BOSTON-- January 10, 2022 -- Loomis, Sayles & Company, an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers, today announced the launch of the Loomis Sayles Private Credit Group along with the hiring of Chris Gudmastad, CFA, who will lead this effort as head of private credit. Myles Reinecke, CFA, also joins as senior private credit analyst.

Private credit, a growing asset class increasingly in demand across the global institutional marketplace, will be a key component of Loomis Sayles’ client-based solutions suite going forward. Under Chris’s leadership, the Loomis Sayles Private Credit Group’s objective is to deliver portfolios that seek to maximize current income and total return through diversified exposure to private fixed income investments while using deep fundamental analysis and transaction structuring to manage downside risk.

Chris will build out all aspects of the Private Credit Group. His focus will include lead sourcing, underwriting and portfolio management. Chris brings to the effort extensive experience underwriting and structuring highly complex transactions that generate structure premiums in addition to illiquidity premiums. He reports to David Waldman, the firm’s chief investment officer.

As senior private credit analyst reporting to Chris, Myles will lead credit analysis for originating, underwriting and structuring private credit opportunities across a range of sectors. He will be responsible for risk management and investment relative value recommendations and will assist Chris with portfolio management operations.

“Our value-oriented, deep credit research heritage provides a strong foundation for building out a private credit capability that will complement our public fixed income lineup,” said Kevin Charleston, chief executive officer of Loomis Sayles. “We are excited to offer clients highly differentiated and competitive private credit solutions by leveraging our research capabilities, operational and technology infrastructure, and comprehensive risk management structure.”

Chris brings more than 20 years of financial services experience to his new position, most of which focused on private credit. He comes to Loomis Sayles from Securian Asset Management, where he was vice president and head of private credit. In that role, Chris was responsible for all aspects of the management of Securian’s $6.8 billion investment grade private credit portfolio, including the development and execution of the private credit investment strategy and management of the firm’s $3.3 billion external offerings across more than 20 institutional clients.

Myles also joins from Securian Asset Management, where he was most recently an asset management senior consultant focused on investment grade private placement opportunities. He has 10 years of industry experience.

Both Chris and Myles are based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.