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Abdullo Kurbanov is the Co‑Founder and CEO of Ayan Capital, a London‑based fintech building a global digital Islamic bank. Launched in 2024, Ayan’s first product provides Sharia‑compliant vehicle finance to gig‑economy drivers and SMEs. The company has raised £30 million in Shariah-compliant debt and equity, and is in the process of obtaining a UK banking licence. Prior to Ayan, Abdullo co‑founded Alif, a leading fintech super-app in Central Asia that serves 4.8 million customers. Since 2021, Alif has achieved 5x growth in revenues and 30x growth in payment volumes. Abdullo also co-founded somon.tj - the leading online marketplace in Tajikistan with 3 million users, and is the 6th most visited site in the country. Abdullo began his career at UBS, Oliver Wyman, and Origo Partners and he holds an MSc in Finance with Distinction from the London School of Economics.

Adrian has 23 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Elmwood Adrian served as the co-head of BlackRock’s US managed CLO business and lead portfolio manager for BlackRock’s US leveraged loan platform. While acting in this capacity Mr. Marshall oversaw a team managing over $18 bn in assets held across CLO, retail and separate account investment vehicles. Adrian transitioned into the lead portfolio management role for BlackRock’s US CLOs in 2009. Adrian spent his entire career at BlackRock prior to joining Elmwood.

Alan George is a Managing Director and Head of Structured Products of Golub Capital, a market-leading, award-winning direct lender and experienced credit asset manager. As of January 1, 2024, Golub Capital had over $65 billion of capital under management, a gross measure of invested capital including leverage. Golub Capital partners with institutional investors and family offices, offering tailored solutions for investors’ credit asset strategies. The Firm specializes in delivering reliable, creative and compelling financing solutions to companies backed by private equity sponsors. Golub Capital has been a top 3 U.S. Middle Market Bookrunner each year from 2008 through Q4 2023 for senior secured loans of up to $500 million for leveraged buyouts. Golub Capital has been consistently recognized with industry awards, including Lender of the Decade, Americas (Private Debt Investor, 2023), Senior Lender of the Decade, Americas (Private Debt Investor, 2023), Lender of the Year, Americas (Private Debt Investor, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022) and Senior Lender of the Year, Americas (Private Debt Investor, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020). Mr. George joined Golub Capital in 2008 and is a Managing Director and the Head of Structured Products. He is responsible for structuring and executing collateralized loan obligations, lines of credit and other structured debt financings for the Firm. He also helps oversee Golub Capital’s investment portfolio of third party securitization liabilities. Prior to joining Golub Capital, Mr. George worked at LaSalle Bank, where he specialized in real estate-focused collateralized debt obligations. Mr. George earned his BS degree in Finance from the University of Pittsburgh.

Amir Vardi is a Managing Director of Credit Suisse in the Asset Management Division, based in New York. Mr. Vardi is the Head of Structured Credit and a Portfolio Manager for the Credit Investments Group. His responsibilities include managing portfolios of structured products as well as overseeing the CLO issuance activities for the group. Mr. Vardi began his career in leveraged finance research - portfolio strategy at Credit Suisse First Boston, which he joined in 2004. Subsequent to his work in that group, Mr. Vardi was a founding member of the Leveraged Finance Strategy and Portfolio Products team at Credit Suisse. Mr. Vardi received his BS and BA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated summa cum laude from a dual-degree program.

Amit Roy is a Managing Director in the Investment Banking division at Goldman Sachs and heads the US CLO New Issue business for the firm. He joined Goldman Sachs in 2001 and has been directly involved in structuring and placing over $90bn of securities backed by bank loans, high yield bonds, investment grade securities, private placements and emerging market securities. Amit holds an MBA, with honors, from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and S.B. degrees in Economics and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Ana Arsov is a Managing Director, co-heading the Global Financial Institutions rating franchise for Moody’s Investors Service. Ana also holds the position of Global Head of Private Credit for Moody’s, fostering analytical and issuer coverage for the growing private markets between financial institutions, leveraged finance, and securitization markets. Furthermore, Ana leads the analytical and relationship engagement with the Global Systemically Important Banks (GSIBs), non-bank fincos, and securities firms, fostering the linkages with institutions that create assets and structures in the private markets. Ana joined Moody’s in 2013 with an extensive experience in analyzing financial institutions and managing credit professionals. In her prior roles at Moody’s, Ana was the Global Co-head of Banking between 2021-2023, and prior to that, was Managing Director responsible for the rating coverage for global investment banks, securities firms, and specialty finance ratings. Ana is also a co-author of Moody's rating methodologies for finance companies, securities firms, and clearing houses and also led the development of Moody's counterparty risk rating. Prior to Moody’s, Ana gained extensive experience in credit risk management at several large banks, including as Executive Director in Credit Risk, responsible for North American financial institutions at UBS Investment Bank. Also, she was Head of Global Portfolio Management-Credit Risk Management at Morgan Stanley, focusing on comprehensive coverage, identification, and analysis of risks across the firm’s trading and lending businesses, as well as leading key risk management initiatives for Morgan Stanley Bank N.A. Ana began her career in Credit Risk Management at Lehman Brothers in various credit risk roles, ultimately heading up the North American Financial Institutions and Structured Finance team, and subsequently worked on Lehman’s bankruptcy resolution. Ana holds a Master’s Degree in Management (with a specialization in Financial Services and Banking) from Boston University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Pace University, New York. Ana also holds a certificate in Board Governance from Harvard Business School

Andrew K, Goldstone is a Senior Trader in US CLO Trading. In this role, Andrew’s trading responsibilities include trading US CLOs/CDOs. Andrew joined the bank in 2015 in the CLO Trading group. In 2019, Andrew moved to London to run the firm’s European CLO trading business. Andrew ran the effort until 2022 when he was promoted to be a Senior Trader in US CLOs. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Mr. Petitjean is the Global CLO Portfolio Manager and a member of the Investment and ESG Committees. Prior to joining Brigade in 2019, Mr. Petitjean was employed as a Senior Equity Analyst at Kingdon Capital and Head of Credit Research for the Kingdon Credit Fund. Prior to his tenure at Kingdon, Mr. Petitjean was an Analyst at Brevan Howard. Mr. Petitjean started his career at Goldman Sachs as a Sell-Side Analyst covering both the automobile/auto supplier sector and the metals and mining sector, where he was a member of Institutional Investor’s “All-American Research Team”. Mr. Petitjean holds an A.B. in Government and History, magna cum laude from Bowdoin College, and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Additionally, Mr. Petitjean is a CFA charterholder.

Aniket Deshpande is a Senior Credit Officer and Manager for the US Structured Credit team. In his current role at Moody’s, Aniket has extensively contributed to multiple thematic CLO research and newsletters, many of which have been featured by top-tier media outlets. He also speaks frequently on Moody’s behalf at industry events and serves as chair for CLO rating committees. In his previous role at Moody’s, Aniket has served as lead rating analyst for securitizations backed by multiple asset types. Prior to joining Moody’s in 2010, Aniket held positions as an investment analyst at Dynamic Credit Partners, LLC., a fund manager investing in a wide range of CLO and structured finance securities, and as a trader for government-issued bonds at a boutique investment bank in Mumbai, India. Aniket holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College. He also holds master’s and bachelor’s degree from the University of Mumbai, India. Aniket is also a CFA charter holder.

Arlene Shaw is a Managing Director and Treasurer. Ms. Shaw is responsible for structuring and executing collateralized loan obligations, lines of credit and other financing for the firm. Ms. Shaw joined Brightwood in February 2016. Prior to Brightwood, Ms. Shaw was a Senior Associate at Schulte Roth and Zabel LLP in the corporate finance group, where her practice was focused on, middle market credit facilities, acquisition financing and liquidity facilities for hedge funds and private equity funds, including warehouse lines, leveraged finance vehicles, capital call facilities, CLOs and fund-of-fund loans. Ms. Shaw holds a BA, summa cum laude, from the State University of New York at Albany and a JD, cum laude, from Tulane University Law School. Ms. Shaw is committed to philanthropic works and serves on the Water Board for the City of New York Department of Environmental Protection and the board of Inherent Foundation.

Brad Rogoff is a Managing Director and Head of FICC Research, based in New York. The FICC Research team covers corporate and sovereign bonds, securitized products, interest rates, FX and economics across developed and emerging markets globally. In addition to his leadership role, he largely focuses on the US high yield, leveraged loan and CLO markets. He and his team have consistently been ranked by Institutional Investor in the High Yield Credit Strategy category since 2009, and the US Credit Alpha has been voted one of the Best Weekly Credit Research Publications each year since. In 2016, Brad assumed management responsibility for the Emerging Market Corporate Credit Research team globally; in 2018, his role was expanded to include the Developed Market Credit Research team; and in 2022, he took on responsibility for FICC research. He joined Barclays from Lehman Brothers in September 2008, where he was a member of the Credit Strategy team focusing on high yield bonds and derivatives. He joined Lehman Brothers in 2002 as a member of the High Yield Research team focusing on the media sector and moved to the Credit Strategy team in 2005. Brad graduated from Harvard University, cum laude, in 2002 with an AB in economics. He is also a CFA charterholder.

Brandon has five years of experience at SS&C, and is based in Jacksonville, FL. Over the last four years, he has gained a wealth of firsthand knowledge supporting Geneva clients through his role on SS&C's client experience team. In his current role as a Sales Engineer, Brandon helps clients and prospects understand how SS&C's solutions can improve their operations. He enjoys his position because of the constant need to learn the new and innovative ways the market is evolving.

Carlo Ingato is a member of the firm's Structured Finance group. Carlo focuses on collateralized loan obligation transactions and related warehouse facilities, representing collateral managers, arrangers, issuers and investors. Carlo also has experience in a broad range of secured lending transactions and CLO manager acquisitions. Carlo received his law degree from Fordham University. He also holds an M.B.A. from Fordham University.

Christopher Terry joined AllianceBernstein in 2017 and is a Director of AB Private Credit Investors, where he currently leads the structured capital markets initiatives for the team. Based in New York, he is focused on structuring, negotiating, and executing structured credit transactions including private credit CLOs, RRL ABS, warehouse facilities, and other long term portfolio finance solutions. Previously, he was an Associate at Garrison Investment Group, where he managed treasury for portfolio investments within the structured finance and real estate platforms. Prior to that, Mr. Terry served as a Credit Analyst and CLO Analyst at Monroe Capital. He began his career at LaSalle Bank as an Account Manager within the Global Trust Services Group. Mr. Terry holds a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Christine leads Versana’s product strategy and is responsible for the execution of its product roadmap. She has broad and deep experience on both the banking operations and service provider sides of the loan market. Most recently, Christine was Senior Principal Product Manager for Corporate + Syndicated Lending at Finastra for 12 years. Prior to that, she spent over 20 years at Commerzbank AG, ultimately becoming the Head of Commercial Lending Services leading teams across domestic and international primary and secondary loan activities. Christine studied at the University of Freiburg and holds a BA in Economics and German from Albright College.

Cole Charnas is a Senior Partner at 26North and oversees Insurance, Strategic Platforms, and Investment Grade Alpha. Most recently, Cole was a Vice President at Security Benefit Life Insurance Company, leading the investment management team and reporting into the Chief Investment Officer. Previously, Cole was a Director at Eldridge since its inception in January 2016, where he evaluated private equity and credit investments across sports, financial services, and consumer businesses. Prior to joining Eldridge / Security Benefit, he worked as an analyst in investment banking at Credit Suisse in the Financial Institutions Group.

Craig Stein is co-head of the Finance & Derivatives Group. His practice focuses on structured finance and asset-backed transactions and swaps and other derivative products, including prime brokerage and customer trading agreements. He represents issuers, underwriters, collateral managers and portfolio purchasers in public and private structured financings, including collateralized loan obligations (CLOs). Craig has been recognized in this area by the prestigious legal directory Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, which noted that satisfied clients praised him for his “very broad knowledge of the markets” and for being “incredibly responsive and helpful in thinking through issues” and “very thoughtful about the market.” Chambers also stated: “He is known for his work in derivative products, representing issuers, underwriters and portfolio purchasers in CLOs. Peers find his work in structured products and derivatives impressive.” The Legal 500 US has noted that Craig is “recognized for his thought leadership on regulatory issues affecting both the securitization and derivatives markets.” Craig is a member of the American Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the Loan Syndications and Trading Association, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association and the Structured Finance Association. He is a much sought-after speaker for structured finance and hedge fund industry conferences and webinars and the author of numerous articles on advanced financial products. He is the author of “U.S. CLOs: Past and Present” in The Journal of Structured Finance. Craig also co-authored “U.S. and EU CLOs: Market Trends and Recent Regulatory Developments” for the International Comparative Legal Guide to Securitisation 2022, “CLOs and the Changing Landscape after COVID-19” for the International Comparative Legal Guide to Securitisation 2021, “CLOs and LIBOR Transition” for the International Comparative Legal Guide to Securitisation 2020 and “Collateralized Loan Obligations” for Securitizations: Legal and Regulatory Issues.

Cynthia Sachs joined Versana as Founding CEO in 2021 following decades of experience in the syndicated loan market, financial technology space and across various start-up ventures. Sachs spent her early career as a TMT leveraged finance banker at Bank of America, and thereafter held senior portfolio manager and trader positions at Natixis CIB and within Morgan Stanley’s global proprietary trading group covering all industries. Post-2009, she spearheaded the creation of Bloomberg’s fixed income pricing business BVAL, now the global leader in the bond and loan valuation space. Most recently, she served as CEO and Chief Investment Officer of a boutique specialty finance company founded by Carlyle, Athena Art Finance, that was subsequently acquired by Yieldstreet in 2019. Sachs holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Dan is a Senior Manager in EY’s Financial Services Technology Consulting practice, focused on technology strategy and transformation initiatives across banking and capital markets. Most notably, Dan recently led a multi-year engagement to design and deliver a corporate lending data platform, bringing together multiple parties across the ecosystem in a first-of-its-kind industry utility.

Mr. Sherry joined the firm in 2007 and is a Portfolio Manager with the Leveraged Finance team where he is responsible for managing US CLO portfolios. His responsibilities also include serving as a member of the Leveraged Loan Credit Committee and the CLO Tranche Credit Committee. Prior to his current role, Mr. Sherry was a Credit Research Analyst covering a number of industries, including electric utilities, auto and equipment rental, airlines, and GDS companies. Before joining the firm, Mr. Sherry worked in structured finance at Assured Guaranty Corp., credit research at PIMCO, and equity research at Prudential Securities. Mr. Sherry received a BS (Honors) from Cornell University and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from UCLA Anderson School of Management. He also is a CFA charterholder.

Daniel Strong joined SMBC in May 2018 as an Executive Director in the Structured Credit Group. Daniel is responsible for the origination and structuring of middle-market CLOs as well as related advisory services. Prior to joining the firm, Daniel held banking roles at Capital One with its Financial Institutions Group since 2016 and before that at Natixis with its U.S. Structured Credit and Solutions Group since 2003. Daniel has a Bachelor of Science degree from James Madison University with a major in quantitative finance and minors in mathematics and economics. Daniel is a CFA charterholder.

Dan Wohlberg is a member of the Investment Team at Eagle Point Credit Management where he focuses primarily on analyzing asset managers, evaluating opportunities in the primary and secondary markets, monitoring investments and developing strategic initiatives. Dan has over a decade of experience investing in and advising others with respect to complex structured finance transactions and derivatives. Prior to joining Eagle Point, Dan advised a broad array of market participants on matters relating to structured finance, leveraged lending, securities regulation, distressed situations and derivatives while at leading global financial service law firms. Dan received his J.D., cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School, where he was an editor for the Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial and Commercial Law, and his B.A., cum laude, from Stony Brook University. He has been admitted to the bar in New York, New Jersey and North Carolina.

David Kamp joined Versana as CTO in July 2022, leading Versana’s technology strategy, including building and managing the company’s engineering, quality assurance, client engagement and infrastructure teams. Over his 30-year career, Kamp played a key role in four start-ups focused on leveraging data to enhance both front and back-office user experiences. Kamp built platforms advancing electronic trading, order management and workflow systems across fixed income, currencies and commodities. In 2001, Kamp co-founded TwoFour Systems, which was subsequently acquired by Broadridge. Most recently, Kamp was Co-Founder and CTO at LTX, an electronic corporate bond trading platform incubated by Broadridge. He holds a BS from the University of Vermont.

Mr. Dubois is a Managing Director and Treasurer of the Investment Manager. Mr. Dubois manages the external debt financings for the Deerpath Capital funds. He joined the Investment Manager in 2015 and has 22 years of industry experience. He previously worked in the treasury and loan operations areas of Newstar Financial and Bank of America/Fleet Bank. Mr. Dubois is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts (M.B.A., 2011) and Bentley University (B.S., 2001).

Derek Miller is a Managing Director at Fitch Ratings. He currently heads the U.S. Structured Credit group responsible for collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) and other structured credit ratings. The Structured Credit group assigns new issue CLO ratings, maintains the accuracy of existing ratings, performs CLO asset manager assessments, and publishes research on transaction characteristics and performance. Prior to this position, Derek had oversight of new issue ratings for U.S. CLOs and assessments of U.S. CLO asset managers. Previously, he also held various positions within the Structured Credit group of Fitch Ratings, with a focus on new issue and surveillance ratings for CLOs, credit-linked notes, and other cash-funded CDOs. Derek joined Fitch Ratings in 2001. He received a B.S. in finance from Indiana University.

Dipesh Mehta is the Chief Capital Officer, at Funding Circle, based in London. Dipesh joined Funding Circle in 2015 from Barclays Investment Bank, where he was a Director in the Securitisation Strategy and Research team covering European ABS strategy. He was previously a Ratings Analyst at Moody’s Investor Services, and has held roles at Genworth Financial and PwC.

Mohamed Damak is a Managing Director and the Sector Lead for Financial Institutions in the Emerging EMEA region. Mohamed is also the Global Head of Islamic Finance at S&P Global Rating (SPGR). In this capacity Mohamed leads SPGR’s cross-practice analytical thought leadership initiatives and credit rating activities in the Islamic Finance sector globally. In addition to these responsibilities, Mohamed co-heads the Emerging Market Global Industry Focused Team and is a member of several senior forums and research labs including the Digitalization of the Markets Research Lab. Mohamed’s research interests include emerging markets financial institutions, the digitalization of the financial services industry (including cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, tokenization, and digital bonds) and Islamic finance. Mohamed is a regular speaker at industry events and conferences. Prior to joining SPGR, Mohamed worked as a Principal Credit Risk Officer for the African Development Bank in Tunis. From 2006 to 2010, Mohamed worked for SPGR covering conventional and Islamic financial institutions in the Middle East and North Africa region. Mohamed holds a PhD in Finance and Master in “Money, Banking and Finance” from University of Paris 2, Pantheon Assas and a Master’s degree in Financial Institutions Management from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Tunis.

Experienced Portfolio Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the investment management industry. Strong finance professional skilled in Asset Management, Institutional Investments and Securitized Credit.

Eileen J. Ho advises clients on sophisticated structured finance and securitization transactions, including representing arrangers, managers, and investors in both broadly syndicated and private credit collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), issuers and financial institutions in domestic and cross-border securitizations, and borrowers and lenders in asset-based lending arrangements. She understands the nuances of executing complicated financing transactions involving many types of financial assets and other collateral, including student loans, consumer loans, healthcare, credit card, telecommunications, and other trade receivables. Her asset-backed commercial paper conduit experience extends to representing banks in connection with establishing programs and conduit-funded transactions. She also advises clients on regulatory matters, including those related to the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and related rules and regulations.

Elizabeth Legunn is a Principal in the Ares Credit Group, where she focuses on CLO investments. Prior to joining Ares in 2019, Ms. Legunn was an Assistant Vice President at AllianceBernstein, where she focused on structured credit investing. Ms. Legunn holds a B.A., with distinction, from Amherst College in Mathematics and Economics. Ms. Legunn is a CFA Charterholder.

Ellen Hefferan is the Executive Vice President of Operations and Accounting of the LSTA. She is charged with managing key operational strategies and initiatives, including establishing best practices and settlement standards, that facilitate a more efficient and liquid market. Ms. Hefferan supports the Liquidity Committee and the Operations Steering Group, assessing current operations while identifying opportunities for improvement and standardization. She chairs the T+5 Taskforce, Delayed Compensation, CUSIP, MEI, Custodian and Buy-side Working Groups and co-chairs the ARRC Business Loan Operations Sub-Group which is tasked with operationalizing the transition from LIBOR to a new reference rate. Previously, Ms. Hefferan served as President of ClearPar from the founding of the settlement platform in 2000 until March of 2006, as Vice President and Senior Counsel at Citigroup where she provided transactional and advisory support to the loan syndications, trading and sales desks and the corporate banking origination units, as an Associate with Winston and Strawn and as a staff accountant in the Audit Division of Arthur Andersen & Co. She received both a BS in Public Accounting and Marketing and a JD from Fordham University. She is a member of the New York State Bar and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Erica Frontiero is a senior financial executive, advisor, and operating partner with over 20 years of leadership in private capital, M&A, capital markets, investor relations, and broker-dealer management. She has executed more than $200BN in public and private debt and equity financings, including high-profile LBOs and IPOs. As CEO of EF Advisors, she advises fund managers, investors, and CEOs on M&A, growth strategy, capitalization, valuation, and private capital. Erica was previously a Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Carlyle Global Capital Markets and the Head of Capital Solutions, a $60MM business within Carlyle. She was also the head of Debt Capital Markets and a member of Investment Committee for Direct Lending within Global Credit at Carlyle, a $465BN Global Investment Firm. Prior to joining Carlyle, she spent 12 years with Antares/GE Capital, began her career at Banc of America Securities in New York and London, and built early expertise in business development and sales at NBCUniversal. A recognized champion for women in finance, Erica received the Women of Wall Street Award in 2019 and a Carlyle Award in 2021. She is Chair of the Board of Dress for Success Worldwide and has held leadership roles with the Board of Directors of the LSTA and the Alternative Credit Council. She holds a B.A. in Economics from Wake Forest University and Series 24, 7, and 63 securities licenses.

Eugene Grinberg is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SOLVE. He spent more than 20 years developing enterprise financial technology solutions, with specific expertise at structuring, modeling, and assessing relative value opportunities of complex and illiquid fixed income securities. Prior to co-founding SOLVE, Eugene held executive positions at Houlihan Lokey (Red Pine Advisors), Duff & Phelps, and ACA Capital. Eugene earned his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Cooper Union and is a CFA Charterholder.

Gabriele Gramazio is a Senior Director at KBRA UK, based in our London office, where he focuses on European structured finance transactions. Prior to joining KBRA, Gabriele was a primary and surveillance analyst for 12 years in the European Structured Finance Group at Moody’s Investors Service, with a particular focus on Italy and the UK. While at Moody’s, he acted as lead analyst for a wide range of securitizations including CLOs, ABS SME, RMBS, ABS, and NPLs. Gabriele holds an MSc in banking and international finance from the Business School (formerly Cass) in London and an MSc in economics and business management from LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome.

Graham Brewer is a partner in the Banking and Finance practice of Clifford Chance, Dubai and was previously based in the firm’s London office. Graham has over 20 years’ experience of advising lenders and sponsors across a wide range of transactions and sectors. He specialises in private credit, leverage finance, acquisition finance and structured finance, with a particular focus on the GCC and the emerging markets.

Greg is a former structured finance and private credit lawyer with over 15 years’ experience in structuring and executing some of the most cutting-edge financing transactions across EMEA. Having hung up his gavel, Greg now focuses on leveraging his extensive expertise and market insight to find high value opportunities for investing in private credit, venture debt and structured finance transactions.

Ms. Lam is a member of Octagon’s Investment Committee and serves as the firm’s Chief Executive Officer. Prior to assuming the Chief Executive Officer position in 2024, Ms. Lam served as a Senior Portfolio Manager across various CLOs, separately managed accounts and commingled funds. She also oversaw the Firm’s Structured Credit (CLO debt & equity) investment strategies. Ms. Lam is a member of the Firm’s ESG Committee. Ms. Lam joined Octagon in 1999; prior to becoming a Portfolio Manager in 2013, she oversaw Octagon’s investments in the software, business services, finance & insurance, paper & packaging, gaming & lodging, homebuilding and real estate industries. She was also responsible for the Structured Credit exposure held in Octagon’s CLO vehicles. Ms. Lam attended Babson College where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Investments. She received her CFA Charter in 2006.

Ian Fowler is the Co-CEO of Corinthia Global Management and is responsible for overseeing the investment team and strategy alongside Adam. Ian is a member of the North American and European Investment committees. Ian was formerly the Co-Head of Barings’ Global Private Finance Group, a member of the group’s North American, European and Asia-Pacific Private Finance Investment Committees, and President of Barings BDC, Inc. (NYSE: BBDC). There he was responsible for leading a team that originates, underwrites, and manages global private finance investments. Ian has worked in the industry since 1988 and his experience has encompassed middle market commercial finance, including originating, underwriting, and managing senior secured and mezzanine loans. Prior to joining Barings in 2012, he was a Senior Managing Director with Harbour Group and co-founded Freeport Financial LLC where he was a member of the Executive Credit Committee and responsible for all business development and capital market initiatives. While at Freeport, he helped build the company into one of the top 5 non-bank affiliated middle market Sponsor finance companies in the U.S. Before Freeport, Ian was Managing Director and Global Group Leader for GE Capital’s Global Sponsor Finance Group. Prior to GE Capital, Ian held various leverage finance and investment positions with NationsBank and Mellon Bank. Ian holds a B.A. (Honors) from the University of Western Ontario and is a member of the CFA Institute.

Ian Gilbertson is a Portfolio Manager and CLO Trader for Invesco’s Global Senior Loan group. He is Co-Lead Portfolio Manager for Invesco’s US CLO franchise. In this role, he is responsible for structuring and management of CLO (collateralized loan obligation) funds, as well as trading and investing in CLO securities of third party managers. Mr. Gilbertson joined Invesco in 2008 as a credit analyst for the Senior Secured Management group and was promoted to junior portfolio manager in 2016. In 2019, he took on portfolio management responsibilities for CLOs, as well as management of Invesco’s CLO note strategies. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Gilbertson worked in market data at Fidelity Investments. Mr. Gilbertson earned a BBA degree in finance and accounting from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Jade is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of DealCatalyst, a conference organizer that partners with finance industry trade groups to refine their event strategy, and offer bespoke event solutions for individual financial services firms. Jade has 19 years of experience in creating, organizing, and implementing large-scale financial conferences across many time zones and cultures. She produced the largest securitization industry conferences in the U.S. and Europe during her tenure at Information Management Network, a division of Euromoney Institutional Investor, bringing together the key ABS market players to network, learn, and most importantly, transact. As a seasoned organizer of financial conferences, she set out to reinvent the traditional model of corporate events by co-founding DealCatalyst. Through the application of the latest technology, DealCatalyst helps the capital markets stay connected and informed.

Jim is Co-Lead of Polen Capital's CLO Platform. Prior to joining Polen Capital in 2023, Jim was Managing Director and Head of U.S. CLO and Securitized Products Training at Mizuho Americas. Prior to that, he worked at CRT Capital Group focusing on Securitized Products. Jim received a B.S in Finance from Binghamton University.

Jamil M. Nathoo is Managing Director and is Co-head of MidOcean Partners CLO business, where he also leads Capital Formation for the Middle East. Prior to MidOcean in 2022, Jamil spent several years at Goldman Sachs, where he was a Managing Director and Head of ABS & CLO Syndicate and previous to that was a found member of BNP Paribas’s CLO business. Jamil holds an MBA from HEC Paris and a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario.

Janne Gustafsson is a Senior Portfolio Manager for Structured Credit at Ilmarinen, a Finnish pension fund, specializing in both private and public market investments. Before joining Ilmarinen, he worked at Cheyne Capital Management in London. Janne has also been the lecturer of the Investment Science course at the Aalto University in Helsinki, a visiting researcher at the London Business School, and a speaker at the Milken Global Conference. Also, he has co-founded a charity in Finland that helps young people suffering from depression and other similar disorders get work in the areas of IT, media, movie, and game industries. Janne holds a Doctor of Science in Technology degree in Systems Analysis and Operations Research (with distinction) from Helsinki University of Technology (now Aalto University). His dissertation committee consisted of foremost professors from the US, including Prof. Harry Markowitz, founder of modern portfolio theory. For the key paper in his dissertation, Janne won the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences’ award for the world’s best student paper in decision analysis in 2005

Mr. Worman is a Managing Director at HPS Investment Partners and Head of US CLO Management and Liquid Loan Funds and related Separately Managed Accounts. Prior to joining HPS in 2021, Mr. Worman was a Portfolio Manager and Partner at Brigade Capital Management where he was responsible for managing the US and European CLOs and CBOs. Prior to Brigade, Mr. Worman worked as a Senior Analyst at Greywolf Capital, where he focused on distressed and event-driven opportunities across the capital structure. Prior to Greywolf, Mr. Worman was as an Associate in the Healthcare Group at Madison Dearborn Partners. Mr. Worman began his career at Bear, Stearns & Co. as an Analyst. Mr. Worman holds a BBA in Accounting and Finance from the Roberto C. Goizueta Business School at Emory University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Duko is an executive vice president and portfolio manager in the Newport Beach office focusing on U.S. leveraged finance, including bank loans and collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), high yield, and multi-sector credit strategies. Prior to rejoining PIMCO in 2023, he was at Ares Management, where he was a partner and portfolio manager responsible for managing U.S. bank loan credit strategies. He was at PIMCO from 2011–2018, managing bank loan portfolios and responsible for secondary loan trading across all sectors. Previously, he held roles at Lord Abbett, Nomura Corporate Research and Asset Management (NCRAM), and ING Pilgrim Research. He has 24 years of investment experience and holds an undergraduate degree in finance from Arizona State University.

Jaspreet Randhawa brings over two decades of experience at the nexus of global financial services, capital markets, and technology, with a deep specialization in transforming innovation into high-performing investment strategies. She has led multi-asset portfolios across private equity, private credit, and strategic technology investments, with a sharp focus on long-term value creation and transformative growth. Throughout her career, Jaspreet has held senior leadership roles at some of the world’s most respected financial institutions, including SunGard (FIS), Broadridge, Corvil, ICAP, and DTCC, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the evolution of capital markets infrastructure and financial technology. Her leadership has been instrumental in driving complex initiatives involving securities processing, post-trade modernization, market data optimization, and regulatory innovation. Jaspreet’s investment acumen is rooted in her ability to build and scale global portfolios, structure sophisticated transactions, and identify asymmetric opportunities across diverse asset classes. She is known for navigating dynamic regulatory environments, scaling fintech and infrastructure platforms, and forging strategic cross-border partnerships that deliver sustained capital growth. She holds a BSc, BMC, and MBA, and is an alumna of Durham Business School and Harvard Business School.

Jay Clayton served as the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from May 2017 to December 2020. A summary of SEC activity during Mr. Clayton’s tenure is available here: SEC.gov | Selected SEC Accomplishments: May 2017 – December 2020 Prior to Mr. Clayton’s time at the SEC, he was a member of Sullivan & Cromwell’s management committee, co-managing partner of its General Practice Group and co-head of its Cybersecurity Group. He was a lead lawyer in an array of complex M&A and capital markets transactions, as well as regulatory and governance matters, in the financial, telecoms, energy, transportation and e- commerce sectors. Mr. Clayton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degree in economics from The University of Cambridge and a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

Jehan leads capital markets and investor relations functions at Beehive, MENA’s largest P2P SME lending platform, focussed on providing Sharia-compliant capital to SMEs in UAE, KSA and Oman. He manages ~200 Professional Investors (HNWIs) and 5+ institutional accounts deploying capital on the platform. More recently, he was responsible for securing ~$150 mn for Beehive through an ABS facility led by a global financing institution alongside participation from a regional fund – the first of its kind for an SME lender in the UAE.

Jennifer Han is Chief Counsel and Head of Global Regulatory Affairs at MFA. Jennifer is responsible for the strategy and execution of the Association’s U.S. regulatory advocacy and leads MFA’s regulatory engagement. She advises MFA members on legal, regulatory, and compliance changes and/or guidance impacting the alternative investment industry, including investment advisers, commodity trading advisors, and commodity pool operators. She has extensive experience working with policymakers and regulators, such as throughout the 2008 financial crisis, post-crisis, and to the refinement of today’s regulatory framework. She engages regularly with legislative policymakers and regulators, including the SEC, CFTC, Department of Treasury, Federal Reserve, NFA, ESMA, UK FCA, and IOSCO, among many others. Jennifer joined MFA in 2006 as legal counsel and has served in a few different capacities before joining MFA’s executive leadership team. Prior to joining MFA, Jennifer was a staff attorney in the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations at the SEC, where she conducted inspections and examinations, and advised on legal and compliance matters relating to developments in securities regulations and industry practices. Jennifer began her legal career as an associate with Pickard and Djinis LLP, a boutique securities law firm in Washington, D.C. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University and her Juris Doctor from American University. While in law school, she was an Editor of the American University International Law Review. Jennifer is a member in good standing of the DC bar. Jennifer serves on the Washington D.C. Committee of 100 Women in Finance, and on the Board of Directors for the YWCA National Capital Area. About MFA MFA represents the global alternative investment industry and its investors by advocating for regulatory, tax, and other public policies that foster efficient, transparent, and fair capital markets. MFA’s more than 160 member firms collectively manage nearly $2.6 trillion across a diverse group of investment strategies. Member firms help pension plans, university endowments, charitable foundations, and other institutional investors to diversify their investments, manage risk, and generate attractive returns over time. MFA has a global presence and is active in Washington, London, Brussels, and Asia.

Jerry DeVito is a Managing Director of Owl Rock Capital, a division of Blue Owl Capital, where he is head of Structured Products and Fund Finance. Prior to joining Owl Rock in 2018, Mr. DeVito was a Managing Director at GSO Capital Partners (“GSO”), Blackstone’s alternative credit platform, which Mr. DeVito joined in 2008. While at GSO, Mr. DeVito was involved in the structuring of various fund leverage facilities, asset manager acquisitions, risk management and other structured credit activities. Prior to Blackstone, Mr. Devito was a Managing Director and Co-Head of the collateralized loan obligations and related collateralized product businesses at Credit Suisse, where he was responsible for transaction origination, structuring and senior debt syndication. Mr. DeVito joined Credit Suisse in 2000 when Credit Suisse acquired Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (“DLJ”), which he joined in 1990. At DLJ, Mr. DeVito held various positions in investment banking and high yield capital markets, most recently as Managing Director in the Leveraged Finance Group and Co-Head of high yield structured finance, and was involved in the structuring and placement of numerous structured credit and asset backed securities transactions. Mr. DeVito received a B.A. in Economics and a B.S. in Engineering from Cornell University.

John Brodbine is a senior structured portfolio analyst on Eaton Vance’s floating-rate loan team. He is responsible for modeling, analyzing and monitoring performance of the firm’s managed CDO and structured portfolios. He joined Eaton Vance in 2004. Morgan Stanley acquired Eaton Vance in March 2021. John began his career in the investment management industry in 2000. Before joining Eaton Vance, he worked in U.S. Bank’s corporate trust division. John earned a B.S. from Merrimack College.

Jonathan Butler is a Managing Director and the Head of the European Leveraged Finance Team (High Yield and Bank Loans) at PGIM Fixed Income, based in London. Mr. Butler is also the co-Head of the Global High Yield Strategy. He is a member of the board of directors of PGIM Limited, PGIM's UK-regulated business, and assists with developing and implementing the Firm's business strategy in the UK. Prior to joining the Firm in 2005, Mr. Butler was responsible for establishing and managing NIBC’s third-party CLO asset management franchise. At NIBC, he invested in senior and mezzanine loans for financial sponsor transactions (leveraged buyouts). Previously, Mr. Butler held investment positions with Chemical Bank (now JPMorgan Chase & Co.), where he originally received his credit training, and Industrial Bank of Japan (now Mizuho). Mr. Butler received a BA with honours in Financial Services from Bournemouth University, UK.

▪ Mr. Horowitz is a Managing Director in the Fortress Credit Funds Business and the Head of Structured Liabilities ▪ Prior to joining Fortress in 2022, Mr. Horowitz was a Managing Director and portfolio manager in the Chief Investment Office of J.P. Morgan where we was responsible for $45bn of CLOs and consumer ABS ▪ Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Mr. Horowitz was a Managing Director in the CDO business at Morgan Stanley as Head of U.S. CDO Capital Markets and co-head of U.S. CDO Structuring and Origination ▪ Mr. Horowitz received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business

Jonathan Phair is a Director in the Global Credit and Special Situations Group at Bank of America Securities, where he focuses on new issue CLOs. While at Bank of America, he has arranged the issuance of over $60bn in debt and equity securities. Prior to his time at Bank of America, Jonathan was an asset manager and strategist at the Royal Bank of Scotland, where he managed a $7bn portfolio as part of the RBS Capital Resolution Group. Earlier in his career, Jonathan underwrote CLO and CDO transactions in the Global Structured Credit group at Merrill Lynch. Jonathan earned BSBA and AB degrees from Washington University in St. Louis, both summa cum laude. He is a CFA® charterholder.

Justin Kelloway has been a member of PwC's Financial Markets & Real Estate practice since 2020, serving both public and private clients in securitization transaction advisory services and financial instruments valuation and governance. Justin specializes in leading agreed upon procedures engagements in connection with CLO closings, effective dates, and ongoing quarterly payments. Justin also leads engagements performing valuation analysis of CLO debt, CLO equity, and multiple fixed income and structured product asset classes. Justin earned a bachelor's in mechanical engineering from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Mr. Pauley is the Head of CLO Capital Markets and Partner. Prior to joining Brigade, Mr. Pauley led RBS’s CDO/CLO strategy platform. As a CLO strategist, Mr. Pauley focused on relative value, structural characteristics and collateral quality. In that capacity, Mr. Pauley published monthly reports on the CLO sector and provided the trading desk with analysis and information systems. Additionally, Mr. Pauley worked for Wells Fargo Securities and held various positions that included CDO Research Analyst. Mr. Pauley received a BS in Computer Science from Winthrop University

Mr. Arora is the Co-Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director of Vibrant Capital Partners. In this role, he oversees all investment-related activities with a focus on managing Vibrant's structured credit and special situations strategies. He is also involved in the build-out of the firm's new investment products and strategic business initiatives. Mr. Arora has been an active participant in the CLO market, investing across the capital structure. He led the workout of a large strategic portfolio of CLO equities during the Global Financial Crisis and has invested over $9bn in the asset class over the last 15 years. Mr. Arora has been with Vibrant Capital Partners since the early stages of the company. He received an M.S. in Mathematics and Finance from Courant School of Mathematics at New York University and a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India.

Kyle is a Senior Principal and Head of Client and Partner Solutions at Eagle Point Credit Management. He leads the team responsible for product development, capital formation and managing client relationships at Eagle Point. As a member of the senior management team, Kyle is actively involved in any strategic initiatives and is a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee. Kyle has 19 years of experience in structured finance, focused on portfolio management, credit analytics and business and product development. Prior to joining Eagle Point in 2015, he held roles at ZAIS on the Business Development and Investment Teams. Most recently, he was the Director of Business Development and before that he was a Portfolio Manager responsible for the surveillance and analysis of structured credit investments. Earlier at ZAIS, he provided middle office support, asset valuation and surveillance. Kyle worked extensively with CLOs, including modeling and development of ZAIS’s proprietary structured credit analytics. Kyle serves on the Board of Trustees of the Brookdale Community College Foundation and is the Treasurer of the foundation’s Finance & Investment Committee. He is also a Board Member of First Tee of Jersey Shore and is a mentor for the Rutgers Road to Wall Street Program. Kyle holds a BS in Finance, magna cum laude, from Rutgers Business School.

Lana Deharveng is a Vice President in the Structured Finance Group at Moody’s Ratings. She is a lawyer with the US CLO and Structured Credit new ratings team, providing legal and credit risk analysis for CLOs. She has rated a wide range of structured products, including repackaged securities, a variety of structured notes and guaranteed tax credit notes. Lana also manages and publishes research for the CLO new ratings team. Prior to joining Moody’s Ratings, Lana served as assistant counsel at a residential mortgage analytics firm, evaluating RMBS portfolios, documentation and related regulations. Prior to that, she represented issuers and underwriters in structured finance transactions at a New York law firm focused on mortgaged backed securities. She also practiced M&A and corporate and securities law at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. Lana received a B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University and a J.D. from Tulane Law School. She is admitted to both the New York and New Jersey Bars.

Larry is a partner in our structured finance practice, based in New York. He has over 24 years of experience, 18 years of which have been dedicated to collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) and other structured products. His practice places emphasis on broadly syndicated and middle-market CLOs, rated and unrated leveraged loan warehouse and structured term financing facilities, as well as CLO refinancings, resets, reissuances, upsizings and restructurings. Larry represents underwriters, issuers, collateral managers, administrative agents, banks acting as co-lenders and debt and equity investors. Larry's experience includes serving as principal outside counsel to two major investment banks in the development of their CLO and leveraged loan warehousing platforms and to various investment banks in the development of their risk retention financing facilities. Larry also has extensive experience with derivative products (such as credit default swaps, total return swaps, interest rate swaps and currency swaps), federal securities laws, Dodd-Frank, the Volcker Rule and other regulatory compliance issues (including US and EU credit risk retention rules) related to CLOs. Larry founded Allen & Overy’s post-financial crisis US CLO practice group in 2017, and spearheaded its rise as one of the most active in the US CLO market. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and is often quoted in the financial press on topics related to CLOs.

Lee Shaiman is the Executive Director for the Loan Syndications and Trading Association. Mr. Shaiman has 40 years of experience in the financial services industry as an investment banker, financial analyst, debt syndicate manager and portfolio manager. Prior to joining the LSTA in January 2018, Mr. Shaiman was the Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager for the liquid-credit business at ArrowMark Colorado Holdings, LLC, where he led an investment team focused on investing in senior secured loans, held primarily in collateralized loan obligation vehicles, “CLO’s”. Prior to joining ArrowMark, Mr. Shaiman was a Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager and Chairman of the Debt Funds investment committee at GSO Capital Partners, a division of Blackstone. He was directly involved in all aspects of managing, structuring and raising funds primarily invested in senior secured loans. Over his career, Mr. Shaiman has been involved in all aspects of the leveraged finance market including underwriting and structuring, syndicating, trading and investing in corporate loans and high yield bonds. As an investor, he has managed over $20 billion of CLO’s, mutual funds and ETFs, separately managed accounts and co-mingled funds for the benefit of investors. Mr. Shaiman is a Certified Public Accountant (retired status) and serves as an independent director of a publicly listed business development corporation and is a member of the investment board of a charitable foundation. Mr. Shaiman received a Master’s of Science in Accounting and Taxation from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Economics, cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Rutgers College.

Maggie Wang is a Managing Director and the Global Head of CLO Research and Private Credit Strategy at Citigroup. Maggie started her financial career at JP Morgan as a research analyst in 2007 and headed US CLO & CDO research at JP Morgan before joining Citigroup in 2014. Maggie advises over 900 global institutional clients on fixed-income investments including banks, insurers, hedge funds, private equity, and family offices. She regularly speaks at global conferences and publishes research on relative value, trade ideas, and CLO manager evaluations. Maggie has been a top-ranked analyst in the All-American Institutional Investors survey since 2007, and she is frequently featured on Bloomberg, the Financial Times, the WSJ, and Barron's. Maggie holds a Master's Degree in Computer System Engineering from Boston University, where she was a Ph.D. fellow, and a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China.

Mr. Assomull joined MUFG in December 2018 and is a senior banker and structurer on the CLO Origination and Warehousing team within the Securitized Products Group. In this role, he is responsible for originating, structuring, marketing, and executing Infrastructure/Project Finance CLOs, CRE CLOs, and BSL CLOs. Mr. Assomull is involved in all aspects of the CLO deal lifecycle, including asset targeting, warehouse surveillance, liability structuring, rating agencies, investor information requests, pitch books, and document review and negotiation. Prior to joining MUFG, Mr. Assomull spent 10 years at National Australia Bank across securitization and fund finance, where he most recently worked on arranging subscription finance (capital call) facilities and leverage/redemption facilities to regulated funds. He also held roles as a trader for Australian RMBS and a portfolio manager for the 10 billion non-core U.S. & U.K. securitization portfolio, which consisted of ABS, ABS CDOs, CMBS, CRE CDOs, CLOs, CSOs, and RMBS. From 2005 to 2008, Mr. Assomull worked as a CLO structurer and banker at Morgan Stanley and Natixis. He has an M.B.A. from the Stern School of Business, New York University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from University of Albany.

Mak Pitke Mr. Pitke is a Senior Vice President in Structured Products at Antares Capital. Prior to joining Antares Capital in 2022, he was a Director and Head of US CLO Structuring at Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC. Previously he was a Vice President at Deutsche Bank Securities. Mr. Pitke has a total of 17 years of industry experience. He has a B.E. in Electronics Engineering from the University of Mumbai and an MBA from Duke University.

Marc oversees Global Private Credit ratings and research. His extensive career in the fixed income credit markets, in New York and London, has included leadership roles within Moody’s for over a decade, including heading up the insurance and funds and asset management franchises and at sell-side and buy-side firms including Merrill Lynch, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods and Susquehanna International. At Moody’s, Marc is deeply committed to educational and empowerment initiatives, acting as an Executive Sponsor for Moody's CFA and Global Administrative Professionals Networks, a Mentor Advisor in the Women’s Business Resource Group and frequent participant in career development seminars.

Marc Steinberg is the Head of CLO trading for SMBC Nikko (“SMBC”). Marc is an Executive Director with over 25 years of experience in structured credit. He joined SMBC two years ago to help build out the CLO business. Since his arrival, trading volumes have increased over 10x. Prior to SMBC, Marc had stints at Morgan Stanley, Guggenheim and Lehman Brothers in Europe. In his previous roles, Marc has been involved in all aspects of capital markets, from origination to syndication to trading. His previous roles include Head of Trading, Head of Syndicate, and Head of Structured Credit. Marc graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) with concentrations in entrepreneurial management and finance. He has his Series 7, 24, and 79 licenses.

Matthew has more than 15 years of experience in the investment servicing industry, primarily in custodian product management and relationship management roles. In his current role, Matthew serves as the product manager for U.S. Bank CLO trustee business, tasked with strategy and project management initiatives. Previously, he served in leadership roles in middle office outsourcing, government loan guarantee program assignments and was the business line’s subject matter expert on distressed ABS CDO liquidations following the financial crisis. He joined U.S. Bank in 2010 after our acquisition of Bank of America’s corporate trust department. Matthew is located in Chicago, Illinois. EDUCATION AND CREDENTIALS Matthew earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is also a CFA charterholder.

Matthew has 22 years’ experience of buy-side credit experience in CLOs and leveraged finance. Matthew joined Pearl Diver in 2009, he heads Pearl Diver’s EMEA business, is a voting member of the investment committee and is co-head of the credit division. Prior to joining Pearl Diver, Matthew was a Credit Analyst with Alcentra where he covered Publishing, Media, Leisure and Gaming, Restaurants and Environmental Services. His experience covers analysing and investing in CLOs, investment origination, fundamental company level credit analysis and corporate restructurings. Matthew holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Wales, Swansea.

Michael Moriarty is an Executive Director in the Securitized Products Group at Natixis CIB specializing in CLO banking and credit facility syndication. Prior to joining Natixis CIB in 2018, Michael worked at DBRS, Inc. where he headed the Structured Credit Surveillance Team for 7 years. Additionally, Michael has worked in various capacities across the Structured Finance industry while holding positions at S&P Global Ratings, Bear Stearns Asset Management and Tricadia Capital. While BSL CLOs, Middle Market CLOs and warehouse facilities have been a central focus throughout his career, he has worked across multiple asset classes including Rated Feeder Funds, CFOs, ABS and RMBS. Michael earned a B.S.in Quantitative Finance & Financial Economics from James Madison University.

Michael founded Siepe in 2012 after spending 14+ years transforming IT organizations and implementing best practices in the hedge fund industry. He has amassed a solid understanding of portfolio management, operations, accounting and technology and has leveraged those skill sets to architect innovative and cost-effective solutions for complex projects such as security master, data warehouse, order management, execution management and partnership accounting systems. At Siepe, Michael has designed a leading, comprehensive front-to-back investment management platform and outsourced solutions offering utilized by top-tier financial institutions for their complex decision-making and workflow support. Prior to starting Siepe, Michael served as CTO for Carlson Capital, CTO and co-COO for Highland Capital Management, and database and web development lead for HBK Investments in Dallas, TX. He has represented funds in over 200 investor presentations and operational due diligence meetings given his strong understanding of the business and technical background. Michael holds an engineering degree from the University of Tulsa.

Michelle Liu is a Portfolio Manager and Head of US Structured Credit for the High Income & Alternatives division at Fidelity Investments. In this role, Ms. Liu In this role, she oversees all aspects of establishing capabilities for structured credit investing in CLOs and other asset-backed securities and serves as portfolio manager for structured credit-focused SMAs, funds and funds allocations.   Previously, Ms. Liu served as a Co-Portfolio Manager and Lead ABS analyst at KKR, where she started the firm’s structured credit investing business. Before joining KKR in 2018, Michelle was the Head of CLO Investing at Guggenheim Partners. Prior to Guggenheim, Ms Liu worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch as a banker, focusing on structuring and originating various structured product transactions until 2013.

Mitch is the Director of Strategy for a boutique SFO - Wide Plains Holding (WPH). In addition to overseeing growth and structural implementation according to the family's needs, he also is responsible for managing the Private Markets Team. As of now, WPH is currently investing mostly in Real Estate and Private Credit across several key jurisdictions (UAE, Russia, CIS, Western Europe, and Latin America). Prior to leading WPH, Mitch managed Partnerships for a Dutch Family Office, Construction and Real Estate for several groups, and began his career solving complex Procurement and Vendor Management problems for a Family-owned multinational food products distributor. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Supply Chain, a M.A. in International Relations and Economics, and was a former 2-sport professional athlete. His passion within Finance is structuring of credit products and optimizing credit portfolios, while also managing relationships within Family Owned Entities.

Mohit Kumar is a Managing Director, Global Macro Strategist and Chief Economist for Jefferies in Europe. In his current role, he is responsible for Macro Strategy and Investment Recommendations across asset classes, with a particular focus on central bank policies in US, Europe and the UK and outlook for interest rates, equities and credit. Prior to joining Jefferies, he was the Global Head of Rates Research at Credit Agricole CIB. He has worked in both Research and Trading including as a Portfolio Manager at MAN GLG and Prop Trader at Goldman Sachs. Mohit holds a B. Tech in Computer Science from IIT Delhi and a Post Graduate from IIM Ahmedabad.

Neno is responsible for the overall management of NLC. Prior to forming NLC, Neno was Head of Investec’s Fund Solutions Sales and Distribution. In this capacity, Neno built Fund Solutions fundraising capabilities, raising first institutional capital in 2018 and over three years scaled the business to over €3bn of third-party capital. During his time at Investec Neno also grew fund finance loan distribution by more than 20 times, from €200m to over €4bn. Neno was part of Fund Solutions investment committee. Prior to becoming the Head of Fund Solutions Sales and Distribution, Neno was part of Investec’s New York Fund Solutions team responsible for origination and structuring of fund financing loans. Originally from Croatia, Neno moved to New York to attend university. Neno started his career at Lloyds Banking Group, where he worked in financial institution team focusing on Fund Finance. Neno holds Bachelor of Business Administration from Baruch Zicklin School of Business.

Parker McKee joined Societe Generale in 2015 and is responsible for Fund Finance Distribution in the Americas. Prior to joining Societe Generale, Parker spent five years in the Structured Products Group at the Royal Bank of Scotland in banking, trading and sales roles. Parker graduated from Duke University in 2010.

Patrick Wolfe, Managing Director, is a Senior Portfolio Manager in BlackRock's Global Credit Platform. He is Head of Portfolio Construction for US Private Credit's US Direct Lending funds which includes overseeing allocations, portfolio positioning, and liability management. Mr. Wolfe is also Senior Portfolio Manager on BlackRock Credit Strategies Fund (CREDX), COO and Senior Portfolio Manager for BlackRock Private Credit Fund BDC (BDEBT), and Head of US middle-market CLOs. Mr. Wolfe joined BlackRock through the acquisition of TCP. At TCP, Mr. Wolfe was a portfolio manager on the US Direct Lending Funds and launched the middle-market CLO platform taking the business to over $1 billion of assets. Before TCP, Mr. Wolfe was in structured credit at Deutsche Bank for six years focusing on the structuring, issuance, and management of CLOs and other credit strategies. He began his career in 2006 at KSJG LLP in the Advisory group focused on mortgage banking. Mr. Wolfe earned a B.S. in Accounting from San Diego State University in 2006. Mr. Wolfe volunteers his time as a member of the Board of Directors of the Southern California Golf Association Junior Foundation which develops an inclusive golf community that enables kids to thrive on & beyond the course.

Paul Livanos is the Vice President of Siepe, where he leads Sales for Portfolio Management and Investment Analytics Software, as well as Middle and Back-Office Credit Operations. With over 20 years of experience in Structured Finance, Paul has developed a passion for sales, business development, and customer satisfaction. His focus is aligning objectives between Siepe and its clients, leveraging technology to provide clean data and real-time information. Paul's career spans key roles in the finance sector, including Managing Director at FIS Global and Relationship Manager at BNY Mellon. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Emory University, an MBA from Baruch College, and a Master’s degree from NYU Steinhardt School. Paul has served as a panelist at prestigious and hosted forums on topics including Private Credit and Leveraged Finance.

Pramit Mukherjee is a Senior Director, Investments, at Legal and General America, and manages US PRT and Protection portfolios. He leads research on new asset classes and executes investment strategies and structuring across multiple regulatory jurisdictions, including RBC and Solvency II. He focuses on deal origination, due diligence, and underwriting in alternative credit, infrastructure, and real estate, globally and cross-divisionally at Legal & General. Previously, he was a Senior Analyst and Portfolio Manager at Converge Re, the reinsurance business of Lightstone Group, where he led investment evaluation, due diligence, and portfolio management. At Converge Re, he focused on alternative credit and real estate investments for insurance portfolios in a capital efficient manner. Prior to Lightstone, he was an analyst and strategist at Goldman Sachs leading thematic equity research and portfolio strategy for major institutional investors. At Credit Suisse, he advised leading global consumer & retail companies on M&A and IPO transactions valued at over $5 billion. He is a member of the FIIN, CREFC, and LSTA. Mr. Mukherjee received his MBA (Beta Gamma Sigma honorary) with distinction from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He graduated magna cum laude from the Indian Institute of Technology with an MS and BS in Industrial Engineering.

Pramit Sheth joined Dawson in 2023 and has 18 years of credit experience in the structured and fund finance industry. Prior to joining Dawson, Pramit spent 12 years with Kroll Bond Rating Agency as a Senior Managing Director. In his most recent role there, Pramit was accountable for all new and existing Investment Funds debt ratings globally. Prior to that he was a senior member of the CMBS Structured Finance Ratings team, where he helped develop various methodologies and was part of the analytical credit team.

Ron is Co-Head of the firm’s global Valuations and Opinions Group, leading a team of more than 145 portfolio valuation as well as transaction opinion advisors. Ron provides capital advisory and valuation expertise to clients across industries. Ron has over 30 years of experience advising corporate and private equity clients on the structuring and arranging of financings for acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, refinancings and dividend recapitalization. He maintains strong relationships with a wide network of financing sources, enabling him to provide issuers with financing solutions tailored to their specific needs. Ron also provides valuations and fairness opinions to a variety of clients including business development corporations, hedge funds, private equity funds and private debt funds. Throughout his career, Ron has worked with a variety of companies in the manufacturing, distribution and service industries. Ron serves on the Board of Directors of Parksite Inc. and Osterman & Co. He also sits on the Board of Directors and the Investment Committee of the NPR Foundation. Ron is widely published and is a frequent speaker on the topic of capital raising. Prior to joining Lincoln, Ron was a managing director at Duff & Phelps and Mesirow Financial. Prior to entering the investment banking field, Ron was Chief Financial Officer of several public companies including Farm House Foods. He started his career in public accounting as an auditor for KPMG. Ron earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Cincinnati. He is a certified public accountant.

Saffet Ozbalci, Managing Director, Global Head of Structured Credit within BlackRock’s Fundamental Fixed Income platform. He is responsible for leading BlackRock’s CLO investing and broadly syndicated CLO management businesses. Prior to joining BlackRock in 2012, Mr. Ozbalci was Head of CLO Trading at BNP Paribas. Previously, Mr. Ozbalci was a portfolio manager at Barclays Global Investors (BGI), primarily responsible for investments in securitized assets including ABS, RMBS, CLO and CDOs. In his previous role, he was the lead portfolio manager at Securities Finance Trust Company, primarily focusing on securitized assets and portfolio structuring. Mr. Ozbalci earned a BS degree in Civil Engineering from Middle East Technical University and an MBA/MS degree in Finance from Boston College.

Sagi Tamir concentrates his practice in the areas of structured finance and derivatives. Sagi is experienced in representing asset managers, initial purchasers, placement agents and issuers in a variety of securitization and other structured finance transactions. He has represented clients in numerous cash and synthetic collateralized bond, loan, fund and debt obligations transactions. Sagi also has extensive experience in workouts of CDO and CLO transactions. In the derivatives area, Sagi is working with credit default swaps and other derivative transactions. Sagi is an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University School of Law where he teaches a course titled "The Law of Securitization."

In his capacity as Chief Business Development Officer, Salmaan Jaffery is responsible for growing, deepening, and enriching the Center’s client base as well as identifying new markets, segments and partnership opportunities aligned with the DIFC’s 2030 growth ambitions. The business development team, under Mr. Jaffery’s direction, acquires new clients and works closely with existing clients to facilitate their growth and success within the DIFC community. Mr. Jaffery has nearly 25 years of extensive operating and advisory experience, working with global financial services and consulting firms across North America, Asia and Middle East & North Africa. During this time, he has established a track record for solving complex problems, driving growth, executing partnerships and managing senior stakeholder relationships. Mr. Jaffery is an accomplished thought leader and speaker. Before joining the DIFC Authority, Mr. Jaffery held leadership roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young Middle East. Prior to that, he held senior operating and finance roles at Citibank and American Express in New York. Mr. Jaffery has also led client teams at Oliver Wyman focused on customer driven growth strategies and new venture analyses. Mr. Jaffery holds an MBA from Cornell University and a BA in International Relations (Phi Beta Kappa) from Colgate University in the United States. He is the President of the Cornell Club Middle East, and serves on the Boards of several non-profit organisations.

Mr. D'Orsi is a Senior Portfolio Manager in the Fixed Income group at Franklin Templeton ($1.6 trillion AUM), specializing in leveraged loans and collateralized loan obligations (CLOs). He joined Franklin Templeton in January 2024 in conjunction with Franklin Templeton’s acquisition of Putnam Investments. Mr. D’Orsi had previously joined Putnam Investments to launch its CLO management business. Mr. D’Orsi now co-heads the CLO management business at Franklin Templeton. Mr. D'Orsi has been in the leveraged finance industry since 1990. Prior to joining Putnam, Mr. D'Orsi was a Managing Director, CLO Portfolio Manager, and Head of Liquid Loans at First Eagle Investment Management, where he launched the CLO business at a predecessor company, from 2004 to 2020. Mr. D'Orsi has over twenty years’ experience managing all aspects of CLO issuance platform including team hiring, systems integration, deal structuring, marketing and portfolio management from warehousing through fund liquidation. Previously, he served in high-yield bond sales at Spear Leeds & Kellogg from 2003 to 2004; as an Executive Director, High-Yield Capital Markets, at CIBC World Markets from 1999 to 2003; a Vice President and Director, High-Yield Capital Markets, at BancBoston Securities from 1997 to 1999; and a Portfolio Manager, Asset-Based Lending, at Bank of Boston from 1994 to 1996. Mr. D'Orsi began his career as a Credit Analyst and Portfolio Manager, Asset-Based Lending, at Fleet Financial Group from 1990 to 1994. Mr. D'Orsi earned an M.B.A. from Babson College and a B.A. in Economics from Yale University.

Sean Murdock is President of Starwood Infrastructure Finance (“SIF”). In this role, Mr. Murdock oversees deal screening, structuring and due diligence, as well as portfolio management for investments made by SIF. He is also a member of SIF’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining Starwood, Mr. Murdock was a Senior Credit Analyst at Panning Capital Management, a distressed credit fund based in New York. Previous to joining Panning, Mr. Murdock served as the head of US Credit Trading at both the Royal Bank of Scotland in Stamford, Connecticut and Merrill Lynch in New York. Mr. Murdock received a BA in History from Duke University.

Sebastiano Riva is a Managing Director and Global Head of Liability Management for Carlyle Global Credit. Mr. Riva is responsible for fund financing as well as Carlyle Structured Credit, and Carlyle Direct Lending CLO formation and execution. He is also a member of various Investment Committees including Carlyle Structured Credit Fund and Carlyle Structured Solutions. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Riva was at Wells Fargo Securities in charge of global marketing of new issue CLO. Mr. Riva started his structured finance career at Bankers Trust in the late 1990s and has also held positions at DLJ, TD Securities, and Lehman Brothers. Mr. Riva received his B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Shirley Feng is a Vice President within the Structured Finance Group at Moody's Ratings with over 10 years of experience in Structured Credit new ratings and surveillance. Her extensive credit risk experience includes CLOs, project finance and infrastructure CLOs, bank TruPS and subordinated debt CDOs and municipal bond CDOs. Shirley holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and International Relations, as well as a Master's degree in Economics, both from Boston University.

Shreyas joined Emirates NBD Asset Management in June 2024 to set up and scale up the private assets program.​ Prior to joining ENBD, Shreyas was Principal at Lakemore Partners. At Lakemore, he played an instrumental role in growing the start-up in 2016 to a USD 1.5 billion AUM firm by 2024. ​ Shreyas has deep regional and global expertise in manager selection, strategic asset allocation, portfolio construction, structuring and direct investments.​ Over 20 years’ experience within the industry, his early career involved working with PWC and managing money as a GP for NCB (now SNB) Capital and the PIF.​

Stergios Voskopoulos is the CEO and Founder of ALTNOVEL. Before founding ALTNOVEL, Stergios was CEO of Kanoo Capital, the Investment Division of YBA Kanoo - one of the largest family conglomerates in the Middle East - where he was responsible for the active management of direct and indirect investments both regionally and globally. He was also member of Investment Committees at Insurance firms, and Private Markets Funds (Private Credit, Private Equity). He has more than 25 years of global experience, with over 15 years working in the GCC region, in the areas of Asset Management, Private Equity and M&A, having previously held positions at AIG Global Investment Group, Barclays, Investcorp, and Seera Investment Bank. He is also an angel investor in startups and serial entrepreneur. Stergios is a regular guest commentator providing his expert opinion for global media news outlets, as well as speaking on the topics of investment management, family offices & wealth, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and global affairs at international summits. He has an MBA in Finance & Investments from Zicklin School of Business in New York City, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Athens. Stergios speaks six languages having lived and worked in over seven countries and has been a member of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO).

STEVEN KOLYER is a partner in the Global Finance group in the firm’s New York office. He has broad experience in securitizations, structured credit products, investment fund formations and conventional securities offerings, focusing on CLOs/CDOs and related financings in the corporate and real estate sectors. Steven is experienced in conventional capital markets and commercial lending and credit transactions and in credit-linked and other derivative products. Steven’s experience over the years has been highlighted by transactions involving innovation and structured solutions in the capital markets. He played a lead role in the development of a number of securitization products dating back to the origins of the market, both in the U.S. and off-shore, including first-time structures with commercial real estate (CRE) and residential mortgages, commercial and consumer receivables and other types of financial assets, and in various types of CRE and non-real estate CLOs/CDOs and other actively-managed fund and specialty finance products. In recent years, Steven has concentrated on CRE CLOs 2.0, corporate CLOs 2.0/3.0 backed by broadly-syndicated, middle-market and other debt, and private debt funds and related financings. Steven's clients have included issuers, bank and non-bank debt originators, funds, fund sponsors and investment managers, placement agents and underwriters and derivative providers and program sponsors. Steven has been recognized by sources that include Legal 500 US (“Hall of Fame” inductee and “Leading Lawyer” in structured finance), Chambers USA and Chambers Global (2005–2023; Band 1 and “Spotlight Lawyer” in CLOs), NY Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, Legal 360, Who’s Who Legal, International Who’s Who, and Guide to World’s Leading Structured Finance Lawyers (Euromoney/Legal Media Group). Chambers (2022) recognizes Steven as “a leader who everyone respects and recognizes” and “the best CRE CLO counsel.”

Tanvi has been covering CLOs for over eight years and she joined 9fin in October 2023 to spearhead 9fin’s CLO structured credit product. Prior to this, she led the data journalism team at Creditflux which focused on providing in-depth analysis of the global CLO market. Tanvi graduated from the University of Warwick with a MSc in financial mathematics and holds a BSc in mathematics from Delhi University.

Ted joined OTPP in 2005 and has spent most of his 19 years career at OTPP in Structured Credit related areas. He currently leads the Structured Credit investing team at OTPP which is responsible for investing in CLOs, SRTs, Asset Backed Finance and other Absolute Return Strategies (such as Correlation, Volatility and Convertible Arb). Ted earned a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Toronto, and an Honours Bachelor of Science degree with double majors in Computer Science and Commerce, also from the University of Toronto. He's is a CFA charter holder since 2009.

Tess has a broad range of responsibilities at the LSTA. She leads the LSTA’s sustainable finance and ESG initiatives which seek to foster the development of sustainable lending as well as to promote greater ESG disclosure in the loan markets. In addition, Tess engages in the LSTA’s policy initiatives, including advocacy, regulatory engagement and developing industry solutions to loan market issues. Tess also focuses on maintaining and augmenting the LSTA’s extensive suite of documentation, which includes templates, market standards, and market and regulatory guidance. Finally, she is involved in the development and presentation of the LSTA’s robust education programs. Prior to joining the LSTA, Tess practiced as a finance attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in New York. She received a B.S. in International Politics from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. She is admitted as an attorney in New York. She is a Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting Credential Holder and holds a CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing.

Tommy Kramer has been a member of BMO’s Sponsor Finance Asset Management team since 2021 and is responsible for the management and growth of structured product and portfolio financing solutions, including the Great Lakes CLO platform. Tommy experience spanning fifteen years in leveraged lending and structured credit markets. Prior to joining BMO, Tommy was a founding member at Kramer Van Kirk Credit Strategies LLC (“KVK”), a CLO manager in the broadly syndicated space. In this role, Tommy was instrumental in the design and development of underwriting tools as well as portfolio monitoring, management, marketing, and reporting functions within the firm. He held responsibility for underwriting and management of portfolio investments in sr. secured loans across the chemical, power utility and environmental & industrial services industries. From inception in 2012, Tommy supported KVK’s growth to $4 billion in AUM across nine actively managed CLOs. Tommy has previous experience as a management consultant to Fortune 500 firms and began his career on the leveraged finance strategy and portfolio products team at Credit Suisse Securities.

Glen Fest covers the US collateralized loan obligation (CLO) market for PitchBook | LCD, reporting on deals, trends and people in the industry. He joined LCD in June 2021 after 16 years of various editorial roles at Sourcemedia/Arizent reporting on securitizations, CLOs, leveraged finance as well as US banking and technology. He is also a former business reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and a former managing editor for Adweek Magazine.

Thomas S. Wong is a Portfolio Manager & Partner at Oak Hill Advisors, a leading alternative investment firm with $63 billion of capital under management across performing and distressed credit investments in North America and Europe. He is a member of OHA’s investment strategy and ESG committees. Previously, Mr. Wong had senior research responsibility for the chemicals, consumer products, food and beverage, healthcare, industrials, retail and restaurants, services and telecommunications, media, cable and technology industries. He currently serves as Vice Chair on the executive committee of the Board of Directors for the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (LSTA) and on the Board of Directors for Yonkers Partners in Education. Prior to joining OHA in 2001, Mr. Wong worked at Deutsche Bank, where he was a member of the Debt Capital Markets group. He received a B.A., cum laude, from Harvard University and has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Torsten Slok is Partner and Chief Economist at Apollo. Prior to joining in 2020, Torsten worked for 15 years on the sell-side, where his team was top-ranked by Institutional Investor in fixed income and equities for ten years. Previously, he worked at the OECD in Paris in the Money and Finance Division and the Structural Policy Analysis Division. Before joining the OECD, Torsten was with the IMF in the division responsible for writing the World Economic Outlook, and the division responsible for China, Hong Kong, and Mongolia. Torsten studied at University of Copenhagen and Princeton University. He frequently appears in the media and has published numerous journal articles and reviews on economics and policy analysis, including in the Journal of International Economics, Journal of International Money and Finance, and The Econometric Journal.

Vanessa Greaves is a Senior Product Specialist at PitchBook where she holds 14 years of experience in the credit markets and has a deep understanding of the leveraged finance market. She has worked closely with asset managers over the past seven years and has partnered with clients to provide tailored data solutions that fits their needs. Greaves leverages her educational background and deep industry knowledge to effectively structure trainings and consultations, while exercising thought leadership.

Varun, Director at Stride Ventures brings over 16 years of experience across Investment Banking and Asset Management working with Goldman Sachs. He has strong expertise in debt and equity investing through a quality research framework and deal execution capabilities in emerging markets (India/Southeast Asia/LatAm). Varun has successfully led teams in the banking and asset management functions while overseeing hiring,training, and mentoring of new hires. Varun is also an active angel investor in the Indian start-up ecosystem.

Vishwanath (Vishy) Tirupattur is a Managing Director and the Chief Fixed Income Strategist as well as the Director of Quantitative Research at Morgan Stanley. During his 21+ year tenure at the firm, he has served as the Global Head of Fixed Income Research, the Head of US Fixed Income Research and the Global Head of Securitized Products Strategy. He is a member of the firm’s Global Investment Committee, responsible for investment and asset allocation advice provided to the firm’s $4 trillion plus retail-client assets. He has been voted to the Institutional Investor’s All-American Fixed Income Research Team in multiple categories on multiple occasions. Before joining Morgan Stanley in September 2004, he had portfolio management and risk management responsibilities at the Chubb Corp, American International Group and Lincoln National Corp., managing interest rate, equity, and credit derivatives. Prior to joining the financial services industry, he was a post-doctoral associate at the Office for Futures and Options Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds an MS in Agricultural and Applied economics from Virginia Tech and a PhD in Agricultural and Consumer economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Vitaliy Kozak is Octaura’s Chief Product Officer, leading product development for the syndicated loan & CLO electronic trading platform. As the platform’s co-creator, he played a central role in the design, development and build-out of what was then known as Project Octopus (now Octaura). Vitaliy was formerly at Citi as a Managing Director and Global Co-head of the CLO, ABS, TRUPS and CDO trading desk. His work on CLO Citi Velocity was recognized by CreditFlux’s annual CLO Census as the best Secondary CLO Analytics in 2021 and 2022.   He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science from the Imperial College London and currently resides in New York with his family.

Mr. Kurtas is the founder of Vibrant Capital Partners and serves as the firm's CEO and CIO. Since 2002, Mr. Kurtas has analyzed hundreds of CLOs focusing on junior and mezzanine tranches in the U.S. and Europe and developed strong relationships with leading investment banks, asset managers, investors and agencies. Prior to founding Vibrant Capital, he launched the New York-based structured credit portfolio management effort for the Active Credit Portfolio Management Group of HVB, as well as built and managed the bank's first CLO Equity portfolio. Prior to HVB, Mr. Kurtas was the Head of the Risk and Analytics Team at UNIQA Alternative Investments GmbH (UAI), a structured credit asset management firm based in Vienna. He was a member of the team that managed over $1bn CLO assets predominantly focused on Junior and Mezzanine CLO tranches and a sizeable portfolio of European assets; he was also responsible for all quantitative analysis of primary and secondary CLO deals. Mr. Kurtas developed quantitative and risk management models, reengineering tools, and managed various teams of quantitative and systems personnel in his previous roles. Mr. Kurtas holds a B.S. in physics from Bilkent University, Turkey, and has attended graduate studies in finance at Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna, Austria. He is currently based at Vibrant's ADGM office (located in Abu Dhabi, UAE).

Walter Gontarek is our CEO, IC Chair and Chairman. As such, he sets the firm’s strategy, articulates its culture, and manages key stakeholder relationships. He previously served as Managing Director/Global Head of Credit Products at the Royal Bank of Canada and held senior executive roles in capital markets and consumer/SME banking in the US, Canada and Europe. Walt holds non-executive board roles at the UK regulated arms of Catalina Re-insurance and Wiserfunding Ltd. He is also the Chair of the Advisory Board for Exelixi AI, a UAE-based provider of AI solutions and infrastructure to leading commercial banks, insurers, SWFs and governments. He holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a Doctorate (Finance) from Cranfield University. He also holds certificates from Carnegie Mellon University (Cyber Risk Board Oversight) and Stanford University (Board Directors College). Walt is a Visiting Fellow/Lecturer for Sustainable Finance/Financial Markets at Cranfield University and SciencesPo Paris and a Professor (Honorary) for fintech at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.

With over 13 years of experience in the finance industry, Wen Li, CFA, currently serves as Senior Director and Global Head of Content Production within Moody’s Structured Finance team. Wen also co-leads Moody’s Structured Finance GenAI innovation initiatives. She previously worked at Citi Group Global Markets in New York. Wen also mentors in several diversity and inclusion groups at Moody’s to help junior employees grow in their early careers, which is a passion of hers. Wen holds a M.S. in Finance from SUNY at Buffalo and a B.S. in Economics from the University of International Business and Economics. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Computer and Information Technology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Zaheen Mir is a Managing Director with Blackstone Credit and part of the Capital Formation team within the Office of the CIO. He is involved in structuring investment assets, strategic liabilities, and access products for the Blackstone Credit platform. Prior to joining Blackstone, Mr. Mir was the Head of Global Institutional Structuring at J.P. Morgan. Mr. Mir is a graduate of Imperial College London with a Master’s in Mathematics.