Private Debt Panel Discussion
Please join us, as we discuss with our panel speakers the potential benefits and challenges of investing in private debt, as well as practical considerations for investors. Private debt investments have been one of the fastest growing asset allocation themes in the post-financial crisis period.
Moderator: Niels Bodenheim, Senior Director Private Markets, BFinance
Niels is Senior Director of Private Markets based in bfinance’s London office. He specializes in Debt strategies including Direct Lending, Infrastructure Debt and Real Estate Debt. Niels has over 14 years of principal investing experience prior to joining bfinance. He previously worked with GE Capital where he was Executive Director for Mubadala GE Capital (a Direct Lending fund) and primarily focused on leveraged loans and real estate in both the US and Europe. Niels helped GE and its clients through many aspects of the origination, underwriting, risk management and portfolio management processes. He holds a degree in Finance and International Business from Pennsylvania State University and speaks fluent Dutch.
Panelists:
Nestor Theodorou, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, Winnipeg Civic Employees’ Benefits Program
As Chief Investment Officer of the Winnipeg Civic Employees’ Benefits Program, Nestor is responsible for the development and implementation of investment strategies and asset allocation for The Winnipeg Civic Employees’ Pension Plan and the Winnipeg Police Pension Plan. Nestor provides leadership in helping meet the Program’s investment objectives by overseeing and monitoring the Program’s portfolio of assets, formulating and recommending investment strategies, and managing the relationships with external investment managers and other external investment advisors.
As a Chartered Financial Analyst with over 28 years of experience in the financial services industry, Nestor possesses a deep knowledge of the investment space. He has extensive experience as an analyst, trader and portfolio manager in both the Fixed Income and Equity markets. Most recently, he has contributed to the development and implementation of the Program's alternative investment strategies, including Real Estate, Global Infrastructure, and Private Debt.
Nestor has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Manitoba (1987), and a Masters of Business Administration from York University (1990).
Graeme Hay, CFA, Vice President Investments, Teachers’ Retirement Allowances Fund
Graeme is involved in all aspects of TRAF's investment program, including investment strategy, manager selection and monitoring. Prior to TRAF, he was a member of the investment team of Wellington West Asset Management, the internal portfolio management unit of one of Canada's largest independent brokerages. In this role, he carried out fundamental research for the firm's equity portfolios and participated in asset allocation decisions for the firm's multi-asset class mutual funds. He also led the firm's research effort on external investment managers employed across the firm.
Graeme began his investment career as a senior analyst in the asset-liability management unit of Great-West Life where he was involved in managing risk for the company's pension annuity line of business. Graeme is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), having earned the Robert Syme Memorial Silver Medal and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder. He is the Past President of the CFA Society of Winnipeg and is the Chair of the Manitoba Regional Council of the Pension Investment Association of Canada (PIAC). He also serves on the Board of the CPA Manitoba Foundation and the Investment Committee of the Manitoba Museum Pension Trust Fund.
Susan Kasser, CFA, Managing Director and Co-Head of Private Credit, Neuberger Berman
Susan Kasser, CFA is the Co-Head of the Private Credit business for Neuberger Berman. The Private Credit business manages $4.2 billion of investor capital dedicated to investing in first lien, unitranche and second lien loans to market leading companies owned by private equity firms. Prior to joining Neuberger Berman in 2013, she was an investment professional in the Direct Lending business of the Carlyle Group. Prior to joining Carlyle, Ms. Kasser worked at Goldman Sachs in several roles, including as an investment banker in the Leveraged Finance group, a fund investor and direct co-investor in the Private Equity Group, and as a financial analyst in Global Investment Research.
Toreigh Stuart, Chief Executive Officer, Next Edge Capital
Toreigh Stuart is the Chief Executive Officer for Next Edge Capital Corp. Toreigh’s main role is assessing and structuring investment opportunities with a focus on ideas which emphasize increased risk-adjusted returns with low levels of correlation to traditional stocks and bonds.
Prior to the formation of Next Edge Capital via a management spin-off of the business, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Man Investments Canada Corp., responsible for building the firm’s distribution channels and joint venture relationships, as well as guiding the daily management and overall supervision of the Canadian sales operation. Subsequently, Toreigh held the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of BluMont Capital, a Toronto-based hedge fund company, which, under his leadership, saw significant growth from 2000 through 2006. During his time at BluMont Capital, Mr. Stuart established the successful joint venture relationship with Man Investments.
Toreigh earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from University of Toronto, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. With more than two decades of selecting and monitoring investment managers, Toreigh’s strongest suit is his passion for finding unique investment ideas.