White Oak Global Advisors expanded the company’s leadership team with John H. Fitzpatrick as chairman and partner.

In this position, Fitzpatrick is responsible for bolstering the firm’s governance and business development efforts.

San Francisco-based White Oak Global Advisors is a SEC-registered investment advisor that directly originates private debt financings to middle-market companies to support their growth initiatives.

Fitzpatrick joins White Oak with 37 years of experience and currently serves AIG as a non-executive board member where he is chairman of the risk and capital committee and a member of the audit committee.

Fitzpatrick was previously chairman of Oak Street Management and Oak Family Advisors. He also served as secretary general of the Geneva Association and was a partner at Pension Corporation and a director of Pension Insurance. Fitzpatrick was previously a member of Swiss Re’s Executive Board committee and served as its chief financial officer, head of the Life and Health Reinsurance Business Group and head of Financial Services.

Fitzpatrick has held several senior-level leadership positions in insurance private equity firms sponsored by Zurich Insurance Group, Credit Suisse, and Swiss Re as well as Kemper Corporation, where he began his career in 1978.

“Having the right leadership is critical as we continue to grow. We are extremely pleased that John has chosen to partner with White Oak. His relationships and experiences will be invaluable,” said Andre Hakkak, founder and managing partner of White Oak. “The momentum we have built over the past year has enabled us to attract talent that brings the relevant experience we need to achieve our goal of becoming the leader in the specialty finance industry.”

White Oak’s product suite includes asset-based secured term loans and credit facilities, cash flow based term loans, unitranche facilities, rescue and debtor-in-possession financings, in/out of court restructurings, acquisition and capital expenditure facilities and other structured finance instruments. With over $2.5 billion in capital, White Oak has made investments in companies with enterprise values of between $50 million and $1 billion across a diverse range of industries and sectors. White Oak has additional offices in New York City, Denver, Atlanta and Chicago.