Churchill Adds to Senior Lending Origination Team

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. Meyer is based in the $47 billion Nuveen affiliate’s New York office, but Sadlowski and Cheroo are based in the Midwest and West Coast.

Sadlowski will be responsible for expanding origination efforts in the core middle market. He was most recently 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 financing.

Cheroo came from The Carlyle Group where he was most recently an originator for the direct lending platform. 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.

With $25 billion in committed capital in its senior loan division, the company is one of the most active lenders to private equity-backed middle-market companies in the United States. In addition to equity co-investments and private equity fund commitments, Churchill provides first lien, unitranche, second lien, and mezzanine loans.