Churchill Asset Management announced that Paul Sadlowski and Pranai Cheroo have joined the firm as Principals on the senior lending origination team. Both will report to Kevin Meyer, Managing Director, Head of Origination, Senior Lending.
Sadlowski, who is based in Churchill’s Chicago office, brings over 15 years of experience to the role, most recently as an executive director at J.P. Morgan where he led the execution of leveraged finance transactions for corporate and financial sponsor clients, including leveraged buyouts and M&A financings. At Churchill, he will be responsible for expanding origination efforts in the core middle market with Midwest sponsors.
Cheroo joined from The Carlyle Group where he was most recently an originator for the direct lending platform. With over 14 years of experience, he is based in Churchill’s Los Angeles office and will be responsible for sourcing additional deal flow and developing and maintaining relationships with West Coast private equity sponsors. The hire also supports Churchill’s expansion of its West Coast presence, after opening its California office in May 2022.
“With more clarity on interest rates and the macroeconomic landscape, we observed a tremendous increase in deal opportunities over the third quarter related to high quality middle market companies in non-cyclical industries,” said Meyer. “To support this demand and the continued growth of the Churchill platform, we will continue to invest in and retain the best talent. We are excited to welcome seasoned originators Paul and Pranai, who bring decades of experience and relationships to the firm, to help us capitalize on today’s highly attractive investment environment and ultimately deliver strong risk-adjusted returns for our investors.”
Having invested in over 800 loans across its 17-year history, Churchill’s senior lending business has $25 billion of committed capital today, allowing the firm to commit up to $500 million per transaction. Churchill is one of the most active lenders in the country to private equity-backed middle market companies, most recently ranking as the #1 U.S. direct lender in KBRA Direct Lending Deals’ Q3 2023 league tables.