Derek Miller Managing Director- Structured Credit- North America FITCH RATINGS

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.

Gretchen Bergstresser Managing Partner and the Global Head of Performing Credit CVC Credit Partners

Gretchen is a Managing Partner of CVC’s credit business and she co-founded Apidos Capital Management (now CVC Credit) in 2005. In her role as a Managing Partner and Global Head of Performing Credit, she sits on CVC Credit’s Executive Committee and several additional internal management committees. She is also vice chair of the U.S. and European Performing Credit Investment Committees. Across her more than 30 years in the industry, she has worked for Eaton Vance, ING, Bank of Boston and other financial institutions. She has an MBA from Boston University, an MS Chemistry from Pennsylvania State University and a BS from St. Lawrence University.

Brad Larson Managing Director, Head of the CLO New Issue Group Credit Suisse

Brad Larson is a Managing Director and Global Co-Head of New Issue CLOs and Corporate Asset Finance at Credit Suisse.  Brad is based in New York and oversees the day-to-day functional responsibilities of the Global New Issue CLO business with personnel in New York, London, Paris, and Pune.  

Brad joined Credit Suisse in 2010 and has 25 years of experience in the financial services industry.  At Credit Suisse, Brad played a lead role in the bank’s return to the (2.0) CLO new issue market and, since June 2012, has led a global team that has priced more than 335 CLO transactions across BSL CLOs, MM CLOs, and CBOs with more than 75 managers.

Prior to joining Credit Suisse, Brad was a Managing Director and Head of Structured Credit at ACA Capital where he focused on the company’s US corporate credit business.  While at ACA, Brad was a member of the CLO Collateral and Corporate Reporting committees.  Before joining ACA, Brad worked at Pegasus Aviation, Prudential Securities, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young.  

A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley with a B.A. in Legal Studies, Brad also holds an M.S.M. from the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue University.  

John Timperio Partner DECHERT

John M. Timperio, a partner in Dechert's global finance practice and a member of the firm’s Policy Committee, has more than 25 years of experience working with some of the world's largest asset managers and investment banks on various types of structured finance solutions, including CLOs and structured loan facilities. Mr. Timperio leads Dechert’s Structured Credit and CLO team, which has not only been ranked one of the most active in the CLO market since it restarted but also one of the most distinguished in terms of industry awards for best CLO law firm. He is also actively involved in creating various permanent capital solutions for various of the firm's 50 plus asset manager clients who currently manage CLOs, including US and EU risk retention compliant structures.

Mr. Timperio is recognized by Law360 as a 2020 MVP of the Year for Structured Finance. Mr. Timperio is ranked as a leading lawyer for securitization and CLOs by Chambers USA, recognizing his expertise on middle market CLO transactions. Mr. Timperio is cited in Chambers USA as "the quintessential managers' lawyer in CLOs, he is at the forefront of development and is a pleasure to work with." Mr. Timperio is also a recommended lawyer for Structured Finance by The Legal 500 (U.S.), where he was described as "very prolific" and "well known" for his work in the middle market CLO sector. Since 2012, he has been ranked in The Best Lawyers in America as a leading lawyer in banking and finance law. Mr. Timperio is a frequent author and speaker on the topic of CLOs and risk retention.

Amir Vardi Managing Director, Portfolio Manager CREDIT SUISSE ASSET MANAGEMENT

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 includes 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.

Stephanie Walsh Partner and Head of US CLOs BAIN CAPITAL CREDIT

Stephanie Walsh, Partner and Head of US CLOs at Bain Capital Credit 

Ms. Walsh joined Bain Capital in 2007. She is a Partner on the Bain Capital Credit team and Head of US CLOs responsible for the origination and management of the funds. During 2014 through 2016, she was based in the London office responsible for the European CLO platform. Prior to focusing on US CLOs, Ms. Walsh was a Portfolio Manager in our Liquid Credit business helping grow and manage separate accounts and comingled funds from 2011 to 2016. She started her career at Bain Capital as a member of the industry research team focused on the Energy and Utility sectors. Previously, Ms. Walsh was an analyst at Goldman Sachs in the Bank Debt Portfolio Group.

Ms. Walsh received a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Notre Dame graduating cum laude. She is currently a member of Notre Dame’s Wall Street Leadership Committee.

Richard Reilly Partner DLA PIPER

Rich Reilly has a broad securities practice with an emphasis on CLOs and other structured finance transactions, securitizations and investment fund formations in the United States and Europe.

Rich has over twenty years of experience acting as counsel to arrangers, collateral managers and investors on US and European CLOs and other securitizations. His experience includes structuring CLOs and securitizations to comply with a variety of regulatory requirements including those imposed by the Dodd-Frank Act and the EU Securitisation Regulation.

In addition, he regularly represents investment advisors on the formation of private investment funds for the purpose of raising capital for investment in structured credit products including, among others, captive and non-captive CLO equity funds.

Rich has substantial CLO manager M&A experience having represented buyers and sellers in several transactions in the US and Europe.

In addition to his experience in the US CLO and securitization markets, Rich spent several years in London where he led the most active legal practice in the European CLO market from 2003 - 2011.

In the asset securitization area, Rich has represented issuers, arrangers, credit enhancement providers and servicers in a broad range of asset classes including solar, market-based lending, CMBS, RMBS, credit cards, trade receivables and asset-backed commercial paper.

Sean M. Solis Partner MILBANK

A distinguished finance and securitization attorney, author and speaker, Sean M. Solis is a partner in the New York office of Milbank and a member of the firm’s Alternative Investments Practice.

Mr. Solis has counseled US and international asset managers and hedge funds in connection with tens of billions of dollars of transactions across a wide variety of collateralized loan obligation transactions (“CLOs”) as well as other complex structured credit financing arrangements. Moreover, Mr. Solis is an expert in the various regulatory regimes applicable in the securitization space including the US and EU Risk Retention Rules and the Volcker Rule. In addition, Mr. Solis has significant experience with secured and unsecured lending transactions and he has advised asset managers and institutional buyers in connection with strategic investments in private investment firms and on structuring complex transactions in preparation for liquidity events.
Mr. Solis is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading attorneys in the representation of CLO collateral managers and CLO equity investors. Clients describe him as “very intelligent, commercial and always willing to go above and beyond to satisfy client needs and demands.” Mr. Solis is recognized by Chambers USA (2018), where peers note that he is “a young but very seasoned partner in the CLO space,” and clients praise his work ethic and creativity noting that he “works tirelessly for his clients and is consistently at the forefront of new market developments.” Mr. Solis is a frequent speaker at securitization industry conferences and is regularly quoted on industry matters by Creditflux, Reuters, Bloomberg and other leading financial media outlets.

Jason Friedman Partner, Managing Director Global Head of Business Development & Strategy, Marathon Asset Management

Mr. Jason Friedman is a Partner, Global Head of Business Development & Strategy and a member of Marathon’s Executive and Investment Committees. Mr. Friedman is responsible for strategy development, fund and CLO structuring, and business development for the Marathon Family of Funds. From 1996 to 2007, Mr. Friedman worked for CCMP Capital and its predecessors JP Morgan Partners, Chase Capital Partners and Chemical Venture Partners, where he was a Principal. Mr. Friedman has been engaged in all aspects of the investment process including sourcing transactions, performing complex investment analyses and diligence, developing growth and restructuring strategies in conjunction with management teams and monitoring Company performance at the Board of Director level. Prior to joining CCMP in 1996, Mr. Friedman began his career working as an investment banking analyst with Chemical Bank's Acquisition Finance and Global Loan Syndication groups. Mr. Friedman holds a BA in Public Policy and Economics, cum laude, from Duke University and an MBA with High Distinction (Baker Scholar) from the Harvard Business School.

Gretchen Lam Chief Executive Officer OCTAGON CREDIT INVESTORS

Ms. Lam is Octagon’s Chief Executive Officer, a member of Octagon’s Investment Committee, and a member of the Firm’s Board of Managers. Ms. Lam also serves on the Firm’s Executive Committee and is a member of the Firm’s ESG Committee. 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 and equity) investment strategies. 

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.

She earned a B.S. in Investments from Babson College, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Ms. Lam received her CFA Charter in 2006.

Dagmara Michalczuk Co-Chief Investment Officer TETRAGON CREDIT PARTNERS

Dagmara Michalczuk

Co-Chief Investment Officer

Dagmara is Co-Chief Investment Officer for Tetragon Credit Partners. She joined the group in early 2007 and prior to that was an Associate in Morgan Stanley’s Securitized Products Group working on the structuring desks in New York and London. At Morgan Stanley, she was involved in the structuring and execution of CDO and CLO transactions across multiple underlying asset classes and structural types. Dagmara holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. She is based in New York.

Christina Padgett Associate Managing Director Moody’s Investors Service

Christina Padgett is an Associate Managing Director in Moody’s Corporate Finance Group and leads the Leveraged Finance Research and Analytics team. She spends most of her time chairing speculative grade rating committees and producing credit research with a focus on the leveraged finance market and private equity.

Before joining Moody’s, Christina was a vice president at JPMorgan Chase in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group. Prior to her experience in investment banking, Christina finished the bank’s Credit Training program and worked in Europe Corporate Finance and Credit Audit. She received a Masters in International Political Economy from Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs and a B.A. in History from William Smith College.

Al Remeza Associate Managing Director MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE

Al Remeza is an Associate Managing Director and head of the US CLO and Structured Credit new ratings team with Moody's Investors Service.

Prior to joining Moody’s, he was a Senior Consultant at one of Mercer’s financial advisory consulting groups. His clients were financial institutions such as major investment banks, reinsurance and insurance companies, energy and commodities trading firms, quasi-government agencies, and numerous other Fortune 500 firms. His other experiences include working for Credit Suisse First Boston and Alliance Capital. He earned an MA in Economics, a BS in Economics, and a BS in Engineering and did his doctoral work in finance while at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Ronni Neeman Principal and Global Head of CLO Research PGIM Fixed Income

Ronni Neeman, CFA, FSA, is a Principal and the Global Head of CLO Research for PGIM Fixed Income. Mr. Neeman is responsible for leading the CLO credit research team in analyzing transaction collateral, assigning internal credit and ESG ratings, reviewing transaction documentation, conducting issuer due diligence, working closely with portfolio management to determine relative attractiveness, and conducting surveillance on existing investments and industry trends. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities, Mr. Neeman held roles in credit research of Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs), Asset Backed Securities (ABS), and Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities (CMBS). Earlier, he was a member of Prudential Financial’s Actuarial Leadership Development Program (ALDP), where he was responsible for pricing and valuation in the firm’s various insurance segments. Mr. Neeman joined the Firm in 2004. He earned a BS in Mathematics and a BS in Economics from The University of Michigan. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA).

Terry Ing Managing Director KKR

Terry Ing joined KKR in 2019 as a Managing Director. He is the Co-Head of Research for KKR’s Leveraged Credit team and a Portfolio Manager. Mr. Ing is a member of the U.S. Leveraged Credit Investment Committee and KKR’s ESG Committee. Prior to joining KKR, he was the head of credit at Muddy Waters Capital and an executive vice president and portfolio manager for PIMCO's Global Credit Opportunity Fund (GCOF), where he focused on the high yield and bank loan portfolios. He also held various leadership roles throughout the PIMCO organization, ranging from head of Americas research to head of research for GCOF. Before joining PIMCO, he was a senior analyst at Wells Fargo's securities investment group, covering various sectors while generating cross sector relative value ideas. Mr. Ing is an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School. He holds a Master's degree in Mathematics of Finance from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California

Colleen Mattern Director PwC

Colleen Mattern is a Director in PwC's Financial Markets practice serving both public and private clients in securitization transaction advisory services and financial instruments valuation and governance. 

Colleen specializes in:

Performing transaction closing services in connection with the new issuance and ongoing verification for collateralized loan obligations (CLOs),

Financial product oversight and governance,

Model risk governance and model validation,

Valuation analysis of multiple fixed income and structured product asset classes,

Credit and impairment analysis, and

Evaluating and implementing valuation processes and methodologies.

Colleen spent two years in PwC’s National Office leading an effort to transform, centralize and digitize PwC’s investment valuation testing approach for the entire US Assurance Practice, developing the firm’s audit approach to the new credit loss accounting standard, and serving as the Chief of Staff for PwC’s Chief Auditor. Prior to joining Financial Markets, Colleen worked in the Private Equity group of a leading investment bank and in the Banking & Capital Markets Assurance practice of PwC.

Education and Certifications

 Colleen has a dual Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from Providence College and a Master of Business Administration with specializations in Quantitative Finance and Finance from New York University - Leonard N. Stern School of Business. She is a Certified Public Accountant in New York and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Sean Egan President Egan-Jones Ratings

Sean Egan is a founding partner and president of Egan-Jones Ratings Company (EJR), which was organized in 1992 for the purpose of providing timely, accurate credit ratings. Over the past decade, EJR provide risk managers with warnings on Ambac, Countrywide, Enron, Greece, Lehman, MBIA, New Century and many others well in advance of the majority of market participants. Fortune Magazine named Mr. Egan the number one person for warning about the 2007 credit crisis. Mr. Egan has appeared on most major media outlets and has testified numerous times in front of Congressional committees. 

Prior to founding Egan-Jones, Mr. Egan worked as a commercial banker for JP Morgan, as an investment banker for Oppenheimer, and as a management consultant with KPMG Peat Marwick. 

Mr. Egan graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo and received an MBA from Harvard University.

Christopher J. Acito CEO Gapstow Capital Partners

Chris is the Chief Executive Officer of Gapstow Capital Partners, which advises clients exclusively on opportunities in the alternative credit markets.

Chris began his professional life as an economist, having graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Duke University and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Chicago. He served on the staff of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors and was the Managing Director of the Center for Population Economics, a group dedicated to researching issues in health economics.

Chris then enjoyed a ten-year career as a management consultant beginning in Booz-Allen & Hamilton’s Banking & Capital Markets practice in New York. In 1998 he co-founded Casey, Quirk & Acito (now known as Casey Quirk by Deloitte) a specialist firm focusing on the global investment management industry.

In 2004, Chris become the global Chief Operating Officer for Investcorp's Hedge Fund Group, which managed $8.5 billion in client and proprietary capital in both multi-manager funds and single manager funds.

Chris founded Gapstow in 2009.

Chris is an Emeritus Trustee for The Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey, where he served for nearly twenty years, including six as Board Chair. He is currently on the investment committees for The Peddie School and the New York Community Trust.

Nicole Byrns Managing Director, Americas Structured Credit and Financials CPPIB

Nicole joined CPPIB in 2019 and focuses on investment opportunities across the structured credit sector including CLOs, consumer finance and specialty finance sectors. Prior to joining CPPIB, Nicole worked at Deutsche Bank’s Global Credit Trading group where she focused on structured credit opportunities in the fintech, aviation, mortgage and esoteric industries.

Previously, she was at Garrison Investment Group and Citi where she was responsible for originating and executing financings and asset purchase arrangements with specialty finance companies. Nicole began her career at Citi where she spent almost a decade in their principal finance and securitization groups.

Nicole holds a B.A. from Wellesley College and an M.A. in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.  She also attended L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar.

Phillip Falk Investment Director NEPC

Phil covers credit strategies as a research consultant at NEPC. Prior to joining NEPC, he was a co-PM at Gapstow Capital Partners, where he helped manage its CLO-focused structured credit fund, which made majority and minority investment in CLO equity and mezz. He also served as a senior analyst for Gapstow’s externally allocated, diversified credit fund and its community bank recapitalization fund. He began his career at Morgan Stanley, in the financial institutions group. 

He holds a BA from Yale, where he also worked at the Yale Investments Office.

Michael Phillips Head of Credit, Special Opportunities Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Michael Phillips is Head of Credit for the Special Opportunities group at the $200bn Teacher Retirement System of Texas.  The Special Opportunities group seeks to access a variety of complex, unique and opportunistic investments across multiple asset classes, industries and geographies.  Mr. Phillips is also the lead portfolio manager for Texas Debt Capital, a partnership with CIFC Asset Management that invests in leveraged loans issued by TRS’s private equity partners and other sponsors.

Before joining TRS, Mr. Phillips was a performing and distressed credit investor at Highland Capital, which included serving on creditor’s committees in several high profile restructuring situations.  Prior to that, he held senior investing and capital markets positions at Oaktree Capital and Nordic Capital in London.  In the latter role he led financing negotiations for various LBO transactions across the US, UK, Germany and Scandinavia.  Mr. Phillips began his career as an investment banker in the European Leveraged Finance group at Barclays Capital.

Mr. Phillips graduated with an MA in Music from the University of Cambridge, specializing in quantitative analysis and experimental psychology.  He is a CFA charterholder.

Unmesh Bhide Managing Director, J.P. Morgan and Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer Pricing Direct

Unmesh Bhide- Managing Director at J.P. Morgan and Co-Founder of PricingDirect

Unmesh Bhide is a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan and Co-Founder & chief product officer of PricingDirect. PricingDirect provides independent evaluated pricing (valuation and pricing data) for more than 2.6 million U.S. taxable fixed income securities and derivatives daily. He is the driving force behind the implementation of machine learning in PricingDirect’s recently launched muni pricing service.

Prior to joining the firm in 1997, Mr. Bhide worked at the Merrill Lynch Pricing Service where he developed pricing models. He also served as an analyst in the fixed income portfolio management group at Daiwa Securities Trust Company.

Mr. Bhide earned a B.S. in Physics from the University of Bombay, an M.S. in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, and an M.S. in Computer Science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Charter Financial Institute and a CFA charter holder since 1997.

When Mr. Bhide is not devising frameworks for new product methodologies he enjoys driving 2,000 mile road trips with his family traversing through our national parks.

Debdeep Maji Senior Managing Director, Portfolio Manager Oxford Funds

Mr. Maji is a Senior Managing Director and Portfolio Manager of Oxford Funds, LLC. Oxford Funds manages approximately $2.0 billion in AUM in U.S. CLO equity and CLO junior debt tranches across two publicly traded funds, Oxford Square Capital Corp. (Nasdaq: OXSQ) and Oxford Lane Capital Corp. (Nasdaq: OXLC), and two private CLO equity funds. Mr. Maji has been investing in CLO equity and CLO junior debt tranches since 2009 and heads Oxford Funds’ structured credit investing team. He graduated from the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology at the University of Pennsylvania where he received a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School and a B.A.S. from the School of Engineering.

Denise Crowley Head of Structured Investments Zais Group

Denise Crowley serves as Head of Structured Investments and Head of Business Development and Client Relations at ZAIS. As Head of ZAIS’s Structured Investments Business, Ms. Crowley is responsible for mortgage investments, including Non-Agency RMBS, CMBS, Commercial Real Estate debt and equity, ABS investments and CLO investments across our separately managed accounts and comingled funds. She is also a member of ZAIS’s Management Advisory Committee. Before joining ZAIS in August of 1997, Ms. Crowley worked at J.P. Morgan in the High Yield Trading Group. Before J.P. Morgan, she worked for Hon. Daniel P. Moynihan as an economic research analyst. Ms. Crowley received a B.A. from Boston College and an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Robert J. Klein President and CIO – Structured Credit CLARION CAPITAL PARTNERS

Robert leads Clarion’s Structured Credit group.

He has 30 years of experience in investment banking, credit portfolio management, and structured finance.  He previously was Senior Portfolio Manager and Head of Structured Credit Funds at CIFC LLC, a leading CLO manager.

Prior to CIFC, Robert was lead portfolio manager at Prospect Capital where he led the firm’s CLO investments, building CLO AUM at two registered vehicles that grew to $1.5 billion in investments.

Prior to founding the CLO business at Prospect, Robert worked at American Capital, Ltd. where he was a Managing Director and led the New York private equity and financial sponsor lending teams, leading numerous debt and equity investments.

Prior to American Capital, he worked at American Securities and American Industrial Partners, both active middle-market private equity firms.  Robert began his  career in the Mergers and Acquisitions groups at First Boston and Morgan Stanley.

He holds a JD with Distinction from Stanford Law School and a BA summa cum laude from Yale College where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.  He has been admitted to the California bar (inactive status).  He serves on the Board of Trustees of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester and on the Committee for Ancient and Byzantine Art at the Art Institute of Chicago.   He is a past Professional Fellow of the New York University Center for Law and Business.

Michael Kurinets Chief Investment Officer & Portfolio Manager CAPRA IBEX ADVISORS

Michael has worked for nearly 30 years in the fixed-income business focusing predominantly on CLO and ABS CDO products. While at Credit Suisse, he was a Managing Director and Head of the CLO/CDO Secondary Trading Desk within the Fixed Income Division. During this time, Michael successfully guided his desk through the 2007-2009 economic crisis, where his focus was on proprietary trading opportunities. Michael has particular strength in trading CLO mezzanine and equity tranches. Michael is currently CIO and Portfolio Manager at Capra Ibex Advisors.

Tim Wickstrom Executive Director Panagram Structured Asset Management

Tim Wickstrom is an Executive Director at Panagram where he manages CLO and ABS secondary investments. Previously, Tim was a Director at Eldridge in the structured products group. Prior to Eldridge, Tim was an Associate on Security Benefit’s investment team. Tim received his A.B. in Economics from Bowdoin College.