Careers in Leveraged Finance Panel

Eric Rogoff

Caphub

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-rogoff-3a1794249/

Eric is a co-founder of CapHub, a business that is streamlining the middle-market deal landscape.  Previously, he was a founding partner of Falcon Investment Advisors, a private-credit and structed-equity investment firm.  He helped lead the firm from its founding to its sale to a public company 20+ years later.  During this time, Falcon grew from six employees to 50+ and invested over $5 billion across multiple niche private-capital investment strategies.  Eric held numerous senior-level roles in functional areas including investments, new-product development, recruiting, professional development, and ESG.  Eric was a member of the investment committee for all the firm’s investment strategies, including direct lending, mezzanine capital, and structured equity. He was Portfolio Manager of the firm’s direct-lending strategy and Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Onex Falcon BDC Fund.  Eric has Chaired or served on the Board of Directors of numerous portfolio companies.  Prior to Falcon, Eric was a private-equity investor and investment banker at CIBC World Markets (and its predecessor, The Argosy Group) and Kidder Peabody.



Eric is adjunct assistant professor at Columbia Business School teaching a course in leveraged finance as part of its Private Equity curriculum.

Marilyn Adler

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilynadler/

Marilyn S. Adler is a Founder and Managing Partner at Mizzen Capital. Mizzen is a credit platform with three funds on the platform, two SBIC funds and a traditional credit fund. Mizzen invests as senior secured debt in lower middle market companies with $1 to $15 million of EBITDA. Mizzen’s industry focus includes manufacturing, business and healthcare services, energy transition and software. Investment size ranges from $4 million to $45 million within the funds and partners with limited partners and other credit funds for larger deals over $45 million. Prior to founding Mizzen, Ms. Adler had senior management roles with SBIC investment funds including Medley SBIC LP, Sunrise Equity Partners LP and Hudson Venture Partners LP. Prior to that, she worked at Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association in the fixed income group and at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in the investment banking division. Ms. Adler has been named as one of the top women in middle market M&A every year between 2016 and 2024. Ms. Adler is a founder and board member of Exponent Women and was the 2018 ACG Woman of Leadership awardee. She was a board member of UJA’s Private Equity division, Banking & Finance division and Women of Wall Street division. Ms. Adler is a member of the SBIA ESG Working Group and was previously a board member of the SBIA board of governors and the chair of its BDC committee and prior finance chair of the board of Cornell University Hillel. She served as treasurer of her co-op board from 2011 to 2020. Ms. Adler was a Board member of Pineapple Energy (NASDAQ: PEGY) from March 2022 to July 2024 and served on its Compensation, Audit and Acquisitions Commitees. Ms. Adler joined as a member of the Investment Committee of Yeshiva University Endowment in July 2024. Ms. Adler earned an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BS with distinction from Cornell University. Ms. Adler resides in New York City with her husband and has three grown children.

Jason Block

Partner and CIO

Freedom 3 Capital

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-block-3631211/

Jason Block is a Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Freedom 3 Capital and has more than 25 years of experience investing in private credit and equity. Mr. Block became actively involved in investing in private credit and equity in 1995.

Prior to Freedom 3 Capital, Mr. Block was the founding Partner of ICG’s North American investment business. Mr. Block led the North American business for over 5 years. Also, while at ICG, he was the Partner responsible for building ICG’s global Investor Management Group focused on fundraising, communication and other investor matters for all of ICG’s products on a global basis. He grew the team from two people to 13 professionals covering over 250 investors worldwide.  Prior to ICG, Mr. Block was a Partner at AlpInvest where over 6 years, he was responsible for founding and building their global mezzanine platform. Before AlpInvest, Mr. Block worked as a Portfolio Manager for Caravelle, an affiliate of CIBC, where his responsibilities included investing in mezzanine, private equity and high yield. Prior to joining the Caravelle team, he was a Managing Director in CIBC’s Leverage Finance/Sponsor Coverage group. Mr. Block started his career as an investment banker for Kidder, Peabody.

Mr. Block is a member of the Advisory Panel to the Atlantic Conference on Mezzanine & Middle Market Symposium. He has also been an observer or director on the board of numerous companies during his career. Mr. Block received his BA in economics from Colgate University, graduating magna cum laude. He also serves on the Connecticut regional board of the Anti-defamation League and the DEI Council for the University of Michigan.

Blair Fleming

Founder and CEO

Raven Risk AI

https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairjfleming/

With over 36 years of experience in banking, capital markets, and investment management, I have built significant experience in contributing to, and building, numerous businesses in the financial services and asset management industries. Having an unrelenting curiosity wired into my DNA, I have been studying the possibilities that abound in applying the rapidly evolving developments in machine learning ("ML") and artificial intelligence ("AI") to solve complex problems and create value in financial services. I am the founder and CEO of Raven Risk AI, a stealth venture that leverages cutting-edge ML/AI technology to provide risk intelligence solutions for institutional investors, asset managers and banks.

An informative 31 years of my banking career were spent at Royal Bank of Canada/RBC Capital Markets. Latterly I was the Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer of RBC USA Holdco Corporation, as well as US CEO of RBC Capital Markets and US Head of Investment Banking. In these roles I gained experience building and managing growth-oriented businesses; working with clients, regulators, boards, senior management and other stakeholders; building and managing people and teams; and competing to win. Moving to the “buy side” in 2019, I was Co-Head at Onex Falcon, the Private Credit arm of Onex Credit. I sat on the Investment Committees of both Onex Falcon and Onex Credit. During my tenure we built the business both organically and inorganically, successfully meeting the capital needs of our clients and raising significant capital in various fund structures.

Omer Masud

Managing Director and Head of Sponsor Finance Origination

Raymond James

https://www.linkedin.com/in/omasud/

Omer Masud is managing director, head of sponsor finance origination at Raymond James. Mr. Masud was previously the head of origination and capital markets at Onex Falcon as well as president of the Onex Falcon BDC and member of the senior debt investment committee. He helped lead the development of the firm’s senior strategy and managed sponsor, advisor and partner relationships for the entire firm. Prior to Onex, he was a managing director in the Financial Sponsors Group at Macquarie Capital, where he was responsible for managing relationships with private equity clients. In prior roles at UBS and Citi’s sponsor coverage groups his responsibilities included delivering the firm’s leveraged finance, equity and M&A franchises to private equity clients and their portfolio companies. Prior to that, Mr. Masud worked at Bear Stearns in the Acquisition and Leveraged Finance Group, where he was responsible for structuring and executing middle market private equity and leveraged finance transactions.

Mr. Masud serves on the Alumni Board and Finance Advisory Board of the Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University. He received an MBA and an MS in electrical engineering from the Ohio State University and a BS in electrical engineering from Florida Institute of Technology.

Scott Rosen

Partner

Ares Credit Group

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-m-rosen-b543482/

Mr. Rosen is a Partner in the Ares Credit Group, where he focuses on U.S. direct lending. Additionally, Mr. Rosen plays an important role on the alternative credit team in sourcing new investment opportunities and facilitating collaboration of resources across the Ares Credit Group. Mr. Rosen serves as a member of the Ares Secondaries Group's Credit Investment Committee. Prior to joining Ares in 2019, Mr. Rosen was a Partner at Solar Capital Partners where he was the Head of Lender Finance and was also responsible for managing the firm's commercial finance control equity investments. Previously, he was a Senior Associate at Wellspring Capital Management, where he focused on U.S. middle market private equity investments. In addition, Mr. Rosen was an Analyst in the Sponsor Coverage/Leveraged Finance Group of CIBC World Markets. Mr. Rosen holds a B.A. from Cornell University in Government.