Private equity & credit team

Vipon is responsible for the team that oversees global private equity, junior credit, secondaries, and private credit investments. ​He joined the firm in 2002 and has more than two decades of experience in private equity, four years in corporate and investment banking, and three years of operational experience. Vipon has served as a board director on several public and private companies in the United States and Canada, and he holds the Chartered Financial Analyst, Certified Management Accountant, and Certified Public Accountant designations. 

• Education: B.B.A., Wilfrid Laurier University 
• Joined the company: 2002
• Began career: 1991

Scott has overall responsibility for the firm’s North American junior credit, private equity funds, and equity co-investment programs. Prior to joining the firm, he was a partner at FinanStar Group, a boutique investment bank. Scott’s background also includes numerous merger-and-acquisition assignments and corporate finance transactions while serving in Wachovia’s capital markets group.

• Education: B.A., Economics, Williams College; M.B.A., Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business
• Joined the company: 2002
• Began career: 1988

Rajiv is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, negotiating, and monitoring junior credit and private equity investments. Prior to joining Manulife Capital—now operating as Manulife Investment Management—in 2002, he was with KPMG, where he provided valuation and transaction advisory services primarily to private equity investors. Additionally, Rajiv has served as a director on the boards of several companies and on advisory boards of investment funds in Canada and the United States. Rajiv holds the Chartered Business Valuator, Chartered Financial Analyst, and Chartered Professional Accountant designations.

• Education: B.Com., University of Toronto
• Joined the company: 2002
• Began career: 1998

Brian is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, negotiating, and monitoring junior credit and private equity investments. Prior to joining Hancock Capital Management—now operating as Manulife Investment Management—in 2011, he was with Bain as a member of the private equity group, where he worked with clients to evaluate investment opportunities and drive strategic and operational changes at portfolio companies. Prior to that, he was a senior analyst in the transaction advisory services practice at Ernst & Young. Brian holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

• Education: B.A., Economics, Bucknell University; M.B.A., The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
• Joined the company: 2011
• Began career: 2003

Matt leads Manulife Investment Management’s junior credit business, which focuses on providing subordinated and second-lien debt and structured equity solutions to private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies. He joined Hancock Capital Management—now operating as Manulife Investment Management—in 2013. Previously, he was vice president at Pomona Capital, where he focused on private equity secondary and co-investment opportunities. Earlier in his career, Matt held investment positions at AlpInvest Partners and Prudential Capital Group.

• Education: B.S., Finance and Accounting, Boston College; M.B.A., Northwestern University (Kellogg)
• Joined the company: 2013
• Began career: 2003

Seth is responsible for the sourcing, underwriting, analysis, and review of junior credit and private equity investments. He joined Hancock Capital Management—now operating as Manulife Investment Management—in 2018. Prior to joining the firm, he was a senior associate at PGIM Private Capital, where he focused on sourcing and underwriting senior and mezzanine investments. Prior to joining PGIM Private Capital, he supported institutional investor relations at Mellon. Seth holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

• Education: B.S.B.A., Finance, University of Rhode Island
• Joined the company: 2018
• Began career: 2011

Richard is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, negotiating, and monitoring private equity fund investments. He was previously responsible for transaction execution and portfolio monitoring of direct equity and mezzanine investments. Prior to joining Manulife Capital—now operating as Manulife Investment Management—he gained four years of experience in senior lending with GE Capital and six years of experience in private equity and mezzanine investments with McKenna Gale Capital. He began his career in investment banking with Scotia Capital. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

• Education: B.B.A, Wilfrid Laurier University
• Joined company: 2015
• Began career: 2002

Jeff is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, negotiating, and monitoring private equity fund investments. Prior to joining Hancock Capital Management—now operating as Manulife Investment Management—he spent 12 years as a research analyst at Congress Asset Management, where he was a member of the private equity investment policy committee. His responsibilities included sourcing, evaluating, negotiating, and monitoring primary private equity fund investments, in addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations of the private equity fund investment program. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

• Education: B.A., Economics, Bates College; M.B.A., Boston College
• Joined company: 2017
• Began career: 1997

Devon is a senior managing director, responsible for managing Manulife Investment Management’s senior credit business. He joined Manulife Investment Management PE&C in May 2016 and has 29 years of experience. Prior to joining Manulife, Devon spent 12 years at Madison Capital Funding, a middle market direct lending platform, where he served as a leader and member of the executive and investment committees and was responsible for strategic and capital market activities, including loan syndications, third-party asset management, and joint ventures for Madison Capital’s mezzanine and unitranche credit products. Prior to joining Madison Capital, Devon spent 9 years at Banc of America Securities, where he served as a senior structurer in the sponsor leveraged finance group and a loan syndications structurer supporting the middle market group and the media/telecommunications group.

• Education: B.A., Economics and Political Science, M.B.A., Indiana University
• Joined the company: 2016
• Began career: 1994

Mike is a senior managing director, responsible for managing Manulife Investment Management’s senior credit business. He joined Manulife Investment Management PE&C in January 2017 and has 29 years of experience. Prior to joining Manulife, Mike was head of the loan products group at BMO Global Asset Management, where he was primarily involved in credit selection, portfolio management, and fund raising, taking AUM from $0 to $1 billion across three separate middle market CLO vehicles. Prior to BMO, Mike spent nearly 20 years in key senior credit management roles at leading middle market debt providers, including Pangaea Asset Management (founder), GE Antares, Antares Capital, PPM America, and First National Bank of Chicago. He was an investment committee member at both BMO and Pangaea. 

• Education: B.A., Economics, Marquette University; M.B.A., Finance, DePaul University
• Joined the company: 2017

Joe is primarily responsible for managing the marketing and origination functions of the senior credit business. Prior to joining the firm, he spent over 8 years at American Capital, where he served as a managing director in the sponsor finance group. Before that, he spent 4 years as a director in the Goldman Sachs Specialty Lending Group and 13 years in the sponsor finance units of GE Capital and Heller Financial. Joe also spent over 2 years at the start of his career with KPMG Peat Marwick on the audit staff.

• Education: B.S., Accounting, Illinois Wesleyan University; Masters, Finance, Northwestern University–Kellogg Graduate School of Management
• Joined the company: 2017
• Began career: 1989

Eric is responsible for originating and evaluating investment opportunities in support of the acquisition and growth capital needs of the firm’s private equity clients. He has spent over 20 years evaluating and structuring investment opportunities across a variety of asset classes, including senior, mezzanine, and equity. Prior to joining the firm, he served in the origination and underwriting functions at Crescent Capital and NewStar Leveraged Finance, and before that, he was the head of portfolio management and research for Mesirow Investment Management Partners, where he helped lead the formation of a joint venture between Mesirow Financial and Mubadala Development Company in the United Arab Emirates. Earlier in his career, Eric held investment positions at CapX Partners and Deutsche Bank Asset Management.

• Education: B.A., Mathematics, Illinois State University; M.B.A., The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
• Joined the company: 2017
• Began career: 1997

Brendan is responsible for originating and evaluating investment opportunities in support of the acquisition and growth capital needs of the firm’s private equity clients. Prior to joining the firm, he served in the origination and underwriting functions at CapitalSource, with a focus on healthcare and generalist industry verticals, and before that, he held several positions at GE Antares, which included underwriting and portfolio management as well as structuring and syndicating middle market leveraged loans. Brendan began his career in the financial management program at GE Capital.

• Education: B.B.A., Finance, University of Massachusetts Amherst; M.B.A., Northwestern University–Kellogg School of Management
• Joined the company: 2018
• Began career: 2004

Jeff is responsible for leading transaction underwritings and portfolio management for the senior credit business. Prior to joining the firm, he was a senior vice president at Antares Capital (and its predecessors), where he spent over 12 years underwriting middle market leveraged loans to private equity-owned companies.

• Education: B.A., History, Wake Forest University
• Joined the company: 2017
• Began career: 2000

Ryan is responsible for leading transaction underwritings and portfolio management for the senior credit business. Prior to joining the firm, he was a director in the sponsor finance group at CIT Group, where he spent 10 years underwriting senior credit for private equity-sponsored transactions. Ryan holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

• Education: B.S., Finance, University of Colorado at Boulder; M.S., Finance, Villanova University
• Joined the company: 2017
• Began career: 2007

Phillip is a member of the senior credit team and the underwriting and portfolio management group, with the primary responsibility of managing stressed accounts. Prior to joining the firm, he was a vice president at Antares Capital (and its predecessors), where he divided his work over 15 years between underwriting cash flow transactions and managing workout accounts for middle market leveraged loans to private equity-owned companies.

• Education: B.A., Finance and Social Relations, Michigan State University; M.B.A., Finance, Northwestern University–Kellogg School of Management
• Joined the company: 2021
  
• Began career: 2005

Maila is a Director, responsible for leading the firm’s capital markets activities including structuring, pricing, and executing transactions; lender and co-investor relationship management; and market research and reporting. Prior to joining Manulife, Maila spent nine years in the capital markets team of Antares Capital, where she was responsible for structuring and syndicating leverage loan transactions for middle market PE-owned businesses. Prior to Antares, Maila was with the bank loan group of GE Capital, where she was focused on underwriting broadly syndicated cash flow deals. She began her career as a fixed income research analyst at GE Asset Management.

• Education: B.B.A., Finance, Loyola University Chicago
  
• Joined the Company: 2022
• Began career: 2005

Doug is responsible for originating and evaluating investment opportunities in support of the acquisition and growth capital needs of the firm’s private equity clients. He has spent over 15 years evaluating and structuring investment opportunities across a variety of asset classes, including senior, mezzanine, and equity. Prior to joining the firm, he was a principal at Entrepreneurial Equity Partners, a middle market private equity firm in Chicago, and before that, he served in the origination and underwriting functions at Ares Management for 9 years. Earlier in his career, Doug spent time in the investment banking divisions of Bear Stearns and Goldman Sachs and at Wind Point Partners.

• Education: B.S., Accounting and Finance, Indiana University; M.B.A., The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
• Joined the company: 2022
• Began career: 2002

Scott is responsible for originating and evaluating investment opportunities in support of the acquisition and growth capital needs of the firm’s private equity clients. Prior to joining the firm, he was a director and head of healthcare acquisition finance at the Bank of Ireland, where he spent six years overseeing both origination and underwriting functions, and before that, he held several positions at Madison Capital Funding with a focus on both healthcare and generalist industry verticals. Scott began his career in the assurance group at Ernst & Young.

• Education: B.S., M.A.S., Accounting, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
• Joined the company: 2021
• Began career: 2005

Wesley is responsible for originating and evaluating investment opportunities in support of the acquisition and growth capital needs of the firm’s private equity clients. Prior to joining the firm, Wesley worked as an investment banking analyst in the leveraged finance group at Goldman Sachs. Prior to that, Wesley worked on the credit research teams at Goldman Sachs and Mutual of Omaha.

• Education: B.S.B.A. in Finance and Economics, Creighton University
• Joined the company: 2019
• Began career: 2015

Jeff joined Manulife Investment Management in 2019 as global co-head of secondaries. Along with Paul Sanabria, Jeff leads the global secondaries business focused on general partner-led and special situation transactions, and partners with private equity, private credit, and secondary fund sponsors. Previously, he was co-head of Houlihan Lokey’s illiquid financial assets practice, a unit he co-founded and built into the leading investment banking group focused on customized transactions for holders of illiquid securities. Prior to that role, Jeff was a senior managing director at Bear Stearns, where he founded, built, and co-led Private Equity Advisors, the private equity fund-of-funds and secondary investing unit of Bear Stearns Asset Management. Earlier, he co-founded BDC Financial, a firm that provided customized private equity investment management and advisory services to institutional and high-net-worth investors. Earlier in his career, he held investment banking positions at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs.

• Education: A.B. in Politics, Princeton University; M.B.A., Harvard University
• Joined the company: 2019
• Began career: 1985

Paul joined Manulife Investment Management in 2019 as global co-head of secondaries. Along with Jeff Hammer, Paul leads the global secondaries business focused on general partner-led and special situation transactions, and partners with private equity, private credit, and secondary fund sponsors. Previously, he was co-head of Houlihan Lokey’s illiquid financial assets practice, a unit he co-founded and built into the leading investment group focused on customized transactions for holders of illiquid securities. Prior to that role, Paul was a senior managing director at Bear Stearns, where he acquired and led the private funds group responsible for originating new third-party fundraising mandates. In addition, he founded and co-led the private equity fund and secondary investing unit. Earlier, he co-founded BDC Financial, a firm that provided customized private equity investment management and advisory services to institutional and high-net-worth investors.

• Education: B.S. in Engineering, California State University-Sacramento; M.B.A., Harvard University
• Joined the company: 2019
• Began career: 1985

Rob is responsible for origination, execution, and management of the firm’s venture capital investments. Prior to joining the firm, he was with the MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund, where he was involved with origination, execution, and portfolio management of over 20 venture investments with a primary focus on B2B SaaS. Before that, he worked in enterprise applications with Oracle and with two mobile software start-ups, Polar and Mobile Semantic. Rob began his career with positions in competitive intelligence (Ericsson) and venture capital (EDC).  

• Education: B.A., Honours, Economics and International Trade, University of Waterloo
• Joined company: 2016
• Began career: 2004
  

Tom is responsible for all operations, including accounting, tax, portfolio valuation, financial reporting, fund management, and systems for the global private equity and credit team. Prior to joining the firm, he held leadership positions in financial and operational roles within private equity and credit groups at J.P. Morgan Chase and The Blackstone Group.  

• Education: B.B.A., Accounting, Siena College
• Joined the company: 2021

Steve is responsible for the overall operation of the senior credit business. Prior to joining Manulife, Steve was a Vice President at Bain Capital Credit, where he spent over 12 years in the finance group supporting the operation of their private credit and CLO businesses.

• Education: B.S., Economics, Northeastern University
  
• Joined the Company: 2022

Angela is responsible for accounting and reporting for the firm’s private equity and credit group. She joined the firm’s U.S. retail business in 1990, and in 2001, she joined Hancock Capital Management, now operating as Manulife Investment Management. Prior to joining the private equity and credit group, Angela was a member of the North American corporate finance group’s third-party and client services group.

• Education: B.S., Business Management, Salem State College; M.B.A., Suffolk University
• Joined the company: 1990

Matt is responsible for financial planning and analysis across the firm’s private equity and credit platforms; he also oversees the valuation operations for private debt and equity investments. He joined Hancock Capital Management—now operating as Manulife Investment Management—in 2009 in a role supporting the underwriting and review of mezzanine and private equity investments. Previously, he worked at Dubin Clark, a private equity firm focused on lower middle market investments, and in MetLife's private securities group, covering private placements in several industries.

• Education: B.S., Management, Boston College; M.B.A., Finance, Duke University–The Fuqua School of Business
• Joined the company: 2009

Leigha is responsible for supporting Manulife Investment Management's global capital sourcing, investor relations and marketing activities for the Private Equity & Credit group. Prior to joining the firm in 2021, she spent three years at Vista Credit Partners focused on fund management. Previously, she worked at Madison Capital Funding LLC where she held a variety of roles in investment management, compliance, and accounting. She also worked at KPMG LLP as a member of the financial services audit practice.

• Education: B.S./M.A.S., Accounting, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; M.B.A., Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management
• Joined the company: 2021
• Began career: 2008

Elizabeth is responsible for supporting Manulife Investment Management’s global capital sourcing, investor relations and marketing activities for the private equity & credit group. Prior to joining the firm in 2021, she served as Director of Investor Relations at Century Equity Partners. Previously, she was a vice president and senior credit analyst and portfolio manager focused on structured products at State Street Global Advisors. She also worked at Wellington Management as a member of the structured products group.

• Education: BEcon, Georgetown University; MBA, Boston College’s Carroll School of Management.
• Joined company: 2021
• Began career: 2001

Vipon is responsible for the team that oversees global private equity, junior credit, secondaries, and private credit investments. ​He joined the firm in 2002 and has more than two decades of experience in private equity, four years in corporate and investment banking, and three years of operational experience. Vipon has served as a board director on several public and private companies in the United States and Canada, and he holds the Chartered Financial Analyst, Certified Management Accountant, and Certified Public Accountant designations. 

• Education: B.B.A., Wilfrid Laurier University 
• Joined the company: 2002
• Began career: 1991

Liam is responsible for leading the firm’s private equity investment activities in the Asia-Pacific region. He joined Manulife in 2006 and was based in Toronto until relocating to Hong Kong in 2016. Liam holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

• Education: B.Com., Finance, McGill University
• Joined the company: 2006
• Began career: 2006

John focuses on private equity fund investments and equity co-investments in the Asia-Pacific region. He joined Manulife in 2009 and was based in Toronto until relocating to Hong Kong in 2014. John holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

• Education: H.B.A., Finance, Ivey Business School at Western University
• Joined the company: 2009
• Began career: 2009

Eric focuses on private equity fund investments and equity co-investments in the Asia-Pacific region. Prior to joining Manulife, he worked in private equity at Full Vision Capital Management in Hong Kong and at China Merchant Securities and Anbang Insurance Group in Hong Kong.

• Education: G.D.L., Law, BPP University Law School; B.Sc., Economics, University College London, University of London
• Joined the company: 2020
• Began career: 2012