Katie Hendricks feels fortunate to have begun her career under the guidance of someone whom she considers one of the smartest women in asset-based lending, Betsy Ratto. “Betsy shielded, supported and mentored many women who have continued to build successful careers in the industry,” Hendricks says. “I took those values to Pathlight and have been passionately dedicated to promoting gender diversity within our firm as we’ve grown from a three-person shop to a 25-person firm.”

Hendricks began her career as an analyst at the retail finance group at Bank of America in 2007. In June 2010, she joined the newly-formed GA Capital founded by Dan Platt. This was a venture opportunity building a new stretch asset-based lending platform with almost zero track record — a huge leap of faith but an incredible opportunity and a pivotal moment in Hendricks’ career.

In 2012, Platt left GA Capital to form Pathlight Capital under Sycamore Partners and recruited Hendricks soon after, making her the company’s second employee as an analyst. She has since risen through the ranks from vice president to managing director to part owner and partner of an investment manager with $2.6 billion in assets under management. In her role as partner at Pathlight, Hendricks’ focus is on underwriting new investments, portfolio management, workout and various other aspects of the management and administration of the firm.

Throughout her career, Hendricks has learned that it is challenging for any single person to have an impact on the ABL industry; rather, it takes a collective, progressive mindset to induce meaningful change, provide empowerment and pass along valuable lessons with the goal of making the industry more diverse. “I’d like to say I’ve delivered on my responsibility as a woman in a senior position in this industry and will continue to advocate for women to build a voice, a network and hold prominent leadership roles,” Hendricks says.