WhiteHorse Capital, the direct lending affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, a global alternative investment firm with $39 billion of equity capital under management, hired Jason Hicks as principal. Hicks will be based in WhiteHorse’s New York office and will be responsible for originating and executing middle market debt financings for private equity sponsored transactions.

Hicks has more than 20 years of experience in leveraged finance, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity across a range of sectors, including aerospace and defense, business services, consumer/retail, energy, general industrials, healthcare, media, technology, telecom, and transportation and logistics.

Previously, Hicks was a managing director at MC Credit Partners, where he spent seven years as an origination and execution professional for sponsored and non-sponsored transactions. Prior to MC Credit, Hicks worked for seven years at a private equity fund, and he spent the initial nine years of his career in Citigroup’s mergers and acquisitions and leveraged finance groups.

“The addition of Jason, an extremely talented and seasoned investment professional, demonstrates our commitment to growing our private equity sponsored business and we are delighted to welcome him to the team. He will be instrumental to WhiteHorse as we continue to grow,” Stuart Aronson, group head of WhiteHorse Capital’s U.S. direct lending platform, said.