Andrew Bennett honored as CEO of the Year by Columbus Business First

Provide CEO Andrew Bennett has been selected as a 2024 C-Suite Awards honoree in the CEO of the Year Local Office or Operation category by Columbus Business First. A committee of judges from Business First selected this year’s honorees based on their leadership in developing and implementing the organization’s strategy and their recent impactful accomplishments. 

Bennett’s successes at Provide span a nine-year tenure that began in 2015, when he joined the company as its third employee. After starting as a loan specialist, he took on increasingly senior roles, including vice president of operations and product, general manager of practice lending, and chief business officer before being named CEO in September 2023. Along the way, he worked side-by-side with co-founders Dan Titcomb and James Bachmeier III to raise Series A and B funding rounds, secure agreements with partner banks, and scale a leading fintech in healthcare practice finance – a journey highlighted by Fifth Third Bank’s 2021 acquisition of Provide.

“From 2015 to early 2023, it was clear internally that much of Provide’s success could be traced to Andrew’s leadership, but an outsider might have argued it was more a byproduct of the broader fintech climate at that time,” said Provide Chief Credit & Operational Risk Officer Sean Simon, a 2023 Columbus Business First 40 Under 40 honoree. “Today, after successfully integrating into Fifth Third – and in particular, navigating last year’s challenging environment – that argument can no longer be made.”

As CEO, Bennett has focused on Provide’s long-term stability, profitability, and growth. Earlier this year, Fifth Third expanded Bennett’s responsibilities, naming him head of small business for the bank, a role in which he continues to lead Provide in the pursuit of its vision: to enable healthcare providers to achieve their practice ownership dreams, realize financial independence, and improve the industry’s standard of care.

“Andrew is an amazing leader and adds depth and knowledge to our team,” said Fifth Third Regional President Francie Henry. “In addition to his expertise in practice finance, he cares deeply about supporting our clients and community right here in Central Ohio.”

“You’ll have a hard time finding a more successful bank/fintech partnership [than Provide and Fifth Third], but you’ll have an even harder time finding another Andrew Bennett,” said Simon.

Provide’s recent accolades include Fast Company’s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2023; the 2024 Banking Tech Awards shortlist for Best Bank & Fintech Partnership; and DentWoo’s list of the Top 25 Dental Podcasts of 2023 (for The Path to Owning It).