The inaugural gathering of leaders shaping credit markets
Octus New York Credit Forum
October 1, 2026 | 12:30 – 6:30 PM ET
The Pool NYC, 99 East 52nd Street, New York
An invitation-only forum bringing together the most influential investors, advisors, legal minds and market leaders for candid dialogue on what matters next.
Why Attend
The right people in one room
The attendee list is curated with intention, bringing together senior investors, restructuring advisors, investment bankers and legal leaders from across the credit ecosystem. Every conversation has the potential to become a valuable relationship, opportunity or perspective.
Insights from the people shaping the market
Gain perspectives from the investors, operators and advisors driving today’s credit markets, as well as the Octus experts who analyze, report on and advise on the industry’s most important developments. Expect candid conversations that move beyond the news cycle and into what matters next.
Get ahead of what's next
From private credit and liability management to technology and market structure, the Forum is designed to help attendees understand the developments likely to shape decisions, capital flows and opportunities in the months ahead.
Agenda
A curated afternoon of discussions featuring senior investors, advisors, bankers and legal leaders from across the credit ecosystem. Explore the trends, transactions and market developments influencing where credit goes next.
Moderator:
Maryna Irkliyenko, Managing Editor – Global Head of Private Credit Deal Origination, Octus
Panelists:
- Jonathan Kaufman, Global Head of Capital Markets, Blackstone
- Vivek Bantwal,Global Co-Head of Private Credit, Goldman Sachs
- Scott Slavik, Co-Head Leveraged Finance Capital Markets, Citi Bank
- Ken Price, Head of Capital Markets, Advent International
- Nicole Drapkin, Senior Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, Private Credit Investment Team, Blue Owl
Moderator:
Jared Muroff, Head of Special Situations, Octus
Panelists:
- Evan Lederman, Partner, Credit, JF Lehman
- Rachel Strickland, Partner, Ropes and Gray
- Lauren Bilzin, Partner, Paul Weiss
- William Derrough, Chairman, Jefferies
Moderator:
Bill Murphy, Managing Partner, Cresting Wave
Panelists:
- Matt Blye, Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer, King Street
- Ben Kovacka, Global Head of Direct Data Services, Octus
- Evan Reich, Global Head of AI, Data Strategy, Product, and Sourcing, BWG Global
- Chirag Shah, Executive Managing Director, Sculptor
Michael Arougheti
Partner, Director, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Ares
Mr. Arougheti is a Co-Founder, the Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Ares Management Corporation. He is a member of the Ares Operating Committee, the Ares Enterprise Risk Committee and is Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ares Charitable Foundation. He additionally serves as a Director of Ares Capital Corporation.
Prior to joining Ares in 2004, Mr. Arougheti was employed by Royal Bank of Canada (“RBC”) from 2001 to 2004, where he was a Managing Partner of the Principal Finance Group of RBC Capital Partners. Earlier in his career, he held roles at Indosuez Capital and Kidder, Peabody & Co.
Mr. Arougheti serves on the Board of Directors of Operation HOPE, a not-for-profit organization, and on the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Additionally, he is a co-owner of Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles. Mr. Arougheti received a B.A. in Ethics, Politics and Economics, cum laude, from Yale University.
Vivek Bantwal
Global Co-head of Private Credit within Goldman Sachs Asset Management
Goldman Sachs
Vivek Bantwal
Global Co-head of Private Credit within Goldman Sachs Asset Management
Goldman Sachs
Vivek is global co-head of private credit within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. He is also co-chief executive officer of the Goldman Sachs BDC complex. He is a member of the Management Committee, Asset Management Private Credit Investment Committee, and the Asset Management Investment Grade Private Credit and Asset Finance Investment Committee.
Previously, Vivek was global head of the Financing Group within Investment Banking. Earlier in his career, he was chief operating officer of the Global Markets Division, and before that, Vivek was co-head of the Americas Credit Finance Group, overseeing the firm’s Leveraged Finance and Structured Finance businesses. Prior to that, he held various roles in Structured Finance and Leveraged Finance. Vivek joined Goldman Sachs in 1999 and was named managing director in 2007 and partner in 2012.
Vivek serves on the Undergraduate Executive Board of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the Leadership Council of the Mindich Child Health and Development Institute at Mount Sinai, and the board of the American India Foundation. Vivek earned a BS in Economics, magna cum laude, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Lauren Bilzin
Partner
Paul, Weiss
Lauren Bilzin is a partner in the Capital Solutions & Restructuring Group at Paul, Weiss. Lauren focuses on distressed investments and liability management transactions, advising sponsors, investors, issuers and creditors in connection with a broad range of sophisticated and bespoke debt, equity and hybrid solutions across the capital structure.
Previously, Lauren served as the Head of U.S. Restructuring and a principal at Davidson Kempner Capital Management, a global institutional alternative investment management firm, where she led the workouts of distressed investments, navigated legal and intercreditor disputes, and structured capital solutions and liability management transactions.
Lauren was named among Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Global Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers” (2025-2026), which recognizes attorneys helping companies navigate ailing economies and uncertain times. While at Yale Law School, she was an editor of the Yale Law Journal.
Matt Blye
Managing Director, Chief Technology Officer
King Street Capital Management
Matt Blye is a Managing Director and the Chief Technology Officer of King Street. He is based in New York.
Prior to joining King Street in 2013, Matt was an Associate Vice President at Bank of America where he built out the fixed income prime brokerage platform. Before joining Bank of America, Matt was a Software Developer at Barclays Capital.
Matt received a B.S. in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Kent Collier
Founder & CEO
Octus
Kent set out with a visionary goal: to transform how the world understands and leverages credit data. As the founder and driving force behind Octus, he combines deep expertise with a forward-thinking approach, delivering solutions that empower clients in complex financial markets. His experience as a research analyst at firms like Millennium Partners, Catalyst Investment Management, Assurant Asset Management, and Babson Capital refined his expertise in high-yield, distressed debt, and special situations. As a passionate innovator in data science and generative AI, Kent has led Octus to the forefront of these cutting-edge technologies. This forward-thinking vision keeps Octus at the forefront of innovation, continuously challenging the status quo and redefining what’s possible in the world of credit intelligence.
Beyond Octus, Kent’s influence extends into academia, where he inspires the next generation of financial leaders as a guest lecturer at institutions like the University of Virginia, the Wharton School, and Columbia University. A passionate golfer and lover of music, Kent finds creativity in every facet of life. He lives in Washington, D.C., where he balances his role as a leader in financial innovation with the most important job of all—being a father to his two children.
William Q. Derrough
Chairman of Capital Structure Solutions
Jefferies
Bill Derrough is Chairman of Capital Structure Solutions at Jefferies.
He recently rejoined after 17 years at Moelis & Company where he was Global Head of the Capital Structure Advisory group which he co-founded and grew to one of the world’s leading capital structure advisory and debt restructuring teams. Under Bill’s leadership, his team completed more than 750 transactions globally, representing over $1.5 trillion in value. The team was ranked #1 Advisor both globally and in the U.S. multiple times and was awarded the prestigious Restructuring Bank of the Year award for 2019 by IFR Magazine.
From 1998 until joining Moelis, Bill co-founded and co-headed the Recapitalization & Restructuring Group at Jefferies. He has over 35 years of investment banking experience, having advised all types of parties in major strategic transactions, including companies, boards of directors, institutional investors, public and private shareholders, unions and governmental entities. Prior to joining Jefferies, Bill was a Principal at Doyle & Boissiere, a private investment firm. Bill began his investment banking career at Salomon Brothers Inc. Bill holds a B.A. in Soviet Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. He serves on the boards of Youth INC (NYC), Bennington College, Boy Scouts of Greater New York, Scouting America, Regis High School (NYC) and the Academy of St. Joseph (NYC). He is a past board member of the National Pastoral Life Center and Lambda Legal. He also served as Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee from 2017-2021.
Nicole Drapkin
Senior Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, Private Credit Investment Team
Blue Owl
Nicole Drapkin
Senior Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, Private Credit Investment Team
Blue Owl
Nicole Drapkin is a Senior Managing Director at Blue Owl and member of the Credit Investment Team. In her role, she serves as a Portfolio Manager and a member of the investment committee for the Blue Owl Opportunistic Lending Fund and Blue Owl Alternative Credit Fund.
Previously, Nicole also served as a member of Blue Owl’s Direct Lending Originations team. Prior to joining Blue Owl, Nicole was a Principal in the Principal Credit Investments Group at the CPP Investment Board, where she focused on sourcing and evaluating credit investments across the gaming, consumer retail, software and healthcare sectors. Prior to that, Nicole was a Vice President in the Leveraged Finance Group at Goldman Sachs & Co. in New York.
Nicole currently serves on the board of directors of the Marlene Meyerson JCC of Manhattan and is the Chair of the Young Wall Street Division of the UJA Federation of New York. Nicole received a BA, with Honors, from Princeton University.
Maryna Irkliyenko
Global Head of Private Credit Deal Origination
Octus
Maryna’s mission at Octus is driving competitive edge for clients through access to proprietary news critical for decision-making in the fast-paced credit markets. As Global Head of Private Credit Deal Origination and Leveraged Finance, Maryna leads a global team of financial journalists breaking exclusive news on LBO transactions and private credit. She oversees content strategy and execution across the US and Europe, splitting her time between London and New York.
Maryna’s deep market knowledge and vast network across the private equity, private credit, banking and advisory community were built over a decade covering debt and equity capital markets at Debtwire and Mergermarket. That expertise sits at the heart of what gives Octus the edge in breaking market-moving news.
Outside of work, Maryna brings the same competitive spirit to her personal pursuits. A former professional volleyball player, she channels that energy into anything that comes with a board: surfing, snowboarding, wakeboarding, and kite surfing.
Jonathan Kaufman
Global Head of Blackstone Capital Markets (BXCM)
Blackstone
Jonathan Kaufman is the Global Head of Blackstone Capital Markets (BXCM), responsible for the debt and equity financing activity across broader Blackstone Private Equity Strategies, including Energy Transition, Infrastructure, Tactical Opportunities, Growth, Asia, Life Sciences, BXPE and BXINFRA.
BXCM has structured and led over $1 trillion of issuance since inception. Mr. Kaufman also works across Blackstone’s credit investing platforms to generate capital deployment and revenue opportunities.
Mr. Kaufman joined Blackstone in 2007 and previously worked as a Vice President in the Restructuring & Reorganization Group, where he advised a number of companies and lenders in their chapter 11 proceedings, out-of-court restructurings, and special situation investments. Prior to Blackstone, Mr. Kaufman was a Manager of M&A at Platinum Equity, where he evaluated and executed private equity investments in a wide range of industries.
Mr. Kaufman received a BA in History from Amherst College, where he graduated magna cum laude, and an MBA with high honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Mr. Kaufman is a member of the Board of Trustees of Park Children’s Day School.
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.
Evan Lederman
Managing Partner, Credit
J.F. Lehman & Company
Evan Lederman is Managing Partner, Credit at J.F. Lehman & Company (“JFLCO”), an investment manager with over $9 billion of AUM across private equity and credit. He has over 20 years of investing, legal and restructuring experience across the credit spectrum, ranging from performing to distressed credit. During his career, Mr. Lederman has chaired various creditor groups in some of largest and most complex restructurings of the past two decades and served on numerous public and private corporate boards, including currently serving as a director of TEAM, Inc. and JFLCO portfolio company, PURIS.
Previously, Mr. Lederman was a Partner at Fir Tree Capital Management, a multi-billion-dollar investment firm, where he co-managed the firm’s credit, restructuring and special situations investments. Mr. Lederman began his career as a restructuring and litigation attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. Mr. Lederman graduated magna cum laude from New York University, where he earned a B.A. in political science and government and was the all-university commencement speaker in 2002. He also graduated with honors from New York University School of Law, where he received a J.D in 2005.
Jared Muroff
Head of Special Situations
Octus
Jared Muroff is Head of Special Situations at Octus, where he leads the team of financial analysts and reporters covering stressed and distressed U.S. companies, with a particular focus on LMEs. He has helped hundreds of clients understand these transactions to inform their investment decisions.
Jared brings decades of experience analyzing and investing in distressed situations, from debtor-in-possession and exit financing to trading claims against companies in bankruptcy and managing portfolios of loans and trade claims through the court-approved process. Before Octus, he was Managing Director for Corporate Credit Investments at Balbec Capital, a Principal at Blue Dove Capital, and Managing Director of Research at ASM Capital.
Jared holds a B.S.E. in civil engineering from Princeton University and is a CFA charterholder. His work has taken him across nearly every industry, including the occasional busted Ponzi scheme.
Bill Murphy
Managing Partner
Cresting Wave
Bill Murphy is a Managing Partner at Cresting Wave, bringing Innovative technologies to the enterprise technology community. Bill is also a board member at ), Octus, Alias Intelligence, Qualytics, PreDoc and a Senior Advisor to McKinsey.
Bill was a Senior Managing Director and the Chief Technology Officer at Blackstone, leading the Blackstone Innovations team from 2011-2020, responsible for the firm’s use of technology along with a strategic technology investment portfolio. Mr. Murphy also served on many boards of directors of our investments along with the board of the Blackstone Charitable foundation.
From 1999 – 2011, Bill was founding Chief Technology Officer for Capital IQ where he was responsible for overseeing all product design, development, infrastructure and technology support and was involved with all operations of the business. Before Capital IQ, Mr. Murphy led teams at Sapient, delivering solutions for large clients primarily in financial services. Mr. Murphy received a BSE in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania, Class of ‘96.
Ken Prince
Managing Director and Co-Head of the Capital Markets Group
Advent
Ken Prince joined Advent in 2016 and is a Managing Director in New York. He is Co-Head of the Capital Markets Group, which coordinates new acquisition financings, and works with our portfolio companies on all capital markets activity. Ken is also responsible for managing and helping to grow the firm’s relationships with investment banks, direct lenders, syndicated lenders, and equity investors.
Prior to joining Advent, Ken was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs in the Leverage Finance Group, where he covered the natural resources and industrial sectors for both corporate and private equity transactions. He previously worked at Bank of America, focusing on high yield exchange offers, restructuring, and refinancing transactions across a variety of sectors.
Ken graduated from the University of Virginia, with a BS in Commerce from the McIntire School of Commerce and a BA in Economics from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Evan Reich
Chief Product Officer and Head of AI
BWG Global
Evan Reich is Chief Product Officer and Head of AI at BWG Global, the premier provider of primary industry intelligence research across investment firms and corporations.
Previously, he was Head of Data Strategy and Sourcing at Verition Fund Management, a global multi-asset hedge fund. Prior to Verition, Evan was head of data strategy and sourcing at Quandl, the alternative data arm of Nasdaq, and worked in a variety of data roles at a number of hedge funds including BlueMountain Capital Management, Millennium Partners, and SAC Capital.
He holds a degree in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Chirag Shah
Executive Managing Director and Co-Head of Risk Management
Sculptor Capital
Chirag Shah is an Executive Managing Director and Co-Head of Risk Management for Sculptor Capital. In this capacity, Mr. Shah is responsible for creating solutions to help measure, monitor and manage the Firm’s risk management and portfolio construction functions. Mr. Shah works closely with Risk Committee, Portfolio Committee, strategy heads, and other investment professionals to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze cross-asset, cross-geography portfolios.
Mr. Shah joined Sculptor in 2010 as a Junior Analyst. Throughout his tenure, Mr. Shah has refined Sculptor’s risk management, including developing models, processes and reports.
Mr. Shah holds a Bachelor of Engineering in IT from Mumbai University, Masters in Financial Engineering from Cornell University and Master of Business Administration with Honors from Columbia University.
Scott Slavik
Managing Director, Co-Head NAM Leveraged Finance Capital Markets
Citi
Scott Slavik a managing director at Citi where he co-heads the Leveraged Finance Capital Markets business in North America. He oversees high yield and leveraged loan syndication as well as private credit distribution. Scott runs numerous sector verticals in capital markets including Digital Infrastructure, Media & Telecom, Energy & Power, Financials, FinTech and Aerospace & Defense. Scott manages Citi’s private credit relationships out of leveraged finance and helped establish Citi’s landmark $25 billion private credit, direct lending program with Apollo.
Prior to rejoining the capital markets group he spent 10-years in leveraged finance origination. Prior to Citi, Scott worked in the leveraged finance groups at Citadel Securities and Merrill Lynch. He graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Commerce and a major in finance.
Rachel Strickland
Global Chair of Business Restructuring
Ropes & Gray LLP
Rachel Strickland is global chair of the firm’s business restructuring practice and brings decades of experience to advising distressed companies and investors in complex restructuring matters. Companies turn to Rachel in Chapter 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings, while top private equity firms, hedge funds, and strategic investors seek out her guidance when maximizing recoveries and acquiring distressed targets. She also has significant experience in mass tort restructuring matters.
Jeff Winter
Chief Marketing Officer
Octus
Jeff is responsible for the marketing function at Octus, including the transformation of the Octus brand that defines its leadership in the credit intelligence market. As CMO, Jeff is also responsible for the entire marketing and communications function from growth marketing, product marketing, and external communications. As a 3-time CMO, Jeff brings a wealth of experience, steering data-driven marketing strategies that accelerate growth and innovation. His work spans collaboration with executive leadership, marketing, and technical, and product teams, ensuring Octus’ leadership position. Known for his ability to build world-class marketing talent and platforms, Jeff has earned multiple industry accolades for his work on Account Based Marketing, User Communication, and New Product Introduction. Backed by a BA in English Literature from Skidmore College and an MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, Jeff brings passion, marketing expertise, and a results -driven approach to Octus.
Outside of work, Jeff enjoys life in Fairfield, CT, with his wife and two teenage boys. Jeff is a music lover, avid golfer and frequent traveler.
An iconic setting for meaningful conversations
The Pool NYC
The Seagram Building
99 East 52nd Street
New York, NY, 10022
The Octus New York Forum takes place at The Pool, one of New York City’s most iconic venues and a landmark destination for business, culture and hospitality. Bringing together senior leaders across private credit, restructuring and leveraged finance, the Forum is designed to foster candid discussion, meaningful networking and the exchange of ideas among the people shaping today’s credit markets.
