Europe's Credit Market. One Room.
Octus London Credit Forum
13 October 2026 | 12:00 – 19:30 BST
The Biltmore Mayfair, 44 Grosvenor Square, London, W1K 2HP
Built for the people already running the market
Our most senior guests keep telling us the same thing: the sessions and the room are why they return.
Here’s what’s on for October:
- Content built for your desk: six sessions across the day including an opening keynote, panels on private credit, CLOs, primary markets and restructuring. Every session is built around decisions senior credit professionals are making right now.
- A first look at where credit meets AI: our MCP Connector takes the stage this year. The AI, MCP and the modern workflow session pairs Octus® with Freshfields to show what the AI stack looks like in credit and legal workflows today.
- Speakers doing the deals: confirmed voices from Oaktree, KKR, J.P. Morgan, Rothschild, Dechert, Freshfields, Kirkland, Bank of America, Proskauer, Conning, Lincoln International and Arini, plus Octus’ own analysts and reporters.
- A room built for senior peers: 150+ senior professionals from buy-side, investment banks, law firms and advisory firms, plus dedicated networking time to keep the conversation going well past closing remarks.
Why attend
150+
senior credit professionals across buy side, investment banks, legal and advisory firms
9/10
would attend again; highly rated for speaker quality, content relevance and overall experience
4
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) certified hours
Agenda
Subject to change as speakers are confirmed.
On smaller screens, scroll horizontally to view all table columns.
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
|
12:00 to 13:00 |
Delegate arrival, registration and lunch |
|
13:00 to 13:05 |
Opening remarks Speaker: Julie Miecamp, Deputy Global Head of Editorial, Octus |
|
13:05 to 13:35 |
Keynote fireside chat Speakers:
|
|
13:35 to 14:15 |
Panel: Powering the pipeline, private credit’s place in the deal cycle ahead A discussion on the current state of the European leveraged buyout market and how private credit lenders are finding creative ways to deploy capital in a competitive landscape. Moderator: Oscar Laurikka, Head of European Private Credit and Deal Origination Coverage, Octus Panelists:
|
|
14:15 to 14:40 |
Coffee break |
|
14:40 to 15:20 |
Panel: CLO 3.0? New entrants, new structures and a new regime for European credit A deep dive into manager differentiation and structural innovations within an ever-changing and institutionalized European CLO market. Moderator: Sid Punjabi, CLO Reporter, Octus Panelists:
|
|
15:20 to 15:40 |
In conversation: AI and the evolving nature of the modern workflow Octus and Freshfields compare notes from both sides of the workflow. What does the cutting-edge AI stack look like in credit and legal workflows, where is it actually making a difference, and what happens to the traditional roles in credit? Speakers:
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15:40 to 16:05 |
Coffee break |
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16:05 to 16:45 |
Panel: EMEA primary markets, from pricing to documentation. Complacent or resilient? Insights into the state of the leveraged finance primary markets from multiple viewpoints, including originators, arrangers, investors and advisors. Moderator: Aditya Khanna, Vice President, Head of Legal Research, EMEA, Octus Panelists:
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|
16:45 to 17:25 |
Panel: Restructuring outlook: LMEs, legal loopholes and litigation. Gloves come off as shareholders test boundaries. Bringing together the perspectives of investors and advisors, the session will provide an overview of the current state of Europe’s distressed debt and restructuring market, focusing on recent LME activity, the developments of cooperation agreements, and pros and cons of the UK versus other jurisdictions. Moderator: Chiara Elisei, Chief Credit Correspondent, Octus Panelists:
|
|
17:25 to 17:30 |
Closing remarks Speaker: Julie Miecamp, Deputy Global Head of Editorial, Octus |
|
17:30 to 19:30 |
Networking, drinks reception and canapes |
Mario Oliviero
Global Head of Content
Octus
Mario leads the global editorial team at Octus with a clear vision: to provide unmatched insight and analysis in the credit industry. As the head of the renowned Trifecta, Mario manages a team of expert financial analysts, lawyers, and journalists who break the biggest stories and deliver in-depth analysis that drives key insights and decision-making for Octus’ subscribers. With deep journalistic leadership experience at Debtwire and Bloomberg, Mario’s knowledge of the global credit landscape ensures Octus stays ahead in the content game. He holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree from LUISS Guido Carli University. When he’s not immersed in editorial leadership, Mario enjoys escaping into the worlds of sci-fi and dystopian novels, embracing beach life, scuba diving, and spending time with his family. Whether he’s riding his children on a red cargo bike or cooking for dinner parties with his wife, Sandra, he brings the same focus and passion to his personal pursuits as he does to his work at Octus.
Julie Miecamp
Deputy Global Head of Editorial
Octus
Julie Miecamp is the Deputy Global Head of Editorial at Octus and the primary host of Industry Insights Exclusive Interviews. She manages the EMEA reporters and financial analysts and works on standardizing global editorial practices. Known for her decisive and people-focused leadership, she brings the same judgment to managing her team as she does to shaping editorial coverage. Before joining Octus to establish its EMEA bureau, she spent years breaking news and telling complex credit stories in leveraged finance and debt restructuring as a reporter for Bloomberg News and Debtwire. She holds an M.A. in English from La Sorbonne.
Julie is proud of her Mediterranean upbringing in the south of France which fuelled a genuine curiosity about people, culture and travels. A native French speaker, she is also fluent in English, Italian and Spanish, and has built some beginner Arabic, always drawn to new ways of connecting across borders
Philip Bowden
Co-Head of Global Finance
Proskauer Rose LLP
Philip Bowden is co-head of the Global Finance practice, head of London’s Leveraged Finance team and a member of the Firm’sPrivate Capital industry group. Philip has extensive experience representing commercial and investment banks, private credit funds and corporate borrowers across a range of debt products, specialising in leveraged acquisition finance, structured finance and investment grade event driven acquisition financings.Philip is ranked by both Chambers and The Legal 500 and is recognized as a Leading Individual for Acquisition Finance in The Legal 500, having described him as “very impressive.” “Philip Bowden is exceptional: he’s a very good and senior lawyer.” -Chambers UK, 2024.Prior to joining Proskauer, Philip served as Private Capital Sector Lead, and was the former Co-Head of the Global Banking Practice for 8 years at another prominent global law firm.
Mathew Cestar
President
Arini
Mathew Cestar is President of Arini, focused on expanding the firm’s private credit capabilities globally. He brings over 25 years of experience in global capital markets, investment banking and technology. Prior to joining, Mr. Cestar was Senior Advisor to the CEO and Global Head of Credit of ICG, a listed private equity and private credit firm with total AUM of $100 billion.
Before that, he was the CEO of ScION Tech Growth, a public company backed by ION, the market leader in financial software and data. Prior to this, Mr. Cestar held numerous leadership roles at Credit Suisse in London and New York, including serving as Co-Head of Investment Banking and Capital Markets in London with responsibility for mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity capital markets and the investment banking sector and country coverage teams.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Columbia University, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude.
Theon Chalklen
Partner
Kirkland & Ellis International LLP
Theon Chalklen is a restructuring and capital solutions partner in the London office of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP. His legal focus also extends to syndicated finance and private credit.
Gavin Colquhoun
CEO/Founder
Leeside Capital Partners
Gavin ran the Distressed Products Group at Deutsche Bank (DPG) from 2009 to 2024. He was Co-Head of the Investment Bank from 2019 and European Head of Credit from 2017. He began trading in Emerging Markets and High Yield with Merrill Lynch (BofA) from 1995-2002. He is now Co-Founder of Leeside Capital Partners with ex DB Colleague and Fortress Head of European Credit, Rahul Ahuja.
Richard Daniels
Partner
Freshfields
Richard Daniels is a partner in Freshfields’ leveraged finance team, he is involved in a number of AI initiatives.
Richard Day
Partner
Clifford Chance LLP
Richard Day has extensive experience acting for financial investors, working predominantly on sponsor-side leveraged acquisition finance, and also on credit facilities for investment funds. Richard specialises in sophisticated debt finance instruments, cross-border transactions and complex capital structures. He has undertaken client secondments in the UK and France, as well as working for two years on secondment to Clifford Chance’s Madrid office.
Aude Doyen
Managing Director & Co-Head of Capital Advisory, Europe
Lincoln International LLP
Aude Doyen
Managing Director & Co-Head of Capital Advisory, Europe
Lincoln International LLP
Aude serves as Co-Head of Lincoln’s Capital Advisory Group in Europe. She advises financial sponsors and their investee companies, as well as private companies, on acquisition and growth financings, refinancings, dividend recapitalizations and covenant amendments.
Her insights on current market terms and trends, practical approach to financing structures and strong relationships with a wide range of lending institutions, including banks, credit funds, asset-based loan providers and structured capital providers, are instrumental to her work with clients.
With nearly 20 years of corporate finance experience, including 18 focusing on middle market debt advisory, Aude has completed more than 90 middle market financing transactions across a variety of sectors, including business and financial services, consumer, education, healthcare, industrials and engineering, leisure and retail and technology.
Prior to joining Lincoln in 2010 as a founding member of the Capital Advisory Group in Europe, Aude worked at DC Advisory Partners (formerly Close Brothers Corporate Finance), assisting clients on debt advisory and mergers and acquisitions transactions.
Aude holds a Master of Science in Management from HEC Paris.
Chiara Elisei
Chief Credit Correspondent
Octus
Chiara is Chief Credit Correspondent at Octus, covering stressed and distressed credits in EMEA. Prior to joining Octus in 2023, she was Chief Credit Correspondent in the London’s Markets and Finance team of Reuters, and the Managing Editor of Debtwire Europe, heading up a team of reporters and analysts covering the leveraged finance, high yield and distressed markets across Europe.
Chiara started her career in journalism in Italy, writing about local and international news for Italian newspapers Il Messaggero and Il Corriere della Sera. She holds a Master’s Degree and a PhD in classics from Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.
Nicolas Escribano
Managing Director
Clearlake Credit
Nicolas Escribano
Managing Director
Clearlake Credit
Nicolas Escribano is a Managing Director at Clearlake Credit. Based in London, he joined Clearlake in 2016 and, as part of the direct lending investment team, is focused on originating and structuring European direct lending and subordinated debt financings.
Mr. Escribano previously worked in Santander’s Latin American Debt Capital Markets Origination and Structuring team in New York and prior to that in Towers Watson’s Investment Consulting division in Madrid. Mr. Escribano holds a first-class Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.
Clearlake Credit is the global credit platform of Clearlake Capital providing tailored financing solutions across senior secured loans, structured credit, opportunistic credit, and senior and junior direct lending. Clearlake Credit has deployed over $90B in credit investments across more than 3,100 companies worldwide, including approximately $30B in private credit across 440+ sponsor-backed companies globally, and more than $60B in liquid credit.
Doug Hancock
Analyst
Bank of America Securities
Doug Hancock is a Desk Analyst on the Global Credit & Special Situations desk at Bank of America in London, where he has worked since 2013 on proprietary investments spanning special situations credit, turnaround equities, high yield bonds, performing loans and portfolio trades.
Doug is a CFA charterholder and earned a BSc in Government & Economics from the London School of Economics and a MBA from London Business School.
Benjamin Hooijer
Senior Vice President, Capital Markets
PSG Equity
Benjamin Hooijer is a senior vice president in our London office. Previously, he was a principal at KKR in the capital markets team and focused on structuring and arranging debt financings for portfolio companies and third party clients across a variety of industries. Before that role, Benjamin worked in Deutsche Bank’s leveraged finance group in London.
Benjamin received a Master’s in Finance & Accounting from Imperial College London and a Bachelor of Science in Political Economy from King’s College London.
Mehdi Kashani
Head of Structured Credit
Arini Capital Management
Prior to joining Arini in 2022, Mr. Kashani was Head of ABS and CLO Trading at BNP Paribas. Under his leadership, the team won Global Capital’s Secondary ABS Trading Desk of the Year award in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Previously, he established the European ABS and Structured Credit desks at RBC Capital Markets and served as Interim Co-Head of European Credit Trading.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Kashani developed the European ABS trading platform within Citigroup’s Global Securitised Markets franchise and built secondary trading desks at HBOS and Lloyds. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Banking and International Finance from City University London.
Aditya Khanna
Vice President, Head of Legal Research EMEA
Octus
Aditya Khanna is Vice President and Head of Legal Research for EMEA at Octus. A New York-qualified lawyer, he brings deep expertise in high yield bonds, leveraged finance, and complex capital structures across Europe and the United States.
Before joining Octus, Aditya spent 4 years at Cravath in New York and London and then more than a decade at Ropes & Gray in London, most recently as a partner, advising sponsors, underwriters, and investors on high-stakes financing and restructuring transactions in Europe and the U.S.
His work spans the full lifecycle of leveraged finance deals, with a particular focus on sophisticated covenant analysis and liability management transactions. Aditya holds law degrees from Columbia University in New York and the National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkata.
Ben Kovacka
Global Head of Direct Data Services
Octus
Benjamin Kovacka, CFA is Global Head of Direct Data Services at Octus, where he leads content connectivity and AI-powered data initiatives. He has previously led content and data products focused on private companies, sponsored borrowers, and complex capital structures. Since joining Octus in 2017, Ben has held senior leadership roles across European distressed and high yield research, global fundamentals, and sponsored borrower coverage, and is responsible for launching, scaling, and integrating data-driven research products through organic growth and M&A. Before Octus, he worked as an analyst at Citi and held research roles across credit and financial markets in London and Europe. He is a CFA charterholder and holds a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics.
Simon Lalande
Managing Director, European Co-Head of Restructuring and LME
Rothschild & Co
Simon Lalande is based in London and is Rothschild & Co’s European Co-Head of Restructuring & Liability Management. He joined Rothschild & Co in 2009.He has extensive experience in debt restructurings, Liability Management Exercises (“LMEs”), recapitalisations, special situations M&A and strategic advisory across 75+ transactions covering multiple sectors and EMEA jurisdictions (company and creditor side). Simon holds an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics and a B.Com. and a B.A. from the University of Ottawa in Canada.
Oscar Laurikka
Head of European Private Credit and Deal Origination Coverage
Octus
Oscar is head of European private credit and deal origination coverage at Octus. He has previously worked at other industry publications including Debtwire, Creditflux and GlobalCapital covering various aspects of leveraged finance.
Andrew Lockhart
Structured Portfolio Manager
Conning Asset Management London
Andrew is the Structured Credit Portfolio Manager for Conning’s European operations, with responsibility for portfolio construction and trading across USD and EUR CLO strategies. Andrew is responsible for asset raising and managing $3.1bn via institutional SMA mandates and two CLO funds.
Sid Punjabi
CLO Reporter
Octus
Sid Punjabi is a CLO reporter at Octus, where he covers collateralized loan obligations, credit risk transfers, leveraged finance, and structured credit across the US and Europe.
Before joining Octus in 2025, he worked in convertible bond sales and trading. Earlier in his career, he did research in special situations and high-yield credit. Sid holds a BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.
Noah Roth
Head of EMEA Leveraged Finance
J.P. Morgan
Noah Roth is a Managing Director and the Head of EMEA Leveraged Finance at J.P. Morgan. Noah is based in London. Prior to this role, Noah served as the Head of EMEA Technology, Media and Telecom (TMT) Leveraged Finance as well as the Chief Operating Officer for EMEA Leveraged Finance at J.P. Morgan. As the Head of EMEA Technology, Media and Telecom (TMT) Leveraged Finance, Noah worked with non-investment grade debt issuers and financial sponsors in the TMT space to acquire companies, fund capital expenditures and refinance existing debt. Select lead acquisition financings: $1.3bn-equiv. financing commitment to support Bending Spoons (2025); $8.3bn financing commitment to support NJJ acquisition of Millicom (2024); €1,000mm cross-border TLB for Software AG (supporting Silver Lake’s acquisition) (2023); €1,400mm senior secured notes for Cerved (supporting ION Group’s acquisition) (2022). Select lead financings: Cegid (Silver Lake); IFS (EQT / Hg Capital / TA); Keyloop (Francisco Partners); team.blue (Hg Capital); Verisure (H&F); Iliad (NJJ); ION Group; Liberty Group; Galileo Global Education; IU Group (Oakley Capital). Noah began his career as a corporate law associate at the New York law firm, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. He moved to J.P. Morgan in January 2011 as a member of the North America TMT Leveraged Finance team, where he focused on telecom financings. He also previously worked as a Managing Director on the Capital Structure Advisory team at PJT Partners in New York. Noah received a BA in English literature as well as a JD/MBA from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Aaron Scott
Partner
Dechert
Aaron Scott advises on structured finance and securitization matters, with a particular focus on collateralized loan obligations (CLOs). Based in Dechert’s London office, Mr. Scott represents leading managers on European CLO transactions. In addition, he advises on the EU regulatory aspects of U.S. CLOs, including risk retention and transparency requirements.
Mr. Scott’s recent experience includes advising Ares on Ares European Direct Lending CLO II – their second European Direct Lending Collateralised Loan Obligation, valued at over £300 million – as well as advising Barings on the launch of Europe’s first multicurrency private credit CLO. He has acted as drafting counsel on every European Private Credit CLO completed to date.
The Legal 500 UK, 2026, recommends Mr. Scott for securitization and Chambers and Partners UK, 2026, also recognized Mr. Scott for his work on CLOs.
Mr. Scott was nominated for the Securitisation Rising Star of the Year award at the GlobalCapital European Securitization Awards 2024.
Mr. Scott trained and worked as a lawyer in New Zealand before moving to London where, prior to joining Dechert, he worked in the structured finance practice of another international law firm.
Savan Shah
Managing Director and Assistant Portfolio Manager
Oaktree Capital Management
Savan Shah
Managing Director and Assistant Portfolio Manager
Oaktree Capital Management
Mr. Shah is a managing director and the Director of Research for Oaktree’s European High Yield Bonds and assistant portfolio manager for European Senior Loans strategies. He joined the firm’s London office in 2006. Prior thereto, Mr. Shah spent five and a half years at Deloitte & Touche LLP in London, where he worked most recently in the Private Equity Transaction Services group. Mr. Shah received a B.Sc. degree (honours) in management sciences from the University of Warwick. He is also a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
Treasa Tomy
Director
KKR Capital Markets
Treasa Tomy
Director
KKR Capital Markets
Treasa Tomy joined KKR in London in 2021 and is a member of the KKR Capital Markets team. Prior to joining KKR, Treasa worked at Goldman Sachs, most recently in their EMEA leveraged finance team in London. Prior to that role, she was a member of the capital markets team, also at Goldman Sachs, specializing in EMEA emerging markets. She holds a B.A. (First Class Honours) in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, India and a Master in Management (specialized in Finance) from the Indian School of Business.
Marc Touboul
Partner
Bain Capital
Marc Touboul joined Bain Capital in 2017. He is a Partner and Portfolio Manager for Credit’s Liquid and Structured Credit strategies. Prior to joining Bain Capital, Marc held senior analyst positions at CQS and Lehman Brothers European Mezzanine Fund. He started his career in the leveraged finance department of BNP Paribas and Merrill Lynch. Marc received an MS from Dauphine University in Paris.
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Octus MCP Connector™
Move beyond the browser. Query the full Octus credit universe in plain language, right inside your AI agents.
- Ask Claude, ChatGPT or your LLM and get answers grounded in Octus intelligence, data and deal documents
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- Integrate portfolio management, research management, compliance, optimization and trade order workflows in one connected experience.
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- Run on Sky Road® and LevPro, the two leading portfolio management platforms.
Credit Intelligence
Insights across the entire sub-investment grade universe
- Real-time credit lifecycle coverage
- Expert-backed legal and financial analysis
- Daily updates on 6,600+ companies globally
2025 in review
What last year's guests told us
“Speaker quality was excellent. The primary and CLO market discussions as well as the networking sessions were the most valuable parts of the day.”
Octus London Credit Forum 2025 Attendee
- Speakers from buy side, investment banking, legal and advisory, all under one roof
- 100% of respondents said topics were relevant to today's market
- New features: co-working space, green room, demo station, live captions
- Diverse lunch menu celebrating Black History Month and networking drinks reception included