▪ Utilized portfolio performance, market trends, competitive analysis, and lending metrics to support strategic decision-making and business case development.
    ▪ Partnered across underwriting, compliance, risk, marketing, appraisal, title, operations, and technology teams to align strategy with execution.
    ▪ Facilitated stakeholder alignment across multiple business and technology functions to drive successful delivery of strategic initiatives.
    Product management Digital Transformation lending financial services process improvement
  • Independent Consulting,
    Financial Services Strategy, Technology & Operations
    January 2023 - January 2024 (1 year)
    Chicago, IL, USA
    PRINCIPAL
    ▪ Sought-after independent financial services consultant and client partner providing strategic and expert advisory services to
    banks, fintechs, lenders, and management consulting companies.
    ▪ Implemented new product management strategies and solutions to improve the 1st lien refinance and second loan of Discover Financial Services (Contract from February 2024 to May 2024).
    executive advisory mangement consulting business strategy financial services banking
  • The Capital Markets Corporation (Capco),
    MANAGING PRINCIPAL, BANKING & PAYMENTS
    January 2020 - January 2023 (3 years)
    Chicago, IL, USA
    ▪ Led enterprise consulting engagements for Fortune 500 banking and financial services clients focused on strategy, transformation, AI adoption, operating model modernization, and performance improvement.
    ▪ Designed AI-enabled business solutions leveraging machine learning, OCR, intelligent document processing, process mining, and workflow automation to improve operational efficiency and customer outcomes.
    ▪ Directed executive workshops, developed business cases, facilitated strategic planning sessions, and translated complex business challenges into actionable implementation roadmaps.
    ▪ Led multidisciplinary consulting teams while managing executive stakeholder relationships supporting approximately $5M in consulting revenue.
    business strategy business transformation financial services operating model design management consulting

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Education

  • Bachelors of Science in
    Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
    Bachelors of Science in
  • AI Applications for Growth (Certification)
    Kellogg Executive Education
    AI Applications for Growth (Certification)

Skill set

Categories