Armen Panossian, the Co-CEO and Head of Performing Credit at
Oaktree, and I sat down for a conversation in a Brookfield-owned building with a group of RIAs in the audience.
Armen, who joined Oaktree in 2007, has been an integral part of scaling Oaktree to over $209B in AUM. Oaktree, a storied firm, particularly in distressed credit, was recently fully acquired by Brookfield, the $1T AUM alternative asset manager.
Armen has a wealth of experience across different areas of credit. He is the Head of Performing Credit, where his responsibilities include oversight of the firm’s liquid and private credit strategies and as a portfolio manager within the Global Private Debt and Global Credit strategies. He also led the development of Oaktree’s CLO business.
Armen and I had a fascinating and thought-provoking conversation. We covered:
- The evolution of Oaktree’s business.
- How the acquisition by Brookfield has helped scale Oaktree’s business.
- Why private credit is more than direct lending.
- The nuances of asset-based finance.
- The current state of the credit markets.
- How Oaktree has approached distressed credit investing.
- What Armen’s memo would be if he were to write a memo like his colleague Howard Marks.
- And, why his memo might be titled “this is not your grandma’s private credit” or “don’t reach for risk to deliver the right return.”
Thanks Armen and the Brookfield Oaktree Wealth Solutions team for a fantastic night and Armen for sharing your wisdom and expertise with us.
Show Notes00:00 Message from Ultimus, our Sponsor
01:59 Welcome to the Alt Goes Mainstream Podcast
04:02 Armen Panossian’s Background
04:22 Early Career and Education
05:42 Transition to Finance
08:25 Oaktree's Early Days
09:25 Investment Philosophy and Growth
12:05 Balancing Pessimism and Business Building
14:49 Private Credit Market Overview
15:45 Core vs. Alpha in Private Credit
20:06 Public vs. Private Credit
21:39 Technicals and Fundamentals in Credit Markets
24:17 Valuation and Risk Management
25:22 Consumer Impact on Private Credit
25:46 Public Markets as Indicators
26:38 Oaktree's Historical Success
26:48 Howard Marks' Investment Philosophy
26:58 Market Dynamics and Investment Strategies
27:18 Opportunities in Life Sciences
27:58 Public vs. Private Market Solutions
28:27 Understanding Private Credit Risks
29:05 Credit Market Technicals
29:41 Fraud Vigilance in Credit Markets
30:07 Oaktree's Opportunistic Credit Approach
31:56 Rescue Lending and Sector-Specific Opportunities
32:37 Asset-Backed Finance Explained
34:52 Impact of Banking Regulations
35:24 Current Trends in Asset-Backed Finance
39:47 Navigating the Private Credit Ecosystem
40:50 Brookfield and Oaktree Partnership
42:09 Wealth Channel Investment Strategies
43:40 Brookfield and Oaktree: A Unique Partnership
45:45 Concerns in Private Credit
48:03 Advisors' Guide to Private Credit
50:47 Howard's Memos and Investment Philosophy
52:44 Evolving Private Credit Landscape
53:48 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
A word from AGM podcast sponsor, Ultimus Fund Solutions
This episode of Alt Goes Mainstream is brought to you by
Ultimus Fund Solutions, a leading full-service fund administrator for asset managers in private and public markets. As private markets continue to move into the mainstream, the industry requires infrastructure solutions that help funds and investors keep pace. In an increasingly sophisticated financial marketplace, investment managers must navigate a growing array of challenges: elaborate fund structures, specialized strategies, evolving compliance requirements, a growing need for sophisticated reporting, and intensifying demands for transparency.
To assist with these challenging opportunities, more and more fund sponsors and asset managers are turning to Ultimus, a leading service provider that blends high tech and high touch in unique and customized fund administration and middle office solutions for a diverse and growing universe of over 450 clients and 1,800 funds, representing $500 billion assets under administration, all handled by a team of over 1,000 professionals. Ultimus offers a wide range of capabilities across registered funds, private funds and public plans, as well as outsourced middle office services. Delivering operational excellence, Ultimus helps firms manage the ever-changing regulatory environment while meeting the needs of their institutional and retail investors. Ultimus provides comprehensive operational support and fund governance services to help managers successfully launch retail alternative products.
We thank Ultimus for their support of alts going mainstream.
What is Alt Goes Mainstream: The Latest on Alternative Investments, WealthTech, & Private Markets?
Alt Goes Mainstream podcast is the place to turn to for interviews with some of the brightest and most experienced minds in the world at the intersection private markets and wealth management. AGM dives into investment strategies like private equity (PE), private credit, venture capital (VC), secondaries, GP stakes, infrastructure, real estate, wealth management, and comprehensively covers tools and frameworks for approaching private markets, such as asset allocation, evergreen funds, model portfolios, and more. For anyone looking to invest into private markets (from experienced wealth managers to family offices to the individual investor looking for a more diversified investment portfolio), you’ll hear inside stories from executives and founders at some of the world’s largest financial institutions, alternative asset managers firms, and wealth management firms. More than a personal finance podcast, Alt Goes Mainstream dives deep into trends, investment strategies, firm building lessons, and innovative technologies that are enabling investors to access private markets.