Sean Egan Founding Partner and President Egan-Jones Ratings Company

Sean Egan is a founding partner and president of Egan-Jones Ratings Company (EJR), which was organized in 1992 for the purpose of providing timely, accurate credit ratings. Over the past decade, EJR provide risk managers with warnings on Ambac, Countrywide, Enron, Greece, Lehman, MBIA, New Century and many others well in advance of the majority of market participants. Fortune Magazine named Mr. Egan the number one person for warning about the 2007 credit crisis. Mr. Egan has appeared on most major media outlets and has testified numerous times in front of Congressional committees. Prior to founding Egan-Jones, Mr. Egan worked as a commercial banker for JP Morgan, as an investment banker for Oppenheimer, and as a management consultant with KPMG Peat Marwick. Mr. Egan graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo and received an MBA from Harvard University.

Michael Ewald Global Head of Private Credit Bain Capital Credit

Michael  Ewald, Global Head of Private Credit, Bain Capital Credit

Michael Ewald is a Managing Director, Global Head of the Private Credit Group, and Portfolio Manager for the Middle Market Credit and Senior Direct Lending strategies at Bain Capital Credit, a leading global credit specialist with approximately $49 billion in assets under management. He also serves as CEO of Bain Capital Specialty Finance, Inc. (NYSE: BCSF), a publicly traded business development company.

Prior to joining Bain Capital Credit in 1998, Michael was an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company where he focused on strategy consulting to the Financial Services, Manufacturing and Consumer Products industries. Earlier in his career, he worked at Credit Suisse First Boston as an analyst in the Regulated Industries group.

Michael received an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a B.A. from Tufts University.

Brad Marshall Co-head of Performing Credit Blackstone Credit

Brad Marshall is Co-head of Blackstone Credit’s Performing Credit Platform, CEO of both the Blackstone Private Credit Fund (BCRED) and the Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (BXSL), and a Senior Managing Director with Blackstone. Mr. Marshall focuses on Blackstone Credit’s Direct Lending efforts and is a member of the performing credit investment committee.

Before joining Blackstone Credit, then known as GSO Capital Partners, in 2005, Mr. Marshall worked in various roles at RBC, including fixed income research and business development within RBC’s private equity funds effort. Prior to RBC, Mr. Marshall helped develop a private equity funds business for TAL Global, a Canadian asset management division of CIBC, and prior to that, he co-founded a microchip verification software company where he served as chief financial officer.

Mr. Marshall received an MBA from McGill University in Montreal and a BA (Honors) in Economics from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada.

Bill Sacher Partner & Head of Private Credit, New York Adams Street Partners

Bill leads the investment, portfolio construction, and fundraising efforts of the Private Credit Team, and manages key relationships with general partners in North America and Europe.

Prior to joining Adams Street, Bill was head of the US Private Debt Group (at the time the Mezzanine Debt Group) at Oaktree Capital Management. In this role he developed the strategy, managed the team, and approved the investments. In conjunction with Oaktree’s in-house marketing team, Bill led the fundraising effort for each of the three funds for which he was responsible. 

Prior to Oaktree, Bill worked at J.P. Morgan, where he was the Co-Head of both the Leveraged Finance Origination Team and the High Yield Capital Markets Group. Bill previously worked at NationsBank as head of the high yield business where he was responsible for the High Yield Origination Team, the High Yield Capital Markets Group, Private Placements, and Nations Bridge (the banks bridge loan unit). Bill commenced his career at Bear Stearns.

Bill is Chair of the Adams Street Partners Private Credit Investment Committee and member of the Executive Committee. 

Education:

New York University, BS, cum laude

New York University, MBA

Years of investment/operational experience: 35 years

Matthew Schernecke Partner Hogan Lovells

Matthew Edward Schernecke advises direct lenders, mezzanine investment funds, and venture capital investors in a variety of debt and investment transactions with borrowers of all sizes, types, and structures. He also counsels private equity clients and corporate borrowers on domestic and cross-border acquisition financings, out-of-court restructurings and workouts, bankruptcy matters, ESG and impact investment financings, and real estate financings. Matthew leads transactions spanning diverse industries, including financial services, real estate, retail, life sciences, health care, technology, food and beverage, hospitality, film and music entertainment, media, and telecommunications.

Matthew advises clients of all kinds on the financing aspects of sustainable investments with a broader social impact. He has broad knowledge and experience structuring and negotiating loan documents to embed and track social impact through ESG-oriented covenants and impact investment financing transactions.

Prior to joining Hogan Lovells, Matthew was a partner at another multinational law firm, where he previously served as the New York office local practice group leader for the finance practice and as a leading member of its CARES Act Loan Program Task Force. He has also been sought after by top-tier organizations to speak on market practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (LSTA) and the American Bar Association (ABA).

Matthew previously served as a law clerk to Federal Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Randy Schwimmer Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Senior Lending Churchill Asset Management

Randy is co-head of senior lending and oversees senior lending origination and capital markets for Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist of Nuveen.

Randy has broad experience in middle market finance and is widely credited with developing loan syndications for middle market companies. Prior to joining the firm, Randy served as a senior managing director and head of capital markets and indirect origination at Churchill Financial. In those positions, he took responsibility for all loan capital markets activities and for managing the firm’s indirect origination platform. Before that, he worked as managing director and head of leveraged finance syndication for BNP Paribas. He spent 15 years at JP Morgan Chase in corporate banking and loan syndications, where he originated, structured and syndicated leveraged loans.

James Vanek Partner and Head of Apollo’s Performing Credit Business Apollo Global Management

Mr. Vanek is a Partner and the co-head of Apollo’s Global Performing Credit business. Mr. Vanek joined the firm in 2008, and before that he was Associate Director, Loan Sales & Trading in the Leveraged Finance group at Bear Stearns. He is a board member of the Loan Syndications and Trading Association, a leading advocate for the US syndicated loan market. Mr.V anek graduated from Duke University with a BS in economics and a BA in computer science, and received his MBA from Columbia Business School.

Todd Koretzky Partner Allen & Overy

Todd is a partner in Allen & Overy’s Leveraged Finance & Private Debt group in New York. He advises a wide variety financial institutions and investment funds across a full range of domestic and international finance transactions. He regularly counsels commercial and investment banks, financial services companies, asset managers and private credit funds, as well as borrowers, sponsors and other market participants, on secured and unsecured loans, leveraged and acquisition financings, asset-based loan facilities, debtor-in-possession financings, bridge loans, restructurings and recapitalizations, and general corporate finance and banking matters. His practice spans the syndicated loan and “direct lending” markets and multiple asset classes, including corporates and infrastructure.

Todd leads A&O’s annual Leveraged Finance Training Camp and has published articles in The Banking Law Journal and the International Comparative Legal Guide to Lending & Secured Finance, among other outlets.

He received his BBA from The University of Georgia and his JD and MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Tony Marsh Managing Director and Chief Capital Markets Officer TA Associates

Tony leads TA's capital markets activities. He oversees  all financings and capital markets activities for new investments, add-on  acquisitions, recapitalizations, refinancings and amendments for TA portfolio  companies globally. Tony also manages the firm’s relationships with investment  banks, advisors and direct lenders. Prior to joining TA in 2013, he was a  Director at Credit Suisse in the Financial Sponsors Group, focusing on  leveraged finance transactions. Previously, Tony was a Controller at Mack  Trucks, Inc. He received a BS degree in Business Management from Brigham Young  University and an MBA degree, with Distinction, from the University of  Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

Ranesh Ramanathan Partner Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Ranesh Ramanathan is a partner in the Boston office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and focuses on debt finance, distressed/special situations, alternative investments and credit fund transactions.

Ranesh has extensive experience negotiating, structuring and managing complex transactions globally, from the United States to Europe, Asia and Australia, including acquiring diverse multijurisdictional portfolios of assets and extracting entire business units from distressed sellers. He has managed the legal aspects of investments in publicly traded and pre-IPO companies, as well as investments across the credit spectrum, and has worked with a variety of fund types including closed-ended, open-ended and managed accounts in a wide variety of strategies. Ranesh has also advised on private equity and hedge fund investments.

Ranesh returned to private practice in 2018 after nearly 15 years in in-house legal roles with Bain Capital and Citigroup. Immediately prior to joining Kirkland, Ranesh was a managing director at Bain Capital and general counsel to Bain Capital’s public markets business and served on Bain Capital Credit’s risk and oversight committee. Ranesh’s in-house experience at large global institutions will bring a multidisciplinary and client-focused perspective aimed at solving client problems.

Ted Goldthorpe Partner, Head of BC Partners Credit BC Partners

Ted joined BCP Credit in New York in 2017 to lead BCP Credit. Previously, Ted was President at Apollo Investment Corporation and the Chief Investment Officer of Apollo Investment Management where he was the head of its US Opportunistic Platform and also oversaw the Private Origination business, serving as a member of the Senior Management Committee. Prior to Apollo, he worked at Goldman Sachs for 13 years where he most recently ran the bank loan distressed investing desk. He was previously the head of Principal Capital Investing for the Special Situations Group.

Manjot Rana Managing Director, Americas Leveraged Finance CPP Investments

Manjot leads the special situations credit vertical within ALF. He joined CPP Investments in 2011, working in the London office focused on European credit and leading the APAC credit business in the Hong Kong office.

Prior to joining CPP Investments, Manjot worked at a distressed focused private equity fund with over $2.5 billion in assets under management. Previously, Manjot worked in the Leveraged Finance Group at Barclays Capital and Citigroup in New York.

Manjot holds a BS in Finance and International Business from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University.

Timothy Gravely Co-Manager of Aquiline's Credit Strategy Aquiline Capital Partners

Tim Gravely joined Aquiline in 2019 and co-manages Aquiline’s credit strategy. Prior to joining, Aquiline Mr. Gravely was a partner and portfolio manager in the Graticule Asset Management Asia credit opportunities fund from 2017 - 2019. Mr. Gravely was a managing director at Tennenbaum Capital Partners from 2008 to 2017 where he invested across the capital structure in liquid and illiquid credit, stressed and special situation, distressed securities, and private equity transactions. Prior to joining Tennenbaum, Mr. Gravely spent two years with Macquarie Capital in Toronto, Canada investing in private equity transactions for the Macquarie Global Opportunities Fund and other Macquarie managed funds and four years at RBC Capital Markets working in both the Mergers & Acquisitions and Leveraged & Syndicated Finance Groups. He Started his career at Royal Bank of Canada in the credit risk & analysis group managing bank exposure to corporate counter-party risk. Mr. Gravely holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Honors in Finance from Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick.

Tom Davidson Assistant editor Creditflux

Tom Davidson is assistant editor for Creditflux, the leading global leading information source for credit funds and CLOs. He focuses on event content and special features. After joining Creditflux in 2005 he moved to New York in 2012 to setup the Creditflux US office. He graduated from Cambridge University with an MSci in Natural Sciences.

Jerry van Koolbergen Managing Director, Head of U.S. Structured Credit DBRS Morningstar

Jerry van Koolbergen is the Managing Director responsible for U.S. Structured Credit at DBRS Morningstar. In this role, he oversees ratings for CLOs, middle market CLOs, loan warehouse facilities, CFOs, CLNs, subscription loans, alternative corporate securitizations, methodology development and surveillance. He also oversees U.S. and European credit estimates.  Mr. van Koolbergen joined DBRS in 2008.  Prior to DBRS, Mr. van Koolbergen was Executive Director for Morgan Stanley in 2006 and Executive Director for JPMorgan from 1998-2006 responsible for CLO structuring and origination.  Mr. van Koolbergen holds an MBA in Finance from New York University, a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University.

Shiloh Bates Managing Director Flat Rock Global

Shiloh Bates is a Managing Director at Flat Rock Global. Prior to joining Flat Rock Global in 2018, Mr. Bates was a Managing Director at Benefit Street Partners, where he worked on corporate acquisitions. Prior to joining Benefit Street Partners in 2016, Mr. Bates was the Head of Structured Products at BDCA Adviser, where he was responsible for investments in collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and publicly traded business development companies (“BDCs”) as well as structuring the firm’s credit facilities. He has worked at several CLO managers including Canaras Capital Management, Four Corners Capital Management and ING Capital Advisors. Mr. Bates began his career as an investment banker at First Union Securities.

Mr. Bates has invested over $1 billion in CLO securities and has been a frequent panelist at CLO industry conferences.

Mr. Bates received a Master of Statistics from Columbia University, a Master of Financial Mathematics from the University of Chicago, a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor of Science from Virginia Tech. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves Special Operations Command as a specialist for six years.

Kevin McLeod Head of Fund Development Cerberus Business Finance

Kevin McLeod, Head of Fund Development of Cerberus Business Finance and Senior Managing Director of Cerberus Capital Management. Mr. McLeod joined Cerberus in 2006.  Prior to joining Cerberus, Mr. McLeod managed the leveraged finance origination and execution activities at CIBC World Markets from 1998 to 2006, where he originated, structured and executed transactions involving high yield debt securities, leveraged loans, privately placed mezzanine securities and merchant banking investments.  From 1996 to 1998, Mr. McLeod was a member of the Investment Banking division of PaineWebber Group Inc.  From 1986 to 1994, he worked as a mechanical and aerospace engineer for various organizations including the Pratt & Whitney Division of United Technologies Corp.  Mr. McLeod is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and received an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Chaim Estulin Co-Managing Editor Debtwire Asia-Pacific

Chaim Estulin has been covering Asia for more than two decades, including as Debtwire senior editor since October 2007. He helps oversee more than two dozen reporters and analysts in the region focused on corporate distress and restructurings as well as the primary issuance of high-yield bonds, loans and private debt. Before joining Debtwire, Chaim was a business editor at the South China Morning Post and a Hong Kong-based reporter at Time magazine covering politics, culture and business.

Brian Dillard Managing Director and Head of Asia Credit KKR

Brian Dillard joined KKR in 2006 and is a Managing Director and Head of Asia Credit. Prior to moving to Hong Kong in 2018, Mr. Dillard was a portfolio manager for KKR's Special Situations funds and portfolios in New York. Before joining the Special Situations team, Mr. Dillard was a member of KKR’s Private Equity Team and has been involved with several investments, including KKR’s investment in Oriental Brewery. In 2008 and 2009, Mr. Dillard worked in Hong Kong assisting in the development of KKR's Asian operations. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Dillard was at Morgan Stanley & Co. in its mergers and acquisitions investment banking group, where he was involved in a number of merger, acquisition, and financing transactions. Mr. Dillard graduated from Harvard College and received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Carol Lee Park Managing Director, Lending Ark Asia Secured Private Debt CLSA Capital Partners (HK) Limited

Ms. Park is a Managing Director of Lending Ark Asia Secured Private Debt Fund and a member of the Investment Committee. Ms. Park has over 27 years of experience across investment banking, private equity, and private debt investments in New York and Hong Kong with J.P. Morgan, Merrill Lynch, Henderson Global Investors, Entropy Ventures, and Northstone Peak. Ms. Park was a founding member of Northstone Peak. Ms. Park also founded Lending Ark Capital, an alternative investment firm focusing on private debt and equity financings to the Asian financial services sector, including FinTech. Ms. Park has extensive experience evaluating specialty lending and consumer finance companies in Asia during her private equity and private debt investment roles. Ms. Park has managed and led every aspect of private equity and private debt transactions, including investment strategies formation, deal origination, investment analysis, structuring, and portfolio management. Ms. Park currently is a director on the board of Techmate Korea Daebu Co. Ltd, a Korean consumer finance company and Peoplefund Company Inc., a leading Korean marketplace lender. She speaks fluent Korean and received a BA in economics from Vassar College.

Robert Petty Co-CEO & Co-CIO Fiera Capital (Asia)

Rob Petty is Co-CEO and Co-CIO of Fiera Capital (Asia). Since founding the Clearwater Funds in 2001 along with Amit Gupta, they have invested profitably across credit market cycles, investment sectors and geographies, building an Asia-focused business that is one of the oldest and largest credit investing firms in the region. Today, Rob leads an Asia-dedicated credit investment team, with broad expertise in Asia incorporating strategies across direct lending, secondary credit and special situations through multiple pools of capital.

Rob is responsible for Fiera Capital’s Asian Credit business, along with Amit Gupta. Prior to founding Clearwater, for fifteen years, Rob worked as a capital committer for international and Asian credits at Lehman Brothers, Peregrine Fixed Income, and with Marc Lasry at Amroc Investments.

Rob lives in Hong Kong and holds a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science from Brown University. Rob has served on multiple for-profit and non-profit boards over his 35-year career and currently sits on the board of two China-based portfolio companies and EngenderHealth, a non-profit organization that focuses on women’s health worldwide.

Tor Trivers Managing Director and Head of the Private Credit Group CDIB Capital

Tor Trivers is a Managing Director and Head of the Private Credit Group at CDIB Capital. Prior to joining, he was Managing Director of Asia Structured Credit at The Carlyle Group. He led the Carlyle Asia Structured Credit Opportunities Fund which invested in privately sourced, structured and negotiated transactions financing growing middle-market borrowers such as banks, NBFIs and corporates. Prior to Carlyle, Tor was a Partner of Northstone Peak Investment Advisors Limited, an alternative credit advisory focusing on structured financings across the Asia region. Prior to that, he was a Director at Natixis North America, where he focused on structured financing transactions facing hedge funds, alternative asset managers, REITs and finance companies. Tor also has experience in Fixed Income Sales at Nomura Securities International where he focused on MBS, CMBS and financing client assets.

Tor received his BA in Economics from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

Alex Stanton CEO Stanton

Alex Stanton is CEO of Stanton, a New York and California-based firm that provides corporate and financial communications services to many private equity and credit investment firms as well as institutional investors.

A hands-on manager who spends most of his time working directly with clients, Stanton offers a unique combination of corporate/financial knowledge, operational insights and strategic media counsel that many firms need to seize opportunities and compete aggressively in a fast-moving business environment. He helps many CEOs and C suite executives further develop their skills for effective message delivery in media interviews and group presentations.

Stanton has been an instructor in Columbia University’s Graduate Program of Strategic Communications and is a frequent speaker on business strategy, and the role of marketing communications in driving business success. He has served as President of the Public Relations Society of America in New York and as a Director of YPO and sits on the boards of several charitable organizations.

Archie Beeching Director of Responsible Investing Muzinich & Co

Archie joined Muzinich in March 2019. He oversees the firm’s responsible investing and internal corporate responsibility commitments. Archie joined after leading the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) fixed income and private markets programmes for seven years. Previously, Archie worked as a corporate sustainability consultant with Net Balance (EY Climate Change & Sustainability Services) and ESG research and engagement specialist with Regnan. Archie holds a Master of Environmental Management from the University of New South Wales and an MA (Hons) in Hispanic studies from the University of Edinburgh. He also holds the Investment Management Certificate (IMC) from the CFA Society.

Chris Mawn Managing Director CarVal Investors

Mr. Mawn is a managing director for CarVal Investors responsible for leading the corporate bank loan and collateralized loan obligation (CLO) business. In this role, he chairs the firm’s CLO investment sub-committee. A veteran with nearly two decades of participation in credit markets, Mr. Mawn combines experience in par, distressed and special situations credit research with credit trading and loan portfolio management. Previously, Mr. Mawn worked in management consulting across multiple industries with a focus on operational improvement, merger and acquisition, and corporate strategy engagements for leading domestic and international companies. He began his career in the military serving as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Mawn received his M.B.A. in Finance with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Gingee Prince Chief Impact Officer and Managing Director Enhanced Capital

Gingee serves as Managing Director of Enhanced Capital’s $25 million Wyoming investment fund and as Chief Impact Officer for Enhanced Capital ($4 billion in AUM).  Ms. Prince oversees the objectives, metrics, analysis and reporting of the firm’s social, environmental and economic investment impact. Prior to these two positions at Enhanced, she was responsible for the development of public/private investment programs and business expansion for the firm.

Gingee has extensive experience founding and growing companies in the computer, telecommunications and private investment industries.  Prior to joining Enhanced, Gingee worked with Reservoir Capital Group, a New York based private investment firm with over $6.5 billion currently under management.  Prior to Reservoir, Gingee co-founded two computer hardware companies, New Media Corporation and InterWorks Computer Products.  InterWorks was successfully sold to Sanmina Corporation (NASDAQ:SANM) in July, 2000.

Gingee currently serves on the Board a number of portfolio companies, including Vertical Harvest of Jackson Hole and Wyoming Authentic Products in Cody, WY.  Over the years, Gingee has also invested in and consulted with many early stage businesses, providing them with financial, operational and fund raising advisory services.

Ms. Prince holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley.

Megan Starr Global Head of Impact The Carlyle Group

Megan Starr is the Global Head of Impact for The Carlyle Group. She is based in New York. In her role, Ms. Starr works to design and execute Carlyle’s cohesive, long-term impact strategy. She also oversees the dedicated ESG team, which leads the firm’s investment diligence and portfolio company engagement work on material ESG issues.

Prior to joining Carlyle, Ms. Starr was within Goldman Sachs’ Investment Management Division, where she helped build the ESG and impact investing business. Previously, Ms. Starr served in roles at The JPB Foundation, a $3.8B private family foundation based in New York City.

Ms. Starr received an M.B.A. and a Certificate in Public Management and Social Innovation from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where she was an Arbuckle Leadership Fellow, and an A.B. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, where she graduated magna cum laude with highest honors in field of concentration.

Laure Villepelet Head of ESG/CSR Tikehau Capital

Laure Villepelet joined Tikehau Capital in 2017 to promote and accelerate ESG initiatives across asset classes - private debt, real assets, private equity and capital markets strategies. She drives the creation, implementation and reporting of the Group’s practices regarding ESG integration, engagement and impact with a focus on climate change, innovation, diversity & inclusion. Laure seats at the sustainability board of certain portfolio companies. Previously, Laure was sustainable development manager for L’Oréal France. She started her career with PWC valuations in NYC and London, and worked as financial analyst in Singapore. Laure holds a Master of Science degree from Sciences Po Bordeaux and is a CFA® charterholder.

Bill Weisbrod Senior Reporter Debtwire

 Bill Weisbrod is a senior reporter with Debtwire North America. He has reported on all areas of sub-investment grade corporate debt, including extensive coverage private credit, since 2015. He is a graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Oberlin College.

Ross Alexander Portfolio Manager- Private Income Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation

Ross Alexander, CAIA, is a Portfolio Manager at APFC covering the fund’s private income assets. Ross has primary responsibility for the infrastructure, private credit, and real assets investing activities at APFC, Alaska’s $82 billion sovereign wealth fund. Prior to joining APFC, Ross worked on the real assets portfolio at the Alaska Retirement Management Board. Ross lives in Juneau, AK with his wife and three daughters where he spends his free time skiing, biking, and enjoying the Alaskan wilderness.

Rick Jain Partner and Global Head of Private Debt Pantheon

Rick is a Partner and Global Head of Private Debt. Rick is a member of the International Investment Committee and the Global Credit Committee. Prior to joining Pantheon, Rick was a Managing Director and an Investment Committee Member at Star Mountain Capital, a middle-market private credit manager. Rick previously held several senior investment positions across asset managers and boutique investment firms including Stone Tower Capital, Green Brook Capital and Citigroup Alternative Investments and Morgan Stanley. Rick received a B.Com in Economics and Finance (Hons.) from McGill University. Rick is based in New York.

Nayef Perry Managing Director Hamilton Lane

Nayef is a Managing Director and head of the firm’s Miami office. He is primarily focused on direct investment transactions.

Prior to joining Hamilton Lane in 2013, Nayef was a Vice President at GE Capital where he focused on sponsor-backed leveraged finance transactions. Nayef began his career as a management consultant at CEB.

Nayef received an M.B.A. from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University.

Tom Davidson Assistant editor Creditflux

Tom Davidson is assistant editor for Creditflux, the leading global leading information source for credit funds and CLOs. He focuses on event content and special features. After joining Creditflux in 2005 he moved to New York in 2012 to setup the Creditflux US office. He graduated from Cambridge University with an MSci in Natural Sciences.

Kevin Marchetti Chief Risk Officer, Partner Varagon Capital Partners

Kevin Marchetti is a Partner of Varagon and Chief Risk Officer. Kevin has extensive experience in risk management and middle market leveraged finance across a range of industries and strategies. Prior to joining Varagon, he was a Senior Vice President at GE Antares Capital. He has also held senior risk positions at CIT Group and TD Bank. He earned a B.A. degree from Springfield College and an M.B.A. from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Thomas Aronson Partner, Vice Chairman & Head of Originations Monroe Capital

Thomas Aronson, Partner, Vice Chairman & Head of Originations. Mr. Aronson is a Vice Chairman and Head of Originations of Monroe Capital. He is responsible for leading all transaction sourcing efforts and structuring investments.  He is a Co-Founder of the firm and a member of Monroe’s Investment Committee.  Mr. Aronson has over 30 years of commercial lending and private debt experience. Prior to Monroe, he served at Hilco Capital sourcing, structuring and underwriting debt transactions since 2002.  Prior to Hilco Capital, Mr. Aronson was a Senior Vice President and Group Head in the Business Banking Group of Cole Taylor Bank, where he was responsible for asset-based lending, correspondent banking, public funds and a commercial lending division.  He also served for seven years as a commercial lender with American National Bank (now JP Morgan Chase Bank) and as Chief Financial Officer of Barton Chemical Corporation, a privately held consumer products company.  Mr. Aronson earned his M.B.A. in Management Accounting from DePaul University and a B.S.  in Finance and Marketing from Indiana University. He is a member of the Secured Finance Network, the Turnaround Management Association, and the Association for Corporate Growth.

Laura Holson Managing Director & Head of Capital Markets New Mountain Capital

Laura Holson is a Managing Director at New Mountain. Ms. Holson joined New Mountain in 2009 as a private equity deal professional and in 2011, she joined New Mountain’s credit team full time. In 2017, Ms. Holson was named Head of Capital Markets; in this capacity, she manages the firm’s financing activities and relationships across its various product lines.

Before joining New Mountain, Ms. Holson worked in Healthcare Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley in New York.

Ms. Holson received a B.S. in Economics with concentrations in Finance and Marketing from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated magna cum laude.