How an arts degree propelled alum Rob into fintech leadership

For some, Rob Humann’s journey from arts student to CEO of Credible might be unexpected.

By harnessing the skills cultivated through his studies, the Bachelor of Arts alum has built a career that proves an arts education can be the ultimate launchpad for leadership.

Based in San Francisco, Credible is a marketplace for users to compare quotes and rates from different lenders for personal loans, mortgages and more.

_{Rob (left) pictured with his executive leadership team at Credible.}

“You've got consumers on one side, a product in the middle and financial institutions on the other side,” explained Rob.

“I try to be in touch with all aspects of that marketplace, so I'm on the road a lot, then I spend a lot of time with the company. I'm very hands-on.”

Rob moved to San Francisco and landed a junior strategy role at Credible in 2016. Since then, he’s worked his way up in the business, overseeing different functions and revenue lines.

Ultimately, his decade-long experience at Credible has allowed him to understand the business inside out.

“It doesn't leave you, that urge to roll up your sleeves, be hands-on and work with the team on any given problem,” he said.

But, he adds, “One of the learnings as a new CEO is understanding when to step back.”

_{Rob (standing) speaking to one of Credible's clients at a recent day offsite.}

Having only been at the helm of Credible since September 2025, Rob is still learning how to best run the business.

“As the chief revenue officer, it was about growing the company as fast as possible. Then I stepped into this role and realised that friction from other departments – be it legal, compliance, user experience – exists for a good reason,” he said. “You evaluate decisions far more holistically.”

Being a financial technology business, another challenge for Rob is assessing new technologies and their potential impact on Credible’s offering.

“It’s a real challenge, trying to figure out the signal from the noise, and making long-term decisions with short-term spikes in information.”

On a personal level, Rob is learning how to spread his attention and effort among all the important facets of life.

“My CEO role is one identity, then I'm a dad to three beautiful young kids, and a husband to a beautiful wife,” he said.

A competitive and curious spirit

Another key driver that keeps Rob motivated is a quality that comes naturally to him in all areas of life.

“I'm super competitive, whether it's with sport, study or career. That feeling of winning and winning as a team, nothing beats that.”

Beyond his competitive spirit, there are other qualities that have helped Rob go from strength to strength in his career.

“One skill that has helped me in this role, and throughout my career, is being very direct. I think it's an Australian quality,” he shared.

“It’s a shortcut to getting to truth, and getting to truth in anything generally helps in aligning people and making good decisions.”

Other traits that Rob has applied professionally to overcome challenges are curiosity and tenacity.

“These are very qualitative, but when you compound them over time, they help you find your way.”

Rob remembers one instance where through grit and hard work, he managed to land a venture capital role in his early twenties without a commerce degree.

“I had a contact in the venture capital space, through the Melbourne University Blacks Football Club,” he said.

“I offered to work for them for free and asked them to give me a few weeks to prove that I could be of value.”

_{Rob playing for the Melbourne University Blacks during his student days.}

Rob describes applying his “Swiss Army knife set of skills” to those few weeks, determined to set himself apart and become useful within the organisation. And he was successful.

“They hired me within two weeks, and that was my job for the next three and a half years.”