Madalena Godinho Ramos

Principal, Blackstone Credit

Madalena Godinho Ramos is a Principal with Blackstone Credit, based in the London office. Ms Godinho Ramos is focused on the origination and management of private credit and minority equity investments, spanning acquisitions and corporate refinancings. These investments include a wide variety of industries and geographies, primarily headquartered in Europe, with an origination focus in the UK. Before joining Blackstone Credit, then known as GSO Capital Partners, in 2015, Ms Godinho Ramos worked at Morgan Stanley’s London Office in the Debt Restructuring and Mergers & Acquisitions teams between 2013 and 2015. Prior to that, she worked for McKinsey & Company and BBVA. Ms Godinho Ramos is on the board of directors and a trustee for A Little Gesture, A Great Help, a charitable organization. Ms Godinho Ramos received a MSc in Finance from Imperial College London and a BSc in Economics from Nova School of Business and Economics.

Nikita Desai

Private Credit Investment Specialist, abrdn

Nikita Desai is an Investment Specialist at abrdn, a global asset manager with over £460 billion in AUM. She is responsible for the development and commercial success of new products across the real assets spectrum, specialising in private credit solutions. Nikita has led the design and launch of a number of funds, including cross asset class and ESG strategies, and has been responsible for securing major strategic mandates from global institutional investors. Nikita holds a BSc (Hons) in Genetics from University of Edinburgh, and is a CFA Charterholder.

Luke Hawthorn

Senior Associate, Cortland Credit

Luke Hawthorn is a Senior Associate at Cortland Credit Group, a boutique Toronto-based private credit manager focused on short-term lending. Since joining in 2019 he has developed the firm’s brand and capital raising efforts, working with key stakeholders to elevate awareness of the firm and the niche capital market it serves. In his current role Luke engages institutional investors and consultants to highlight the benefits of private credit as part of a well-rounded portfolio management solution. Luke started his career in the UK, advising corporations and High-Net-Worth Individuals at Mazars LLP, a global financial services firm. He has a BA (Hons) Politics from the University of Manchester and is working towards his CAIA Charter.

Jiri Krol

Global Head of the Alternative Credit Council

Jiří is Global Head of the Alternative Credit Council, a trade body which was established to represent the interests of private credit and non-bank finance participants in asset management.  The role of the Alternative Credit Council is to provide direction on the developments and trends in the alternative and private credit strategy space, through thought-leadership, research, education, high-level advocacy and policy guidance.

Jiří started his career at the Czech securities market regulator.  He then moved to the European Commission’s Internal Market Directorate-General, where he was responsible for the drafting and negotiation of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) implementing measures.  Jiří was then appointed financial markets policy director in the Czech Ministry of Finance in 2007.  In 2009, he led the Czech European Union Presidency’s work in the area of financial services. After the presidency, Jiří returned to the European Commission and worked on the coordination of financial services policy in relation to the Financial Stability Board and G20. Jiří studied International Relations, Economics and Politics at Tufts University, London School of Economics and Sciences Po.

Matthias Dux

Partner and Co-Founder, Avellinia Capital

Matthias is a member of the Management, Investment and Risk Committees of Avellinia Capital. A former consultant, turned macro trader and real estate investor with over 25 years of experience, he focuses on business and investment strategy and leads due diligence, macro research, finance, compliance, operations and ESG.

Nabil Marc Abdul-Massih

Chief Executive Officer, INOKS Capital

Nabil Marc Abdul-Massih, Chief Executive Officer & Member of Management: Born in Ivory Coast and raised in Switzerland, Nabil has been active in commodities his entire life. He co-founded Namaco in 1996, one of the largest independent originators of West African Coffee and Cocoa. In 2000 he joined Lewton Associates, brokering soft commodities in Africa and South America and interacting with the industry’s biggest players. In 2003 he joined Audit Control & Expertise (ACE) Geneva, supervising USD 800M credit facilities spread across 50 credit lines, 5 geographies and more than 10 commodities. In 2005, Nabil joined INOKS Capital to launch the Ancile Fund deploying an innovative ESG/Impact Activist Funding or Alternative Credit strategy. He took-over the company in 2008, heading the Team as CEO and the portfolio management of its investment products to this day.

Karthik Athreya

Head, Strategy (Alternative Credit) and Director, Sundaram Alternates

Mr. Karthik Athreya, Director and Head of Strategy for Alternative Credit, is a financial service professional with over 22 years of experience across principal investing, funds management, investment banking, corporate finance, assurance and transaction diligence services. He heads Sundaram Alternates’ (SA) private credit team which manages assets over ~$170 million across real estate and private credit. Prior to SA, Karthik led the India business of Clearwater Capital Partners, a pan Asian special situations fund since 2007 and oversaw over a billion dollars of investment in India across secured lending, offshore private credit, deep restructurings, private equity and real estate investing. He was instrumental in the set up and build out of Clearwater’s high yield asset-backed lending NBFC platform that built close to USD 400 million balance sheet profitably. Prior to Clearwater,  Karthik was a founder employee and a Director of Investment Banking at YES Bank. He worked as a Director in the Investment Banking business of Rabo India Finance, a subsidiary of Rabobank Nederlands. Prior to this, Karthik worked in the Corporate Finance group of Arthur Andersen and with PricewaterhouseCoopers in their assurance & transaction advisory business.

Elvira Eurlings

CIO, ILX Management B.V.

Elvira leads the investment and sustainability team at ILX, a private debt emerging market fund manager. Since 2018, she has been Agent at the Dutch State Treasury Agency (DSTA) at the Ministry of Finance in the Netherlands. During her time at the Agency, she pioneered the Green Bond issuance on behalf of the State of the Netherlands and successfully oversaw the increased Dutch government borrowing requirement as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, Elvira had a successful career in development finance at FMO, the Netherlands Development Finance Company, where she held various positions, such as chairwoman of FMO’s investment committee and global Director of the Energy department. Before her tenure at FMO, Elvira worked as a senior advisor to the governments of the Netherlands, Balkan and CIS countries at the IMF in Washington and worked at the Ministry of Finance.

Elvira graduated with honors as an economist at Tilburg University in 1999.

Nathalie Sadler

Senior Associate, Dechert

Nathalie Sadler advises on the structuring, establishment, management, marketing and restructuring of private funds in a range of onshore and offshore jurisdictions. Her practice covers a range of asset classes, with a focus on private debt, private equity and hedge funds. She also assists with various management and advisory matters for managers, including the implementation of carried interest and other incentive schemes. Ms. Sadler also advises on general corporate, regulatory and compliance matters. 

Karen Hurst

Senior Policy Advisor, Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association

Nicholas Smith

Managing Director, Private Credit, Alternative Credit Council

Nick Smith joined AIMA in February 2017 as Director, Private Credit for AIMA’s private credit affiliate, the Alternative Credit Council (ACC).  His role focuses on public policy and regulatory issues affecting private credit managers as well as the ACC’s active research and events programme.

Nick has 10+ years of experience in public affairs having previously worked in advocacy roles for the retail, banking and asset finance sectors. Nick has a degree in Politics and Modern History from the University of Manchester and Chairs the networking group Labour in the City.

Simon Males

Head of UK Institutional Business, Tikehau Capital

Simon Males is Executive Director and Head of UK Institutional Business at Tikehau Capital, the €35.5bn global alternative asset management group. Simon has over three decades’ experience working within the UK institutional market, including leadership roles at global asset management firms such as Legal & General Investment Management, PGIM, Pictet Asset Management and F&C (BMO).

More recently, he founded Carrick Roads Capital Limited, an institutional consulting and capital-raising firm. Simon is a member of the Board of AIMSE Europe and has previously been a member of its Advisory Council since 2013. He is also a serving Trustee and Board Director of two UK Charities (North London Hospice and The Pemberton-Barnes Trust) and has previously served as a Trustee of a £130m UK Defined Benefit corporate pension plan.

Simon holds an MBA from London Metropolitan University and several Professional

Qualifications, including the IMC.

Paul Mann

Director, Business Development Team, Arcmont Asset Management

Paul Mann is a Director in the Business Development team at Arcmont Asset Management, with coverage for the UK and Consultant Relations. Prior to joining Arcmont in January 2022, he worked for 5 years at Park Square Capital where he was Vice President in the Business Development team responsible for Consultant Relations, UK, Israel and Latin America. From 2014 to 2016, Paul worked at Partners Group in their UK Investment Solutions team responsible for both investor relations and business development across their private markets platform. Prior to Partners Group, Paul worked in financial services and management consulting with roles at Gerson Lehrman Group, Schlumberger, and Accenture. Paul holds a BA in Modern European Languages and Business Management from Durham University.

Nadja Marcoz

Partner, Senior Relationship Manager, Napier Park Global Capital

Nadja Marcoz is a Partner and Senior Relationship Manager for U.S. pensions and institutional clients at Napier Park Global Capital (“Napier Park”). She heads the Funds distribution efforts in the U.S. and Europe. Napier Park spun off from Citigroup’s alternative investment arm, Citi Capital Advisors (“CCA”), in February 2013. Prior to joining CCA, in June 2009, Nadja was a product development and sales coverage for institutional accounts at Wachovia Securities/Wells Fargo. Between 2003 and 2007 Nadja worked for Citi Investment Bank - Credit Structured business covering both UHNW as well as institutional accounts. Between 1997 and 2003, Nadja was a product manager for SPVs in London and Switzerland. Nadja started her career at Citi in Sydney (Australia) where she was recruited as a management associate. Nadja finalized her management associate program in Switzerland where she implemented a compliance program for the Citi Private Bank in Switzerland and Luxemburg. Nadja has an MBA (cum laude) from Neuchatel University (Switzerland).

Karyn Geringer

Global Head of Business Development, East Lodge Capital

Karyn is Global Head of Business Development at ELC and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. With 26 years’ experience, she is responsible for Marketing, Business Development and Investor Relations globally. Prior to joining ELC, Karyn was Principal and Head of Marketing, Americas at CQS where she implemented a marketing and client service plan for the Americas region and led a team that was responsible for growing the firm’s North American client base five-fold. Prior to CQS, Karyn was co-Head of Marketing, North America at GLG Partners where she helped build and develop the firm’s institutional client base in the U.S. and Canada. Before GLG, she was a Senior Vice President at Pequot Capital responsible for marketing and client service in North America. Earlier in her career, Karyn covered both hedge funds and private equity funds at Credit Suisse and DLJ. From 1994-1999, Karyn served as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Navy attaining the rank of Lieutenant. She holds a BS in Political Science from the United States Naval Academy, and an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School.

Jonathan Bray

Partner, Clifford Chance

Jonathan is a private funds partner at Clifford Chance, with a particular focus on the establishment and operation of direct lending and real estate debt funds. He specialises in technically complex and innovative fundraisings and fund structures, and has extensive experience negotiating with global investors. Jonathan also advises a number of larger institutional investors in relation to their investments into funds, separate accounts and co-investments. He also advises fund managers in relation to the structuring of carried interest and co-investment schemes, and secondary fund transactions.

Neil Simmonds

Partner, Simmons & Simmons

John Dooley

Managing Associate, FS Regulatory, Simmons & Simmons

John specialises in investment funds and advises managers on regulatory requirements in relation to their operations and the products and services they offer. John is an expert in the structuring, operation and distribution of UK regulated funds, advising on all legal aspects of asset management.

John also advises on a broad range of financial services regulatory issues, including FCA authorisation, conduct of business, governance arrangements, ESG and European legislation such as AIFMD, PRIIPs, MiFID and UCITS matters

Daniel Drabkin

Partner, Clifford Chance LLP

Daniel Drabkin specializes in the representation of sponsors in all aspects of fund formation, structuring, marketing and operating alternative investment funds, including funds investing in private credit, secondaries, real estate and private equity, as well as funds-of-funds. Daniel has significant experience with secondaries transactions (both buy-side and sell-side) involving the purchase and sale of mature fund interests. He also represents institutional investors in negotiating LP-side investments into funds, co-investments and other managed accounts. Daniel has a broad spectrum of legal experience, having previously worked in-house as corporate counsel to a public real estate and investment management firm

Martins Marnauza

Partner, Coller Capital

Martins is a Partner responsible for origination and execution and is based in the firm’s London office.

Prior to joining Coller Capital in 2010, Martins was a Senior Investment Executive at Hanseatic Capital, focusing on direct buyout and mezzanine investments in CEE/ CIS and the Nordics. Previously, he was a Senior Consultant with Ernst & Young’s Transaction Advisory group.

Martins has a BSc in Economics from Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, and an MBA from the University of Oxford.

Richard Madden

Tax Director, PwC Alternative Investments Funds

Richard is a Tax Director in PwC UK’s Alternative Investment Funds team, with a primary focus on fund structuring and operational design in the private credit sector. Since 2020, Richard has led PwC’s response to the UK Qualifying Asset Holding Company regime and has been a member of the HMT/HMRC working group in this area. He also sits on the Alternative Credit Council Tax Committee. Prior to PwC, Richard worked in-house within the tax team at one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds.

Elliott Morley

Tax Director, PwC Credit Deals Tax

Elliott is a Director in PwC UK’s Deals Tax credit team, with 20 years experience in providing tax services to managers of credit and debt funds investing across a variety of sectors. Prior to PwC, Elliott spent a number of years working in the financial services sector, including working for a major global credit fund in both a commercial and tax role.

Salome Gvetadze

Senior Research Officer, Research and Market Analysis (RMA), European Investment Fund