OREANDA-NEWS. June 18, 2012. GE Capital’s Retail Finance business, the consumer lending unit of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE - News), has announced Orlando Zayas will serve as vice president, Emerging Markets – Automotive Aftermarket. In his new role, he will be responsible for driving growth and innovation of the consumer credit portfolio for the automotive aftermarket industry, where the company has provided financing for more than 30 years.

Most recently, Zayas served as president of Safe-Guard Products International, which sold finance and insurance products to automotive dealers nationwide. During his tenure, Safe-Guard achieved a double digit annual growth rate.

Zayas re-joins GE after previous leadership roles with the company, including serving as president of Auto Warranty Services for GE Money’s Sales Finance unit. Prior to his roles in the automotive segment, he was a senior vice president for GE Benefit Solutions, as well as holding positions in Sales and Quality.

“We are excited that Orlando will lead our financing programs in the automotive aftermarket industry,” said Stephen Roe, general manager, Emerging Markets, GE Capital Retail Finance. “With his wealth of industry experience and his knowledge of GE Capital and consumer financing, so he will be able to quickly bring value to our clients and their customers in this important segment.”

Zayas, who has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from the University of Houston and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin, will relocate to Kettering, Ohio.

For more than 75 years, GE Capital’s Retail Finance business has provided billions of dollars in consumer financing through major retailers and more than 200,000 small- and mid-sized businesses throughout the United States. GE Capital is a leading provider of consumer credit in the automotive industry for more than 30 years. The company supports its clients with proprietary online technology such as Business Center, which includes service, marketing and sales tools, as well as the newly launched Learning Center, providing businesses with fast and easy access to training tools and resources on how to better understand and offer financing to consumers.