Hitachi Capital America (HCA), a specialty finance company providing equipment, working capital and structured financing, has named Executive Vice President Terry Hatfield as Operational Excellence Leader and hired Valerie Pagliaro as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

In her newly created position, Hatfield, who previously served as CFO, is charged with spearheading a companywide initiative to drive customer experience, process and operating infrastructure improvements across the company. By focusing on key value drivers and data-driven decision making, Hatfield will build the capabilities and culture needed to continue HCA’s marketplace success and business growth trajectory.

“Terry has been an integral member of the team here at Hitachi for nearly 30 years,” said HCA President and Chief Operating Officer Ryan Collison. “Her in-depth knowledge of finance, IT, process, and compliance make her the perfect leader for our company’s excellence initiative.”

Replacing Hatfield as CFO is Pagliaro, who comes to HCA from The Alta Group. In her new role, she is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership for all HCA accounting and finance functions. Pagliaro, a finance industry veteran, held many senior positions at GE Capital including operating business CFO roles for the core equipment financing, vendor finance and trade finance businesses.

“We’re very excited to welcome Valerie to the team,” Collison added. “She brings decades of industry leadership experience, the demonstrated ability to drive superior results and a track record of implementing sound financial processes. Her skills and abilities will prove invaluable as we embark on this next phase of HCA’s strategy.”

Pagliaro holds an MBA in finance from Pace University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bryant University. She serves on the board of directors for The W Connection, a nonprofit focused on helping widows with the knowledge and skills they need to rebuild their lives.