Churchill Asset Management, an investment-specialist affiliate of Nuveen providing financing solutions to private equity firms and their portfolio companies, hired Kelli Marti as managing director and CLO portfolio manager.
In this newly created role, Marti will be responsible for the management and growth of Churchill’s middle market CLO platform, including day-to-day vehicle oversight, assisting in the sourcing of assets and trading strategy development, as well as participating in fundraising initiatives. Based in the firm’s Chicago office, she will report directly to Mathew Linett, head of underwriting and portfolio management, senior lending for Churchill.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kelli to the team and believe her wealth of knowledge and expertise will be integral in building upon Churchill’s established middle market CLO business,” Ken Kencel, president and CEO of Churchill, said. “With a longstanding history of managing U.S. middle market CLOs since 2006, Churchill currently manages three CLO vehicles and looks forward to issuing new transactions on an ongoing basis, particularly in light of today’s attractive investing environment.”
Marti has more than 20 years of experience in the leveraged loan industry with particular expertise in CLO management. Before joining Churchill, Marti spent 18 years at Crestline Denali Capital, most recently serving as chief credit officer, where she was responsible for overseeing the firm’s credit underwriting, research and portfolio management activities on behalf of the firm’s CLO portfolio. Prior to that, she served in a loan underwriting capacity at Heller Financial and First Source Financial.
