Who is the CEO of Caribou Financial? The answer is Simon Goodall. He took over the top job in the fall of 2023 and replaced co-founder Kevin Bennett. Goodall came to the company after a long career at Groupon, where he helped build one of the best-known online marketplaces in the United States. Today he leads a Denver-based company that helps drivers lower their monthly car payments.
This guide explains who Goodall is, how he got the job, and what the company does. You will also learn about the people around him, the money behind the business, and how to avoid a common mix-up with another company that shares the name. Every fact comes from news reports, company announcements, and business profiles, so you can trust what you read.
The Short Answer
Simon Goodall is the chief executive officer of Caribou Financial, Inc. Bloomberg reported that he started in the role right away after the announcement in September 2023. His goal was to grow the company’s share of the auto loan refinance market. Business profile sites list him as the current CEO, and they list his background at Groupon, General Motors, and other firms.
Because leadership can change, check the company’s official website or its LinkedIn page before you quote his title in a school paper, a news story, or a business email. That habit will save you from using old information.
What Is Caribou Financial?
Caribou Financial is a financial technology company, often called a fintech. It runs an online platform that helps people refinance their car loans. When you refinance, you replace your current loan with a new one. The new loan may have a lower interest rate, a longer or shorter term, or a smaller monthly payment. If you want a plain explanation of the idea, the Wikipedia page on refinancing covers the basics.
The company started in 2016 under the name MotoRefi. In late 2021 it changed its name to Caribou and began to offer more than refinancing. A company profile says Caribou now also runs an auto insurance marketplace and sells vehicle protection products. Its headquarters are in Denver, Colorado, and many of its workers do their jobs remotely.
Here is how the process works for a driver. You enter details about your car and your current loan. Caribou checks whether you may qualify, and the first check uses a soft credit pull, which does not hurt your credit score. The platform then shows offers from partner lenders, such as credit unions and community banks. If you pick an offer, a full credit check comes later to finish the loan.
Simon Goodall: Background and Experience
Goodall did not start his career in auto finance. He built his reputation in e-commerce, travel, and retail. That mix of experience shapes how he runs Caribou today.
Education
According to a MarketScreener profile, Goodall earned his undergraduate degree and his master of business administration degree at Northwestern University. Northwestern is a private university near Chicago, and the city of Chicago is also where he spent many of his working years.
Early Career
The same profile shows that Goodall worked at General Motors as an operations manager early in his career. That job gave him a close look at the car industry, which now matters a great deal at Caribou. He also worked in travel, holding a senior vice president role at World Travel Holdings, and he worked at the furniture website Living.com.
Years at Groupon
Goodall’s best-known job before Caribou was at Groupon, the online marketplace that became famous for daily deals. According to a conference bio, he joined Groupon in June 2011 to launch and grow its Getaways business, which sells travel deals. He later held several roles, including vice president of North America marketing. By the time he left, he served as the company’s chief commercial officer, which means he helped lead how the business made money.
At Groupon, Goodall worked on a marketplace that connects buyers with sellers. Caribou follows a similar model. It connects drivers with lenders. That link between his old work and his new work helps explain why the board chose him.
How Goodall Became CEO
The path to the CEO job began with a leadership change. Kevin Bennett, who co-founded Caribou and served as its first CEO, announced in August 2023 that he would step down. Bennett stayed on the company’s board, so he did not leave the company entirely.
reported that Caribou then named Goodall as the new chief executive, effective immediately. In the interview, Goodall described the company’s work this way: “It’s a pretty simple business and it’s just a huge opportunity.” He meant that refinancing a car loan is easy to explain, and that millions of drivers could still save money.
Bloomberg also noted that Caribou’s most recent valuation had passed $1 billion in 2022. That detail shows Goodall took over a company with real size and real investor interest, not a small startup.
What Does the CEO Do at Caribou?
A chief executive officer sets the direction for the whole company. At Caribou, that work includes several clear tasks.
First, the CEO decides which products to build and which markets to chase. Caribou started with refinancing, and then added insurance and protection products. Goodall chooses how fast to grow each part.
Second, the CEO manages relationships with lending partners. A refinance marketplace only works when banks and credit unions send good offers to drivers. If lenders pull back, the platform has less to show customers. A strong CEO keeps those partners happy and brings in new ones.
Third, the CEO reports to the board and to investors. Caribou raised large rounds of money from firms such as Goldman Sachs, so its leader must show steady progress. Investors want to see more customers, more funded loans, and a path to lasting profit.
Fourth, the CEO shapes the company’s culture. Caribou has many remote workers, so clear communication and trust matter even more than they do in a single office.
The Team Around the CEO
A CEO never works alone. Several people share the load at Caribou.
Kevin Bennett remains an important name in the company’s story. He co-founded the business in 2016, led it through its fast growth, and spoke for Caribou when it announced its large funding round in 2022. His seat on the board means he still has a say in big decisions.
Jim Craig is another leader worth knowing. A lists him as the company’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer. Those two jobs cover daily operations and money management, so his work supports whatever plan Goodall sets.
The company’s other executives and board members may change over time, so the best place to check the full list is the official Caribou website.
Caribou Financial at a Glance
This table gathers the main facts in one place.
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Current CEO | Simon Goodall |
| Previous CEO | Kevin Bennett, co-founder |
| CEO since | Fall 2023 |
| Company type | Auto fintech, online refinance marketplace |
| Founded | 2016, first named MotoRefi |
| Renamed to Caribou | 2021 |
| Headquarters | Denver, Colorado |
| Largest round | $115 million Series C in May 2022 |
| Valuation in 2022 | $1.1 billion |
| Total raised by 2022 | More than $190 million |
Funding and Growth
Caribou’s money story helps explain why its CEO job matters. In May 2022, the company announced a $115 million Series C round that valued it at $1.1 billion. A valuation above $1 billion makes a startup a “unicorn,” a term investors use for rare, fast-growing private companies.
Goldman Sachs led the round, and the total money raised since 2016 passed $190 million. The said Caribou customers save more than $100 a month on average by refinancing. A reported that the company had grown from about 40 workers to about 500 in two years, and that it had refinanced more than $1.5 billion in loans.
Those numbers came before Goodall took over. Since then, the company has focused on growing in the refinance market, which is the goal Bloomberg described when it announced his hiring. Readers who follow financial news and market coverage will notice that fintech firms often face pressure to prove steady profit after a big funding round. Goodall’s job is to meet that test.
Challenges Goodall Faces
Running an auto refinance marketplace has real hurdles. Interest rates shift over time, and those shifts change how many drivers can save money by refinancing. When rates rise, fewer people find a better deal, so the number of loans can drop.
Competition is another issue. Many companies now offer online loan tools, and some lenders let customers refinance directly. A notes the risk that lender partners could send fewer offers, which would hurt the number of loans the platform completes.
Goodall also has to protect the customer experience. Drivers want fast answers, clear terms, and no surprise fees. A marketplace earns trust one loan at a time, and one bad experience can spread quickly online.
His background gives him tools to handle these hurdles. At Groupon, he worked in a marketplace where both sides, buyers and sellers, had to stay happy. Readers who enjoy business stories like this one can see how often that skill shapes a company’s success.
Do Not Confuse Caribou Financial With Caribou Coffee
Many people search for “Caribou CEO” and land on the wrong company. Caribou Coffee is a coffeehouse chain with a completely different leader. According to , Scott Kennedy became that company’s president and CEO after serving as interim CEO in 2025. Caribou Coffee has no link to the auto loan business discussed here.
If you want the head of the auto refinance company, remember the full name: Caribou Financial, Inc. Also remember that its website is caribou.com, and its work centers on car loans, not coffee.
How to Confirm the Current CEO
Leadership news can age fast, so a few quick checks help you stay accurate. Start with the official Caribou website, which often lists the leadership team. Next, look at the company’s LinkedIn page for recent announcements. You can also search recent news from trusted outlets such as Bloomberg. When two sources disagree, trust the newer one and the one closest to the company.
One small detail is worth knowing. Bloomberg published its report on the new CEO in late September 2023, while a MarketScreener profile lists his start date as August 31, 2023. The gap likely comes from the difference between the date a role starts and the date news outlets reported it. Either way, both sources agree that Goodall has led Caribou since the fall of 2023.
Conclusion
Simon Goodall is the CEO of Caribou Financial. He took the role in 2023 after Kevin Bennett stepped down, and he brought years of marketplace experience from Groupon, plus early work at General Motors in the car industry. Caribou itself is a Denver-based fintech that began as MotoRefi in 2016 and now helps drivers refinance car loans, shop for insurance, and add vehicle protection.
The company reached a $1.1 billion valuation in 2022, and Goodall now carries the job of turning that early success into steady growth. Keep in mind that Caribou Financial and Caribou Coffee are two separate companies with two separate leaders. As with any business fact, confirm the latest details on the official website before you share them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Caribou Financial?
Simon Goodall is the CEO of Caribou Financial. He took over in the fall of 2023 and replaced co-founder Kevin Bennett.
What did Simon Goodall do before Caribou?
He worked at Groupon for many years and became its chief commercial officer. Earlier in his career, he also worked at General Motors and World Travel Holdings.
Who founded Caribou Financial?
Kevin Bennett co-founded the company in 2016 under the name MotoRefi. The business changed its name to Caribou in 2021.
What does Caribou Financial do?
Caribou runs an online marketplace that helps drivers refinance their car loans. It also offers an auto insurance marketplace and vehicle protection products.
Is Caribou Financial the same as Caribou Coffee?
No. They are two different companies with different leaders. Scott Kennedy leads Caribou Coffee, while Simon Goodall leads Caribou Financial.
