Steven Abrahams is a Managing Director and Head of Investment Strategy at Santander US Capital Markets LLC (SanCap), the institutional broker-dealer of Santander in the United States operating under Santander Corporate & Investment Banking. His team provides analysis and advice for institutional investors in rates, financing markets, corporate credit and securitized products.

Before joining SanCap, he served as co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Milepost Capital Management, an SEC-registered investment adviser serving institutions and private funds, and as a director of MTGE Investment Corp., a publicly traded REIT (MTGE:NASDAQ). Through his 32-year career, he has held senior positions at Deutsche Bank, Bear Stearns and Morgan Stanley.

Steve holds a B.S. from Northwestern University and a Ph. D. from Columbia University and has taught as an adjunct professor of finance and economics at Columbia Business School. He is also the author of The Bear Stearns Quick Guide to Mortgage-Backed Securities, Competitive Advantage in Investing: Building Winning Professional Portfolios, published by John Wiley & Sons, and most recently Santander’s A Quick Guide to CLO Debt and Equity.

Cody Alexander is a Vice President, Senior Credit Analyst at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank leading BSL and MM CLO investments, with a focus on the top of the capital stack. The Credit Investment Management Department verticals include BSL & MM CLO tranche investing, MM ABL/WH financing and High Yield Leveraged Loan investments. Before joining Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, he graduated from the University of Hawaii, with a concentration in Finance & International Business, and studied at Copenhagen Business School and Sophia University (上智大学).

Harpreet S. Anand is a Portfolio Manager & Partner at Oak Hill Advisors (“OHA”), a $98 billion investment firm specializing in alternative credit. He shares portfolio management responsibility for a number of OHA’s portfolios. He serves on various firm committees including the compliance committee, investment strategy committee and several fund investment committees. Mr. Anand also serves on the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. Previously, he had senior research responsibility for automotive, building products, chemicals, metals & mining, paper & packaging and aerospace & defense industries.

Prior to joining OHA in 2006, Mr. Anand worked at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. in its Leveraged Finance/Financial Sponsors Group. He earned a B.B.A., with honors, from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Mohamed Basma is a managing director, head of bank loans & global CLOs at Voya Investment Management. Mohamed also chairs the team’s investment committee. Mohamed is currently a member of the board of directors of the Loan Syndications and Trading Association.

Prior at Voya, Mohamed was managing director, head of senior loans and global CLOs for leveraged credit, responsible for all aspects of the team’s senior loan and global CLO business and the team’s CLO investing strategies.

Prior to joining Voya, Mohamed was a senior auditor and consultant in the Audit and business advisory group with Arthur Andersen, LLP, responsible for executing corporate audits and financial consulting engagements.

Mohamed earned a BBA from American University of Beirut, Lebanon and an MBA from Arizona State University. He is a CFA® Charterholder.

Theodore Basta is Executive Vice President of Market Analytics and Investor Strategy for the LSTA, where he leads the LSTA’s Market Analytics team, which is responsible for the LSTA’s analytical and reporting initiatives, all of which enhance market visibility, transparency, and liquidity. Mr. Basta also manages key strategic products and partnerships for the Association, including LSTA secondary trading and settlement data initiatives, the LSTA/LSEG Mark-to-Market Pricing Service, and the Morningstar/LSTA Leveraged Loan Index. In addition, Mr. Basta organizes the Association’s global investor conferences, runs the LSTA’s Shift Date Process, and oversees the LSTA’s website. Finally, Mr. Basta plays an active role in speaking at industry conferences, both in the US and abroad, and has authored chapters on the secondary loan market in numerous books and market publications.

Prior to joining the LSTA, Ted was Vice President and Director of Global Pricing with Loan Pricing Corporation (LPC), where he managed the LSTA/LPC Mark-to-Market Pricing Service. During his tenure at LPC, Ted was instrumental in driving new product development and secondary market analytics.

Mr. Basta received an M.B.A. from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College and a B.A. in Accounting from Long Island University.

Andrew Berlin is Director of Policy Research at LSTA. In this role, he strategizes on LSTA’s policy initiatives, develops thought leadership and policy-related research, and engages loan market participants, press, regulators, lawmakers, and other stakeholders on market developments and LSTA’s policy positions.

Andrew joined LSTA in 2023. Previously, he was the Director of Global Financial Services Industry Thought Leadership and Content Strategy at Protiviti, a global consulting firm. He has over a decade of experience covering leveraged finance capital markets as a journalist and in editorial leadership roles at Debtwire, Reuters, and Octus.

He holds an MBA from Boston University and a BFA from New York University.

Vivek is Head of Leveraged Credit within Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) Credit & Insurance, a role he assumed in November 2023. He has overall responsibility for the team’s leveraged credit capabilities, including portfolio and business management.

Prior to joining Macquarie, he was Head of European and UK Fixed Income at AllianceBernstein from August 2021 to November 2023, responsible for leadership and strategy of European Fixed Income. Before that, Vivek spent more than 10 years at Neuberger Berman within Leveraged Credit in various roles, including Director of Research, Portfolio Manager, and Head of Europe.

Vivek received a Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Illinois and a Master of Business Administration in finance and management from Columbia Business School. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and he is a Certified Public Accountant.

Harlan is Head of Infrastructure and Investment Grade Credit for the Americas within Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) Credit & Insurance.

Harlan has more than 20 years of institutional principal investing experience across the global infrastructure landscape. He joined Macquarie after serving as Chief Business Officer at The Forest Road Company, a leading specialty and incentive tax credit finance business. Harlan led several key strategic initiatives and was responsible for the development of Forest Road’s renewable energy and asset-based finance platform with a strategic and targeted focus on distributed generation.

Before that, he served as the Co-Head of the Americas Special Situations strategy at KKR Inc, responsible for helping build and lead the special situations strategy across North America, Europe, and Asia. Prior to KKR, Harlan held several senior investment and portfolio management roles, with experience that included investment banking, private equity, and investment management.

He currently serves as an Executive Committee Member of the Board of Directors for the Youth Renewal Fund, the largest network of schools across the socioeconomic periphery in Israel, as well as on the Board of Advisors for the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.

Harlan holds a Bachelor of Science in economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dan Colonna, CFA, Managing Director, is a member of U.S. Leveraged Finance within BlackRock’s Fundamental Fixed Income business. He is the lead portfolio manager of BlackRock’s Magnetite CLOs. Prior to joining the Magnetite team Dan was a senior research analyst for the U.S. Leveraged Finance team. He covered and was responsible for the investments within the Automotive, Industrial, and Financial sectors.

Prior to joining BlackRock in 2014, Dan was a senior High Yield analyst at Bank of America covering the Industrial, Building Materials, and Services industries. He was selected to the Institutional Investor (II) All-America Fixed Income Research team. Earlier in his career at Bank of America, Dan was a senior High Yield trading desk analyst in London and an associate Equity analyst in New York on an II ranked Automotive research team. Dan started his career in equity research at JP Morgan covering Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).

Dan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Fordham University and is a CFA charter holder.

Derek is a Senior Client Portfolio Manager and Head of APAC Private Credit. In this role, he is focused on supporting business development efforts and is responsible for client communication for global private credit products.

Derek joined Invesco Private Credit  in 2022. Prior to his current role, Derek was a vice president and senior client portfolio manager at Seix Investment Advisors responsible for senior loan and high yield bond strategies. Previously, Derek was vice president at JP Morgan on the multi-asset portfolio management team focused on equities, fixed income, and alternatives. Prior to JP Morgan, Derek was a fixed income product specialist at Goldman Sachs within the investment management division. Derek began his career in 2010 at the LSTA (Loan Syndications and Trading Association) as a market analyst providing research to institutional clients on the senior loan market.

Derek graduated with a BBA in Finance from Lehman College and is a CAIA charterholder.

Winnie Fong is the North America Business Head for Structured Credit and the Global Head of Private Credit at Fitch Ratings. In this dual leadership role, she oversees all aspects of Fitch’s U.S. CLO and Private Credit businesses, including strategy, product development, and relationship management with all mandating parties.

With 29 years of experience in Structured Finance—27 of which are focused on Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs)—Winnie is a recognized industry leader known for her deep expertise and strategic vision. She joined Fitch in 2010, bringing with her a strong foundation in CLO origination and analysis from her previous roles as a banker at Bear Stearns and 9 years experience as an analyst at S&P.  She is a driving force behind Fitch’s growth in CLO ratings, private credit and rated feeder structures, and is committed to enhancing transparency and investor understanding of Fitch’s methodologies.

Winnie holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Business Management from Cornell University and is a CFA charter holder.

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.

www.linkedin.com/pub/erica-frontiero

Sean Griffin is the CEO & Executive Director of the LSTA, the trade association for the multi-trillion-dollar corporate loan market in the United States.

Prior to joining the LSTA in April 2024, Mr. Griffin spent 23 years at JPMorgan where he was a Managing Director and held various roles within its global markets division, including deputy head and co-head of JPMorgan’s Global Primary CLO business.  Mr. Griffin’s experience covers cash flow and market value securitization products and spans multiple asset classes, focusing on corporate credit and bank loans.

While at JPMorgan, Mr. Griffin worked with various issuers and investors, including private equity, hedge funds, asset & money managers, banks, and insurance companies.  Mr. Griffin utilized CLO/CDO technology to provide clients with access to capital and address their business goals, whether it be the growth of AUM via traditional CLO/CDO issuance, balance sheet relief and more specialized bespoke financing solutions.

Mr. Griffin received a BA in Mathematical Economics from Brown University.  He resides in Westport, CT with his family where he is actively involved with youth sports, including football, soccer and rugby.

Mr. Hayward is a Partner and Portfolio Manager of U.S. Liquid Credit in the Ares Credit Group, where he is responsible for managing Ares’ U.S. CLO strategies. Mr. Hayward also serves as a Vice President of Ares Dynamic Credit Allocation Fund, Inc. (NYSE:ARDC). Additionally, he serves as a member of the Ares Credit Group’s U.S. Liquid Credit Investment Committee. Before joining Ares in 2012, he was a Senior CLO Analyst at State Street Bank, where he focused on managing a team in the Trustee Department.

Mr. Hayward holds a B.A. from the University of Rochester in Economics.

Thomas Hennigan is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Risk Officer of Carlyle Direct Lending and the Chief Financial Officer for the BDCs. He has also been the Head of Portfolio Management since inception and previously was Head of Underwriting.

Prior to joining Carlyle in 2011, Mr. Hennigan served as Senior Vice President and Head of Underwriting and Portfolio Management for Churchill Financial. Mr. Hennigan joined Churchill Financial from GE Corporate Financial Services. During his four years at GE, Mr. Hennigan had underwriting and portfolio management responsibilities in the Global Sponsor Finance Group and the Global Media & Communications Group. He began his career with Wachovia Securities, Inc. in Atlanta where he worked in middle market investment banking and loan syndications.

Mr. Hennigan received his B.S. in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mr. Dai Ikeda is Deputy General Manager of Alternative Funds Investment Department. He is mainly responsible for credit product investment, including private debt funds for both SMTB’s proprietary and third-party client accounts since 2017. Before joining SuMiTB, he was working in Japanese non-bank with several experiences including an origination and underwriting of cross-border project financings, SME loans in Hong Kong, and corporate fundings of that non-bank company.

Mr. Ikeda has a Bachelor of Economics from Hokkaido University.

Brian Juliano is a Managing Director and Head of the U.S. Leveraged Loan Team for PGIM Fixed Income. He is also the Co-Head of PGIM Fixed Income’s U.S. CLO business and is a portfolio manager for the Firm’s investments in CLO tranches and PGIM Large Cap Private Credit Team.

Before joining the Bank Loan Team in 2003, Mr. Juliano was a CDO analyst and member of the CDO Business Team for the Firm and a manager in financial analysis in the Finance Group, where he was responsible for the finance function of various investment subsidiaries. Mr. Juliano joined the Firm in 2000. Previously, he was a consultant at Deloitte & Touche, where he worked on investment strategy and tax compliance of high net worth individuals.

Mr. Juliano received a BS in Finance and an MBA in Finance and Accounting from New York University.

Patrick Linnemann is a Senior Managing Director at Blue Owl and member of the Direct Lending Investment Team. Patrick is also a Portfolio Manager for certain funds in Blue Owl’s Diversified Lending strategy, including the Blue Owl Diversified Lending Fund. In addition, Patrick is a member of the Diversified Lending Investment Committee for the Diversified Lending strategy. In his role, he is responsible for the day-to-day management and strategic oversight of the credit selection and portfolio management process across the funds he covers.

Before joining Blue Owl, Patrick was a Vice President at Angel Island Capital, the credit investment platform of Golden Gate Capital, from 2015 to 2016, where he focused on sourcing and evaluating credit investments. Before that, Patrick was Vice President of the Leverage Finance Capital Markets Group at Goldman Sachs & Co. in New York from 2006 to 2015.

Patrick received a BA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Lakshya Madhok (San Francisco) joined KKR in 2024 and is a Managing Director within the firm’s Credit business. He serves as KKR’s Portfolio Manager of Structured Credit investing.

Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Madhok was a managing director and head of structured credit investing at Bain Capital, where he focused on the CLO and ABS sectors. Before joining Bain Capital in 2013, he worked at Morgan Stanley where he was responsible for analytics in the commodities sector, focusing on energy and metals.

Mr. Madhok holds a B.A. in Computer Science and Economics from Duke University.

Saahil Mahajan is a managing director with Benefit Street Partners and is based in our West Palm Beach office.

Prior to joining BSP in 2012, Mr. Mahajan was a principal at Oak Hill Advisors, where he had responsibility for the firm’s chemicals and financials investments. Previously, Mr. Mahajan worked for Peter J. Solomon Company as an analyst in its mergers and acquisitions group.

Mr. Mahajan received a Bachelor of Science from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, Mr. Mahajan is a CFA charterholder.

David Manzano is a Managing Director of Golub Capital, a market-leading, award-winning direct lender and experienced private credit manager. As of July 1, 2025, Golub Capital had over $80 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 Q2 2025 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 Year, Americas (Private Debt Investor, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), Lender of the Decade, Americas (Private Debt Investor, 2023), Senior Lender of the Decade, Americas (Private Debt Investor, 2023), Senior Lender of the Year, Americas (Private Debt Investor, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2023) and BDC Manager of the Year, Americas (Private Debt Investor, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2023).

Mr. Manzano joined Golub Capital in 2020 and is a Managing Director on the Product Specialist team. He is responsible for supporting business development and investor relations as a subject-matter expert for the Firm, strategies and products. Previously, Mr. Manzano was a Partner, Managing Director and co-head of the Senior Debt Business in the Private Debt group at AEA Investors, where he was responsible for managing a diverse portfolio of middle market club and syndicated leveraged loans. Prior to this position, he was a Principal and Portfolio Manager at Callidus Capital Management, where he managed several collateralized loan obligations.

Prior to that, Mr. Manzano was an investment banker in the Leveraged Finance group at Merrill Lynch & Co. and began his career at The Chase Manhattan Bank.

Mr. Manzano earned his BA in Government from Cornell University. He received an MBA in Finance from Columbia University.

Matthew Maxwell is a Managing Director and Head of U.S. Loans where he serves as a Portfolio Manager for the U.S. CLO platform.

Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Maxwell was a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at BlackRock, serving as the head of BlackRock’s U.S. CLO issuance business and a lead portfolio manager on leveraged loan separately managed accounts. Previously, Mr. Maxwell led leveraged loan desk research at Morgan Stanley from 2011 to 2016. Mr. Maxwell also worked at Deutsche Bank in leveraged & distressed credit research and investment banking from 2004-2011.

Mr. Maxwell earned a BS in Applied Economics & Management from Cornell University.

Scott McKay is a Senior Managing Director at Blue Owl and member of the Liquid Credit Investment Team. In his role, he focuses on leading Liquid Credit.

Before joining Blue Owl, Scott was a Managing Director at Littlejohn & Co., a middle-market private equity fund based in Greenwich. Scott began his career as an Investment Banking Associate at Bear Stearns & Co. in the Leverage Finance Group. Prior to beginning his finance career, Scott served in the United States Air Force as an acquisition officer and was honorably discharged at the rank of Captain.

Scott received his BS in Management from the United States Air Force Academy and MBA from the University of Southern California.

Seth Misshula is Managing Director, Head of US Trading, and Senior Portfolio Manager for Invesco’s Global Private Credit team, as well as a member of the Investment Committee. In this role, he is responsible for portfolio management as well as the private credit group’s trading operations in the US.

Mr. Misshula joined Invesco in 2005 as a junior portfolio analyst. Prior to joining the firm, he was an associate portfolio analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Mr. Misshula entered the financial services industry in 2004.

Mr. Misshula earned a BS degree in business administration from Washington University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) charterholder. Mr. Misshula currently serves on the board of directors of the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (LSTA).

Eric Muller, Portfolio Manager & Partner, Chief Executive Officer – BDCs, shares responsibility for leading OHA’s private credit business and has primary management responsibility for OHA’s BDCs.

Prior to joining OHA, Mr. Muller worked in Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division, where he was a Partner in the Private Credit Group, responsible for leading its private senior lending business in North America and managing vehicles that invested across the spectrum of the credit market. He previously worked as a private equity investor for the Cypress Group.

Additionally, Mr. Muller serves as a Member of the Board of Trustees for Boston University and on the Investment Committee for the University’s Endowment. He is Co-Chairman of the Board of Trustees for StreetSquash, an after-school youth enrichment program.

Mr. Muller earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A., summa cum laude, salutatorian, from Boston University.

Kosuke Nagata is the Head of the Credit Investment Division at Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management, effective October 1, 2024. Starting in January 2025, this division will be responsible for providing investment advisory services, including gatekeeping functions, for CLOs in which MUFG Bank and Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation invest.

Before assuming this role, Mr. Nagata was in charge of managing securitized products, primarily CLOs, in the Credit Products Investment Division of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation.

Mr. Nagata began his career at Mitsubishi Trust and Banking Corporation (now Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation) in 1999. Since then, he has been managing foreign exchange, interest rate derivatives, and credit investment.

Mr. Nagata holds a degree from the Faculty of Commerce at Keio University.

Hugo Pereira is Vice President of Market Analytics & Investor Strategy at the LSTA.

Previously, he served as Director of Analysis at LSEG, specializing in the leveraged loan and CLO markets, and as product manager for LPC Collateral, LSEG’s CLO analytics platform. During his tenure, Hugo covered the syndicated loan and broader credit markets, contributing regularly to LSEG publications.

Mr. Persohn joined Golub Capital in 2018 and is a Senior Director, Portfolio Manager and Head of Business Development for the Broadly Syndicated Loan investment business. He helps oversee the marketing and fundraising efforts for the group. He is also responsible for underwriting primary market leveraged loans and monitoring investments for the Firm, with industry expertise covering Business Services, Cargo Transportation, Chemicals and Energy transactions.

Prior to joining Golub Capital, Mr. Persohn was a Senior Vice President at Kramer Van Kirk Credit Strategies, where he was a credit team leader and responsible for underwriting and monitoring par and distressed debt investment opportunities. Prior to that, he was a Senior Vice President at Deerfield Capital Management, Credit Analyst at Black Diamond Capital Management and Vice President of Global Markets at ABN AMRO Incorporated.

Mr. Persohn earned his BBA degree summa cum laude in Finance and Business Economics from the University of Notre Dame. He is also a CFA® Charterholder.

Daniel Pietrzak (New York) joined KKR in 2016 and is a Partner and serves as the Global Head of Private Credit and a portfolio manager for KKR’s private credit funds and portfolios. Mr. Pietrzak is Chief Investment Officer of the KKR / Future Standard joint venture and President and Chief Investment Officer for FS KKR Capital Corp. (FSK), which trades on the NYSE. He also serves of the board of directors of FSK and several KKR Credit portfolio companies, including Pepper and Toorak Capital Partners.

Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Pietrzak was a managing director and the co-head of Deutsche Bank’s structured finance business across the Americas and Europe. Previously, Mr. Pietrzak held various roles in the credit businesses of Societe Generale and CIBC World Markets. Mr. Pietrzak started his career at Price Waterhouse in New York.

Mr. Pietrzak holds an M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Accounting from Lehigh University. Mr. Pietrzak serves on the Lehigh University Board of Trustees and on the Dean’s Advisory Council for Lehigh’s College of Business, is a member of the Advisory Board of the Scholars of Finance and serves on the Board of Directors of First Tee – Metropolitan New York.

John G. Popp is a Managing Director of UBS Asset Management. He is the Global Head and Chief Investment Officer of the Credit Investments Group (CIG) with primary responsibility for investment decisions, portfolio monitoring processes and business development for CIG’s global investment strategies.  He established CIG in 1997. Mr. Popp served as the Chief Executive Officer and President from February 16, 2010 to November 14, 2023, and currently serves as a Director of the Credit Suisse Funds, the Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund, Inc. and the Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund.  Mr. Popp is a member of CIG’s Corporate Credit Forum, Structured Credit Forum, and PCO Investment Committee.

Prior to joining CIG, Mr. Popp was a Founding Partner and Head of Asset Management for First Dominion Capital, LLC, overseeing the management of $2.5 billion in Credit Securitization Vehicles.  From 1992 through 1997, Mr. Popp was a Managing Director of Indosuez Capital and served as President of Indosuez Capital Asset Advisors, Inc., and President of 1211 Investors, Inc.  While at Indosuez, Mr. Popp was responsible for building the firm’s asset management business, including the development of three Credit Securitization Vehicles aggregating $1.3 billion.  In 1989, Mr. Popp joined the Corporate Finance Department of Kidder Peabody & Co., Inc. as Senior Vice President, previously serving as Vice President in the Mergers and Acquisitions department of Drexel Burnham Lambert.

Mr. Popp is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Brookings Institution’s Foreign Policy Leadership Committee, the Leadership Advisory Board of the Wharton School and the Juilliard School Council. In addition, Mr. Popp is a former member of the Board of Directors of The Loan Syndications & Trading Association (LSTA). Mr. Popp graduated with a B.A. from Pomona College and an M.B.A. from the Wharton Graduate Division of the University of Pennsylvania.

Masaki Sato joined Sumitomo Life Insurance in 2010. His early career included roles in financial analysis, insurance operations, and macroeconomic research in Washington, D.C.

Since 2016, he has played a key role in developing the firm’s investment strategy for CLO tranches and broadly syndicated loan (BSL) funds. In 2020, he was appointed team head and has since led the expansion into AA to A-rated tranches, European CLOs, Middle Market CLOs, and direct lending investments, with a focus on enhancing portfolio yield and diversification. He has executed transactions with dozens of  investment managers across these strategies.

Currently, he oversees the entire investment process, including manager selection, fund negotiations, and execution. He is also involved in researching new areas such as asset-based finance, contributing to the firm’s long-term strategic initiatives.

He holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Tokyo.

Ayako Sera is Executive Manager and Senior Market Strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank and has over 34 years of experience in market analysis, with a particular focus on foreign exchange and interest rates. She is currently assigned to market analysis and forecasts for proprietary investment planning.

Prior to her current role, she was engaged in fixed income and equity investment, as well as asset allocation for entrusted portfolios in the Public Funds Investment Department. Before she joined the former Sumitomo Trust and Banking, she graduated from the Faculty of Law, Kyoto University in 1990.

Claus Vinge Skrumsager is a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley and Head of Secured Private Credit. Mr. Skrumsager joined Morgan Stanley Investment Management (“MSIM”) in 2017 to lead the establishment of MSIM’s European private real asset backed credit platform and today manages in excess of €2.5bn of committed capital on the platform. Prior to joining MSIM, Mr. Skrumsager was Co-Head of Morgan Stanley’s EMEA Capital Markets, Co-Head of Global Fixed Income Markets, served as a member of the EMEA cross divisional Operating and Risk Committees and as a Senior Manager under the PRA and FCA’s Senior Managers and Certification Regime.

Mr. Skrumsager brings more than 25 years of capital markets experience with a focus on fixed income markets. Since joining Morgan Stanley in June 2007, he built the credit and rates solutions capital markets franchise, including establishing Morgan Stanley’s European Loan Solutions Group. Mr. Skrumsager started his capital markets career at Goldman Sachs in 1998, prior to which he worked at the Central Bank of Denmark, Danish Ministry of Finance and as part-time teacher at the University of Copenhagen.

Mr. Stein joined Sound Point in 2023 and is currently Head and Chief Investment Officer of the U.S. Performing Credit platform. Additionally, Mr. Stein serves on Sound Point’s Management Committee as well as many of the firm’s investment and risk committees. Mr. Stein is a veteran CIO and portfolio manager with over 30 years of credit investing experience. Prior to joining Sound Point, Mr. Stein served as Chairman, CEO, and CIO of Symphony Asset Management, a San Francisco-based alternative asset manager that was active across the credit investing spectrum. Mr. Stein joined Symphony Asset Management in 1999 and as CEO, grew Symphony’s AUM from approximately $7 billion in 2009 to $19.5 billion when he departed in 2018. Prior to Symphony Asset Management, Mr. Stein was a Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Wells Fargo.

Mr. Stein earned a B.A. in Economics from University of California at Berkeley and an M.B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin.

Mr. Sweeney is a Co-Head of Global Credit and Specialist Portfolio Manager and is focused on management of broadly syndicated loans in CLOs, the TCW Senior Loan ETF as well as other bank loan products. He also serves as a member of the investment committee in the Fixed Income group. Mr. Sweeney was previously a Portfolio Manager at Bradford & Marzec, LLC and Macquarie Group (FKA Four Corners Capital Management) for separately managed accounts, closed-end funds, and CLO accounts.

Prior to Four Corners, he worked as a Research Analyst evaluating leveraged loan and bond investments for Columbia Management (Ameriprise Financial, Inc.) and ING Capital Advisors. Mr. Sweeney has also worked in investment banking at Wells Fargo Securities (First Union) where he focused on underwriting, structuring, and syndicating leveraged loan transactions within the sponsor origination and consumer product groups.

Mr. Sweeney holds a BS from Rutgers University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Miyoko Taniguchi is a Principal at Oak Hill Advisors, a leading alternative investment firm with $65 billion of capital under management across performing and distressed credit investments in North America and Europe. She works in the areas of investor relations and new business development.

Prior to joining OHA, Ms. Taniguchi worked at Ares Management as a Vice President in Relationship Management and at Och-Ziff Capital Management as Head of Asia Client Relationship Management. She started her career at BlackRock in the Global Client Group.

Ms. Taniguchi earned a B.S. in Economics from the University of New Hampshire.

Mr. Taylor joined PineBridge in 2017 to support the launch of the firm’s middle market private credit business and lead the capital markets effort. Mr. Taylor has over 30 years of banking and lending experience, including middle market direct lending, capital markets and CLO asset management.

Prior to joining PineBridge, he was a senior origination team member and Head of Capital Markets at Business Development Corp of America (“BDCA”, a non-traded BDC), where he was hired as a founding team member in 2013. In 2004, Mr. Taylor joined Callidus Capital Management (ultimately becoming Allied Capital Finance), as a founding member of the middle market senior debt platform in the role of Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets, where he was ultimately a senior member of the Allied Capital/GE Capital Unitranche team. Prior to Callidus, Mr. Taylor worked at JPMorgan Chase and First Union where his responsibilities included origination and execution of both private equity supported and non-sponsored debt transactions, capital markets and loan syndications, and middle market M&A transactions.

Mr. Taylor received a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Scranton and a Masters of Business Administration from the Stern School of Business, New York University. Mr. Taylor is also a CFA charterholder.

Kyle Ulep is a Managing Director of Large Cap Private Credit for PGIM.  Mr. Ulep is fully dedicated to the Fund and leads origination efforts across PGIM’s global private credit network.  Previously, he was a Senior Principal in Corporate Finance for PGIM, located in Atlanta, where he led a team responsible for marketing, originating, and managing private placement, direct lending, mezzanine investments, primarily in the Southeast region of the US.  He began his career at PGIM in 2008, and previously worked in corporate development at SAIC.

Mr. Ulep received a BS from Washington and Lee University and an MBA from University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Tess Virmani is Deputy General Counsel, Head of Policy at the LSTA.

As a member of the senior leadership team, Tess heads the LSTA’s policy initiatives and serves as lead on all ESG initiatives. In this broad role, Tess has the opportunity to further the Association’s mission of promoting a fair, orderly, and efficient loan market. She and the Policy team engage with market participants, press, and regulators on issues and developments in the global loan market. The LSTA’s Policy team offers thought-leadership through publications, conferences, and webcasts.  On ESG developments, the Association has been significantly involved in sustainable lending and ESG reporting in private markets since the emergence of this trend. On behalf of the Association, Tess founded and serves as Co-Secretariat on the ESG Integrated Disclosure Project and maintains global sustainable loan frameworks, such as the Green Loan Principles and Sustainability-Linked Loan Principles.

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.

Daire joined Alcentra in July 2014 and is Head of European Liquid Credit and the Portfolio Manager for Alcentra’s European CLOs and European Loan funds. He is a co-Chair of the European Liquid Investment Committee. Daire has experience of both par and distressed credit investing across a broad range of sectors. He has previously held roles as Deputy High Yield Portfolio Manager and Senior Credit Analyst within Alcentra. Before joining Alcentra, Daire spent seven years as a credit analyst at Oak Hill Advisors. Daire moved to Oak Hill in 2006 from JP Morgan’s Leveraged Finance and Capital Markets groups where he focused on credit analysis and syndication.

He earned an M.B.S. from the UCD Michael Smurfit School of Business (1st Class Honours) and a B.Sc. from the National University of Ireland, Galway (1st Class Honours).

Mr. Wolfson joined the firm in 2006 and is a Portfolio Manager on PineBridge Investments’ Leveraged Finance team, where he is responsible for managing US leveraged loan portfolios, including CLOs. 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. Wolfson was a Credit Research Analyst covering the cable, broadcasting, and media sectors. Before joining PineBridge, he was a Securities Analyst at The Capital Group and also worked in equity research at Transamerica Investment Management and Nicholas-Applegate Capital Management.

Mr. Wolfson graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado, with a BS in Finance, International Business, and Marketing, and received an MBA with a concentration in Finance from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

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 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.