Octane announced that it has named Sean Fernandez-Ledon its first chief legal officer, effective Jan. 1.
Since joining the company as general counsel and chief compliance officer and its first legal hire in 2017, Fernandez-Ledon built the Octane legal and compliance department from the ground up. He played a significant leadership role in Octane’s successful asset-backed securitization (ABS) program, which has now issued more than $4 billion in notes, as well as more than $1 billion of whole-loan sales and forward-flow commitments the company has announced or completed since December 2023. Fernandez-Ledon has been instrumental in Octane’s corporate governance practice and equity funding raises, including the company’s Series E funding round, which closed last year. He has also overseen Octane’s compliance efforts and the regulatory work that has enabled the company to expand into the marine, RV, tractor and trailer markets.
“Sean’s wealth of experience and insight has been integral to Octane’s growth from a nascent player to a market leader,” said Jason Guss, CEO and co-founder of Octane. “I’m grateful to Sean for his counsel, support and guidance over the past eight years, and count on his leadership to help us achieve many more milestones together in the years to come.”
“It’s been a privilege to work alongside Jason and the rest of the Octane team to deliver a fast, seamless buying experience for our partners and customers,” said Fernandez-Ledon. “I look forward to driving continued success for Octane with the support of an exceptional legal team.”
An alumnus of Cravath, Swain & Moore LLP, Fernandez-Ledon holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA in Political Science from Columbia University. In 2024, he was named a Top 50 Corporate Counsel by OnCon Icon.
