Episode 139 : Building a Billion-Dollar Private Credit Firm

Ken Kencel serves as President and CEO of Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen, the asset management arm of TIAA, a Fortune 500 financial services company. He also serves as Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NCDLC) and Nuveen Churchill Private Capital Income Fund (PCAP), Churchill’s publicly registered business development companies. Throughout his over 35-year career in the investment industry, he has accrued a broad range of experience in leading private credit investment businesses. Previously, Ken served as a Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, where he also served as President and a Director of Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (Carlyle’s publicly traded business development company). Prior to that he founded and was President and CEO of Churchill Financial Group, served as Head of Leveraged Finance for Royal Bank of Canada and was Head of Indosuez Capital, a leading middle market merchant banking and asset management business in partnership with Credit Agricole Group. Ken was also a founder of the high yield finance business at Chase Securities (now JP Morgan Chase). He began his career in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Drexel Burnham Lambert. He regularly appears as a guest commentator on private credit markets on Bloomberg, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times. Ken graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University and a J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. He serves on the Pension Investment Advisory Committee for the Archdiocese of New York, the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Investment Committee of Canisius High School (a private Jesuit Preparatory school in Buffalo, NY), the Advisory Board of Teach for America (Connecticut) and the Milken Institute’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Asset Management Executive Council. Ken is a former member of the Board of Advisors and Adjunct Professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Listen to this insightful RIA episode with Ken Kencel about building a billion-dollar private credit firm. Here is what to expect on this week’s show: - How it’s important for leaders to focus on empowering and supporting their team. - Why companies must identify and foster a strong sense of company culture. - How Churchill Asset Management emphasizes values like collaboration, inclusivity, integrity, and commitment to excellence. - Why creating an environment where talented people feel valued and empowered is crucial for success. - How it’s vital to hire the right employees to ensure the growth of your company. Connect with Ken: Links Mentioned: churchillam.com LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/churchill-asset-management Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices