Guided by Purpose.
Driven by Partnership.
Nicole Torraco
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Nicole Torraco has over 20 years of experience in specialty finance, strategic planning, P&L leadership, and operational execution.
In 2025, Nicole founded Kalon Capital LLC to provide institutional credit discipline to equipment financing and serve customers with thoughtful structuring and a true partnership approach.
Prior to founding Kalon, Nicole was the President of Xerox Financial Services (XFS), an equipment financing company with over $3.5B in assets under management (AUM). She expanded XFS to include both captive and non-captive leasing, growing non-Xerox business from 0 to over $350M in annual originations and ultimately monetized the business to HPS Investment Partners, LLC.
Prior to leading XFS, Nicole served as Xerox’s Chief Strategy and M&A Officer. Her primary responsibility was transforming and revitalizing Xerox’s mergers and acquisitions strategy. Nicole completed 7 transactions in the span of 3 years. These acquisitions drove business and market expansion and enabled access to new industries such as 3D printing and augmented reality.
Before joining Xerox, Nicole held various roles in mergers & acquisitions, restructuring, and investment management. From 2010 to 2018, she was a Principal at Onex Credit, where she led distressed investments in the automotive, transportation, financial and business services industries. Prior to that, Nicole was the Director of Distressed and Special Situations at Babson Capital Management. Her early career includes positions at Rothschild Co. and Gleacher & Co.
Nicole has served as an Independent Director of two publicly traded companies: Pagaya Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: PGY) and Sharecare, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHCR).
Nicole earned an MBA in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She has a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard University.
Andrea Zana
Chief Operating & Risk Officer
Andrea Zana is responsible for Kalon Capital’s credit underwriting, risk management, portfolio performance and the firm’s operating platform. Bringing 25 years of experience financing and analyzing a variety of asset classes, funding strategies and business models, he is passionate about designing and implementing disciplined, accurate and practical risk management and operational frameworks.
Prior to joining Kalon Capital in 2025, he served for ten years as Chief Risk Officer at Amur Equipment Finance, a leading US small- and mid-ticket independent equipment finance company with a nationwide presence in the construction, specialty vehicles, transportation, industrial and franchise sectors.
He was previously at CIT, most recently as a Director in its Maritime Finance Group, responsible for structuring and executing senior debt financings and bareboat charters for PE- and privately-owned foreign flagged and domestic maritime transportation companies, expanding the firm’s client base in the deepsea cargo, offshore energy and Jones Act markets. Prior to joining the Maritime Finance Group, he was a Vice President at CIT’s Leveraged Finance group, providing senior secured financing to US aerospace, defense, rail, marine and offshore energy companies.
Before joining CIT, Andrea was a Vice President at Lehman Brothers in its principal aviation investing platform; an Associate Analyst at UBS in US Airline Equity Research; and an Associate at Morgan Stanley’s Structured Finance Products. He started his career at Lehman Brothers as an Analyst in the Transportation and Retail Investment Banking Group.
Andrea earned an MBA in General Management from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Yale University.
Joost van Brakel
Chief Financial Officer
Joost van Brakel is a 20+ year equipment leasing industry veteran. Before joining Kalon Capital, he served as Chief Financial Officer at MMP Capital, where he led the company’s inaugural public ABS transaction. Prior to that, Joost supported the carve-out of the Xerox Financial Services (XFS) business and executed several forward-flow transactions with multiple partners, placing approximately $2 billion during his tenure at XFS as Chief Financial Officer of XFS.
Earlier in his career, Joost spent more than five years in various roles within Citigroup’s consumer business, ultimately serving as CFO for U.S. Unsecured Lending.
Before Citigroup, he spent over 15 years at GE and GE Capital, holding several leadership positions across the leasing and lending businesses.
Joost holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht (HU). He also maintains several professional financial and modeling certifications and is a Six Sigma Black Belt.
Tony Rust
Vice President of Sales
Tony Rust brings 26 years of experience across equipment finance and equipment sales, having originated over $2 billion in equipment sales and financing across global OEM brands.
Currently VP of Sales at Kalon Capital, Tony joined from Siemens, where he spent nearly four years as Director of Financial Services for the Northeast Region. Prior to Siemens, he served as VP of Sales at Custom Truck One Source and spent 12 years at Terex Corporation — including Director of North America Sales for Terex Utilities and Director of Capital Markets & Marketing at Terex Financial Services — giving him a dual perspective across both the sales and finance sides of the equipment business.
Earlier in his career, Tony spent 7+ years at GE Commercial Finance, where he held roles in national account management, asset management, and residual analysis across multiple equipment verticals.
His specialties span sales management, program management, capital markets, and collateral valuation — with a particular focus on connecting manufacturers, dealers, and customers into seamless financing solutions.
Tony earned a B.S. & B.A. in Finance and Political Science from Southwest Minnesota State University.
Brian Sartin
Vice President of Sales
Brian Sartin brings over 20 years of experience in equipment and financial sales, with a specialization in new client acquisition and territory growth.
Currently VP of Sales at Kalon Capital, Brian joined from Kingsbridge Holdings, where he spent three years as National Account Manager, supporting equipment leasing strategies to optimize costs and fleet efficiency. Prior to Kingsbridge, Brian spent a decade as Sales & Territory Manager with Black Equipment, a Hyster-Yale dealership, covering 40+ counties across Tennessee and Mississippi and managing material handling equipment relationships with major accounts. Earlier in his career, Brian served as Territory Sales Manager at DEX Imaging.
Brian’s expertise spans equipment leasing, corporate account management, analytical sales strategy, and marketing management. Brian maintains a consistent track record of building lasting client relationships nationwide.
Outside of work, Brian is an avid golfer and traveler, and actively volunteers with local charities in his community. He and his wife Beverly have two children, Thomas and Hollon. Brian earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, Marketing, and Business Management from the University of Tennessee.
Lauren Lai
Senior Credit Analyst
Lauren Lai is a credit and risk professional with experience spanning global banking, specialty finance, and investment analysis. She currently serves as Senior Credit Analyst at Kalon Capital. Prior to joining Kalon, Lauren was Credit Portfolio Manager, AVP at Valley Bank, where she managed credit exposure across specialty finance and fund finance portfolios. Before Valley Bank, she served as a Credit Analyst at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in New York, building expertise in financial modeling and credit assessment.
Earlier in her career, Lauren held investment and advisory roles in Taipei, including an Investment Analyst internship at SinoPac Securities Corporation, a Global Commercial Product Development internship at CTBC Financial Holding, and a Risk and Financial Advisory internship at Deloitte Consulting, where she focused on legal compliance and operational due diligence.
Lauren holds a Master of Arts in Economics from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government from National Chengchi University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She has passed the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level I and Level II exams and holds the CFA ESG Investing certificate and FRM Level I from the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP).
Hannah Zadrovicz
Senior Associate, Office of the CEO
Hannah Zadrovicz supports firm-wide operations, compliance, and strategic initiatives across Kalon Capital, working closely with the CEO on execution and organizational priorities. She plays a key role in driving internal processes and cross-functional initiatives across the platform.
Her responsibilities include managing transaction documentation and funding processes, as well as overseeing regulatory filings and vendor coordination, ensuring accuracy and compliance across the financing lifecycle. She also leads efforts related to state registrations, internal workflows, and post-funding documentation.
Prior to joining Kalon Capital, Hannah held multiple roles at JJ Bender, where she supported executive operations and led strategic marketing initiatives. Her experience spans branding, digital marketing, CRM implementation, and event strategy in support of business development and operational efficiency.
Hannah earned a BS in Business Administration from Southern Connecticut State University.