NerdWallet provides free tools and clear, unbiased advice to help consumers choose the best credit cards, mortgages, banks, insurance and other financial options for their lives. Bhat will report directly to co-founder and CEO Tim Chen.

"If I've learned one thing in my 20-plus years leading product, marketing and engineering teams, it's that listening to consumers, understanding what drives them and addressing their needs is absolutely critical to success," said Bhat. "NerdWallet knows this. The company knows that consumers must be at the center of it all — product, engineering, content, design, everything. I can't wait to work with this talented group and build products that help answer life's most complex financial questions."

Working with NerdWallet's product, engineering and design teams, Bhat will accelerate product development and deliver a unified experience to millions of Americans who need help managing or optimizing their finances. He will set the strategic product direction at the growing company, applying his adept understanding of consumer motivations to build products to bring financial clarity to the 7 million people who visit NerdWallet every month.

"Tapan's got it all," said Tim Chen, co-founder and CEO of NerdWallet. "He's a seasoned leader with deep product expertise and incredible consumer intuition, who has spent years building award-winning products and scaling talented teams. Most importantly, he shares our No. 1 value of always putting the consumer first. He has that 'NerdWallet spark,' and I can't wait to watch him raise the bar here."

Bhat began his career at Quicken, where he built one of the earliest personal finance sites focused on helping people navigate a variety of financial decisions, from banking and loans to mortgages and investing. He also served as Worldwide Owner of Yahoo's Integrated Consumer Experiences business group, growing the organization to 500 employees, and he had executive roles at Adobe and Intuit. In each position he focused on empowering consumers through product innovation, and emphasized the need for a close interrelationship between applications and content, a principle that continues to guide his work today.

NerdWallet is growing, profitable and on track to hit 450 employees by year's end. Bhat's arrival comes on the heels of another major technology and talent investment NerdWallet made earlier this year with its acquisition of retirement planning startup aboutLife. Both moves highlight the company's strong growth trajectory, and reinforce NerdWallet's commitment to building a world-class product and engineering team who will empower consumers with the financial products and expert advice they need to achieve financial freedom.