Speakers

Alessandra Fumarola
Chief operating officer – private markets

M&G Investments

Alessandra Fumarola is chief operating officer for private markets at M&G Investments. Prior to that, Alessandra acted as head of the corporate trust business at M&G.

Alessandra’s experience over the past 25 years covers a wide range of products and transactions in the capital markets space. Alessandra joined M&G in 2018 from the Bank of New York Mellon where she spent 10 years covering different roles, most recently as head of the EMEA transaction management team.

Alessandra originally trained as a lawyer at Clifford Chance in the structured finance team and then moved to Dresdner Bank (now Commerzbank) in the EMEA securitisation and principle finance group, responsible for the structuring and origination of lending and structured products in the region.

Marion Buten
Managing director and chief operating officer

Blackstone’s European Credit and Insurance (BXCI) business

Marion Buten is a managing director and the chief operating officer for Blackstone’s European Credit and Insurance (BXCI) business. In this role, she focuses on business strategy, team management, as well as fund liquidity for the European direct lending strategies. 

In her prior roles at Blackstone, she was involved in the origination, structuring and monitoring of various European direct lending deals and was also a member of the European and US CLO franchise.

Before joining Blackstone in 2003, she worked at UBS as an Associate Director within the Leveraged Finance and Corporate Finance teams in Zurich, London and New York.

Kristian Wilson
Chief operating and technology officer

Channel Capital

Kristian Wilson is chief operating and technology officer (COTO) at Channel, where he combines deep technical expertise with end-to-end operational leadership. With a career rooted in building and scaling technology platforms, Kristian brings a technologist’s mindset to running the business – bridging strategy, execution, and delivery.

He previously led the cloud migration of Auto Integrate, North America’s leading maintenance authorisation platform, and has built scalable technology across startups and SMEs in sectors including online safety, financial inclusion, and enterprise communications.

Kristian holds a First-Class Master’s degree in Computer Science from Loughborough University.

David Allen
Partner, chief executive of Alternative Investments

StepStone Group

David Allen is a partner and chief executive of StepStone Group’s Irish AIFM and a committee member of the StepStone Charitable Giving Program. StepStone are a global private markets firm providing investment and advisory solutions across private debt, private equity, infrastructure and real estate. 

Prior to joining StepStone, he held senior positions with Cheyne Capital, Amundi Asset Management, Deutsche Bank and PwC.

Michael Daniell
Chief financial officer

NorthWall Capital

Michael joined NorthWall in 2023 as chief financial officer and chief compliance officer, overseeing financial operations, fund structuring, and regulatory governance.

With over 15 years of experience in fund management, he brings deep expertise in liquidity management, financial oversight, and operational leadership across complex investment vehicles.

Benjamin Lamping
Chief operating officer

Reframe Capital

Benjamin Lamping is founder and chief executive officer of Reframe Capital, a private markets advisory and distribution business focused on product structuring, go-to-market strategy and capital raising for investment managers. Benjamin has over 20 years’ experience across private markets, investment platforms and capital markets, with a track record of launching funds, developing product strategies and raising capital across global markets and investor channels. He founded Reframe Capital in 2020, having identified a gap in the market for an integrated investment solutions provider supporting managers through the full go-to-market lifecycle.

Phil Kent
Chief executive officer

Gravis Capital

Phil joined Gravis in 2015 and serves as the CEO. Phil is actively involved in the management of Gravis’ direct infrastructure and real asset investments, and has led investments across a range of energy, renewable and social infrastructure asset classes. He is the lead adviser of GCP Infrastructure Investments Limited and GCP Asset Backed Income Fund, and also leads the delivery of Gravis’ strategic objectives, working closely alongside Gravis’ shareholders and other stakeholders. Phil has 20-years of experience in the energy and environmental sectors having joined Gravis from Foresight Group. Prior to Foresight, Phil has experience across a number of energy and commodity sectors. He graduated with a degree in Geography from Oxford University.

Shailen Patel
Managing director

NLC

Shailen is responsible for investment strategy and product innovation.

Prior to joining NLC, Shailen headed the corporate advisory group at Macfarlanes and was an engagement partner at EY, heading their CFO Advisory business for Asset Managers. These roles included the setup of new teams and covered transaction structuring, valuation and investment governance, ESG, technical accounting and regulatory capital advisory across asset management and private markets.

Shailen graduated in Economics from UCL and is an ICAEW qualified Chartered Accountant and Business Finance Professional.

Oliver Wiedemeijer
Managing director

Brookfield

Oliver Wiedemeijer is a Managing Director for Brookfield’s Private Wealth Group, responsible for product development and strategy outside North America.

Before joining Brookfield in 2023, Mr. Wiedemeijer spent over 18 years at Credit Suisse, most recently serving as global head of due diligence and product strategy across private and alternative markets. He’s held several alternative investment and client relationship management roles during his tenure.

Mr. Wiedemeijer has a Masters of Economics from St. Gallen University (HSG).

Sam Collett
Co-Founder and CFO

Allegro Finance

Sam Collett is Co-Founder and CFO of Allegro Finance, a specialist private credit platform providing asset-backed, senior secured lending to the global film and television industry. Allegro structures and deploys institutional capital through the securitisation of media receivables, including contracted distribution revenues and tax credits, supporting the development and production of premium content. Sam has over 20 years’ experience across financial and professional services, with a strong track record of building, scaling and exiting businesses. Prior to founding Allegro, he held senior leadership roles including CFO positions at Architas (part of AXA) and Ingenious Media, where he oversaw large, complex investment portfolios across media, infrastructure and alternative assets. He was also Senior Partner at FLB Accountants, where he played a key role in transforming the firm into a Top 100 UK practice, delivering significant growth and leading the business through a successful private equity-backed exit.

Tom Cresswell
Managing Director COO European Private Credit

Morgan Stanley

Tom Cresswell has over 21 years of experience in private credit fund control and operations and is currently COO for European Private Credit at Morgan Stanley.

Prior to this, he was Head of Direct Lending Operations at Alcentra and he began his career at Barings (formerly Babson Capital Europe) in fund control and portfolio monitoring roles.

Richard Kirkby
COO and CFO

Veld Capital

Richard is a senior financial services executive with over two decades of experience in credit alternatives. Richard is currently Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Veld Capital, a €3.5 billion asset-backed credit investment firm, where he serves as a member of the Executive Committee reporting to the Managing Member and Chief Investment Officer.In his current role, Richard oversees a broad remit spanning accounting, taxation, legal and compliance, human resources, and fundraising. Richard played a central role in the carve-out and establishment of Veld Capital as an independent GP, successfully building out a new credit-focused business operations function from the ground up across fundraising cycles.

Prior to Veld Capital, Richard served as Head of Fund Administration at CVC Credit Partners, a market-leading private and public markets credit fund manager. Earlier in his career, Richard held various positions at Davidson Kempner Capital Management in Europe, supporting the build-out of the European finance and risk management functions.

Tom Seymour Mead
CFO

Signal Capital Partners

Tom joined Signal in December 2022 as CFO. He oversees all aspects of the finance functions for the firm and funds.

Tom started his career at Smith and Williamson where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He then spent 6 years at BlueBay Asset Management across various finance roles, latterly running finance and operations for the Direct Lending business. Prior to joining Signal he spent 8 years at a number of hedge funds as CFO/COO.

Tom is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He holds a BEng in Chemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham.

Richard Lang
CFO/COO

LND Capital

Richard is a senior financial services executive with more than three decades of leadership across investment management, banking, finance, and accounting.

Richard is the COO/CFO of LND. Prior to this Richard was a Partner at Cheyne Capital. Before that, Richard worked in management at several Top Tier banks, including Barclays Capital, Deutsche Bank and RBS.

Richard is an experienced Board Director with service on over 40 boards across the UK, Jersey, and Luxembourg, bringing deep expertise in governance, oversight, and strategic direction.

Richard is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Karen Syradd
COO

DWS

Karen Syradd is the COO for Private Credit at DWS, with responsibility for finance, fund operations and operational governance across the platform. She brings 30 years of experience spanning asset management operations, fund finance, and business management across a variety of alternative asset classes.

Prior to joining DWS, Karen spent several years at DB Investment Partners, where she served as Head of Finance & Fund Operations, gaining deep experience in fund structuring, operational oversight and financial management within an institutional asset management environment.

Previously, she held roles at CarVal Investors, where she worked as a European Distressed & Special Situation Ops & Accounting Manager, and at Blantyre Capital as the Head of Finance, and she has provided consultancy services for Castlelake and Black River. She is a fellow of the ICAEW. Karen began her career after completing a Bachelor of Chemistry at the University of Bristol.

Guillaume Leredde
Founder

LGP Advisory

Guillaume Leredde is the founder of LGP Advisory, a debt advisory firm specialising in fund finance.

Prior to founding LGP Advisory in January 2026, Guillaume spent five years as a Managing Director at Avardi Partners, where he advised on dozens of fund finance transactions for international clients across a broad range of asset classes, products, and financing structures.

Earlier in his career, he spent 13 years in leveraged finance at leading institutions, including Deloitte, Barclays, Moody’s, and GE Capital.

Aramide Ogunlana
Private Credit Investment Director

M&G Investments

Aramide Ogunlana is the lead Investment Specialist Director in Private Credit at M&G Investments, based in London. She joined M&G in 2022 and is responsible for positioning and communicating private credit strategies to institutional and wholesale investors, supporting strategic growth across the platform.

Prior to M&G, she held senior private credit roles at Alcentra and bfinance, where she advised institutional investors on manager selection and asset allocation across private loans and structured credit. Aramide began her career on the sell side in derivatives structuring and is a CFA charterholder.

Nicholas Holman
Partner and Head of UK & Ireland

Kartesia

Nicholas Holman is a Partner and Head of UK & Ireland at Kartesia, where he leads the firm’s UK strategy
across origination, execution, and portfolio management. He has been instrumental in building Kartesia’s UK platform, establishing a local team of eight and contributing to over 35 transactions across the lower
mid-market, with a focus on senior direct lending and complex capital structures. At Kartesia, he has led investments across a range of sectors, including transactions such as Pivotal Growth, European Life Care Group, and Papilo, as well as successful exits including Optegra, Andwis, and Cumbria Waste. Nicholas is a regular speaker on private debt and direct lending, with recent appearances at the S&P Private Markets Summit, Health Investor Conference, and LGPS Investment Forum. Prior to Kartesia, he held a senior role at Santander, where he helped build its UK leveraged finance business.

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Raluca Pop
Senior Vice President of Global Sales

TresVista

Raluca Pop is Senior Vice President of Global Sales at TresVista, a leading provider of Enterprise Intelligence Orchestration (EIO) for private capital combining advisory, technology infrastructure, and embedded expert execution under a single, accountable partnership. With 15 years of experience across private markets, Raluca brings deep expertise in how investment teams and operating functions scale amid growing portfolio demands. Prior to TresVista, she spent eight years at GLG supporting credit, private equity, and special situations investors, and six years at Mergermarket Group.

In her current role, Raluca partners with COOs, CFOs, and senior leaders across private credit and broader private markets to connect insight to execution — spanning investment diligence, portfolio monitoring, valuation, fund administration, and data analytics. She works with firms from emerging managers to global institutions, helping them unlock capacity, reduce operational drag, and build the infrastructure for scalable growth.

Orlando Gemes
Founding Partner, CIO & Portfolio Managers

Fourier Asset Management

Orlando Gemes is the Founding Partner, Chief Investment Officer, and Portfolio Manager at Fourier Asset Management (FAM), where he also serves on the Investment Committee. He sits on the Advisory Board of the Martingale Foundation.

Before FAM, he led Fairwater Capital for ten years, focusing on credit markets, capital structuring, and asset-backed securities. He previously served as Head of Structured Credit at Hermes Fund Managers and was a member of its Portfolio Risk Committee. His career also includes roles as a Credit Portfolio Manager and Trader at Credaris, Artesian Capital Management, Fortis Investments, and Advance Asset Management.

Mr. Gemes began his career in fixed income sales at Deutsche Bank and holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Applied Finance from Macquarie University.

Catherine Baulamon
Founder and Director

Black Robin Group

Catherine Baulamon is an investment manager with 25 years of experience in convertible bonds and credit.

Catherine previously served as a portfolio manager/analyst at Man Group and CQS and as an investment banker in leveraged & corporate finance with Barclays Plc and Commerzbank AG, assisting companies with their equity and debt capital needs.

She worked in Portland (Oregon), New York, London, Paris, Frankfurt-am-Main, and Geneva. She holds an MA in Economics  (the University of Geneva) and an MSc in Astrobiology (University of London), a BA in Political Science (Sciences Po) and a BSc in Geology (University of London). She is a STEM Ambassador.

Agnes Lossi
Partner, Corporate Strategy

Indefi

Agnès is based in Paris and leads strategic consulting and market research projects across Europe. With more than 20 years of experience, Agnès brings deep expertise in asset management, insurance and capital markets to engagements focused on strategic initiatives across distribution channels and sustainable investing.

Before joining Indefi in 2016, Agnès was head of marketing at Exane Asset Management. She also worked at AXA Investment Managers as head of the financial engineering team and Exane Derivatives, where she ran the institutional structuring and advisory desk.

She is a frequent speaker at industry events and was a lecturer at the Sorbonne in Paris for five years on actuarial techniques in the master’s program for banking and finance.

Agnès is a graduate of ENSAI, has a Master’s in Finance and Economics from the London School of Economics and is a qualified actuary.

Hollie Hanrahan
COO

Octopus Capital

Hollie Hanrahan is Chief Operating Officer at Octopus Capital, where she oversees operational strategy and execution across the firm’s investment platforms.

Prior to joining Octopus, Hollie spent 16 years at Lloyds Banking Group, holding senior roles across banking, risk and transformation. She brings deep experience across real assets and housing‑led investment, with a strong focus on turning strategy into delivery.

Hollie is also a passionate advocate for developing diverse talent and building inclusive, high‑performing teams.

Connor McKenzie
Director & Head of Business Development for Fund Solutions

Record Financial Group

Connor is a Director and Head of Business Development for Fund Solutions at Record, where he focuses on providing alternative investment funds with tailored currency risk management and trading solutions.

Prior to joining Record, was Head of GP Solutions at Moonfare, focusing on providing private wealth fundraising solutions and strategic advisory for private markets managers. Earlier in his career, he held roles across private markets investing and distribution, as well as investment banking positions focused on M&A advisory.

Tom Morrell
Founder

NodeRiver

Tom Morrell is a brand strategist with nearly two decades of experience across broadcast media, creative agencies, and corporate brand leadership – working with some of the most recognised brands in the world.

Founder of NodeRiver, he helps business leaders build strategic human authority and credibility that drives real commercial impact and hosts The AI Brand Voice, ungenerated, human conversation with the leaders shaping what’s next in the AI era.