Hello community!
I'm still buzzing with excitement after our first in‑person networking event hosted by Wells Fargo for the CFA UK Private Markets Community!
A full house. Tons of energy. Deep insights.
Thank you to @Joe Wood, CFA UK Community Champion and volunteer, for the warm welcome and a sharp ABL 101 introduction.
And a huge thank you to our outstanding panellists:
- Tom Weedall, EMEA Head of Commercial Bank and WFCF UK, Wells Fargo
- Chris Hall, Executive Director, Hilco Global Professional Services
- Marc Finer, Principal, Debt Financing & Capital Markets, Aurelius
- Jake Hyman, Managing Director, Blazehill Capital
- Lisa Montgomery, Senior Manager, Gordon Brothers
The panel delivered real-world deal perspectives and lessons from today's market. We explored how ABL is being used to unlock value, enhance liquidity, and build resilient capital stacks across dividend recaps, buy-and-build strategies, carve-outs, and turnaround situations.
We also heard when ABL works best and when it doesn't. The discussion shed light on how to navigate relationships between junior and senior lenders and how to build trust and alignment among all stakeholders.
In the words of Chris Hall: "Things change every day, every week, every month." Staying on top of those shifts is everything.
One attendee captured it perfectly: "The more I listened, the more questions I had."
Thank you to our panellists and to our moderator Tom Weedall for sparking so much interest and curiosity.
If you'd like to meet Tom and our panellists, or get involved in future sessions, join our community.
And finally, a huge thank you to Suzanne Cooper and the ConnectionUK team for being such wonderful hosts and providing incredible support throughout.
Attaching here slides from Joe with the asset based lending 101 guide.
We did not record this event but we will be sharing the post event article being written by some of our champions. So check here later.
Attaching all the photos - if you wanted to play "spot yourself" game :-)))
cheerio,
aya
------------------------------
Aya Pariy
------------------------------