Laura Vaughan: I am Head of Direct Lending at Federated Hermes, an $800bn AUM global active asset manager.
My role sits within the Private Credit business, which launched in 2015 and lends across Direct Lending and Real Estate Debt strategies.
As a member of the Private Credit Investment Committee, I am responsible for implementing the overall strategy of our Direct Lending funds, alongside playing a key role in fundraising, as well as managing a team of investment analysts who assess potential loans made by our funds.
Laura: The Private Credit market has grown rapidly over the last decade, as following the global financial crisis, when banks retrenched from lending, they created a gap in the market.