John Popp
On the importance of connections and community
John Popp, currently managing director and global head of the Credit Investments Group at UBS Asset Management joins your host Brian Bejile, CEO of Octaura, on The Ramp Up. John has had a storied career, which began on what some would call a less traditional path to the world of finance. John has spent most of his career building structured credit platforms at Indosuez, First Dominion, CSAM – and now UBS Asset Management. John credits his success to the broad perspective his path has provided, as well as the incredible network and community he’s developed over the years.
About John
John G. Popp is a Managing Director of UBS Asset Management. He is the Global Head and Chief Investment Officer of the Credit Investments Group (CIG) with primary responsibility for investment decisions, portfolio monitoring processes and business development for CIG's global investment strategies. He established CIG in 1997. Mr. Popp served as the Chief Executive Officer and President from February 16, 2010 to November 14, 2023, and currently serves as a Director of the Credit Suisse Funds, the Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund, Inc. and the Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund. Mr. Popp is a member of CIG’s Corporate Credit Forum, Structured Credit Forum, and PCO Investment Committee.
Prior to joining CIG, Mr. Popp was a Founding Partner and Head of Asset Management for First Dominion Capital, LLC, overseeing the management of $2.5 billion in Credit Securitization Vehicles. From 1992 through 1997, Mr. Popp was a Managing Director of Indosuez Capital and served as President of Indosuez Capital Asset Advisors, Inc., and President of 1211 Investors, Inc. While at Indosuez, Mr. Popp was responsible for building the firm's asset management business, including the development of three Credit Securitization Vehicles aggregating $1.3 billion. In 1989, Mr. Popp joined the Corporate Finance Department of Kidder Peabody & Co., Inc. as Senior Vice President, previously serving as Vice President in the Mergers and Acquisitions department of Drexel Burnham Lambert.
Mr. Popp is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Brookings Institution's Foreign Policy Leadership Committee, the Leadership Advisory Board of the Wharton School and the Juilliard School Council. In addition, Mr. Popp is a former member of the Board of Directors of The Loan Syndications & Trading Association (LSTA). Mr. Popp graduated with a B.A. from Pomona College and an M.B.A. from the Wharton Graduate Division of the University of Pennsylvania.
Episode 6: Peter Gleysteen on reimagining the markets
Peter Gleysteen, Founder, CEO & CIO at AGL Credit Management joins your host Brian Bejile, CEO of Octaura on The Ramp Up. Peter is a legend in the structured credit industry, successfully navigating every economic cycle and market crisis since his career began in 1975. Pulling from his unique upbringing, Peter has honed the ability to shed a different perspective throughout his career – leading him to launch innovations that laid the foundations of how today’s loan market operates. With experience starting not one, but two buyside shops, Peter is an incredible wealth of knowledge.
Episode 5: Lynn Hopton & Yvonne Stevens on seizing the moment
This month, co-founders and managing partners of HalseyPoint Lynn Hopton and Yvonne Stevens join Brian Bejile on The Ramp Up. Lynn and Yvonne are veterans of the CLO market. They've been securitizing assets since the market's early days in the '90s. After decades of working together at SunAmerica and then at American Express, they seized the moment and started their own shop, HalseyPoint in 2018. To get HalseyPoint off the ground, they built on their resilience, the relationships they curated, and a lengthy track record of success. The launch of HalseyPoint was fully embraced and celebrated by the street. And now, the business is thriving.
Episode 4: Brett Jefferson on refusing to fail
This month, Brett Jefferson, Founder and Co-Chief Investment Officer at Hildene Capital Management, joins your host Brian Bejile, CEO of Octaura, on The Ramp Up. Brett has charted an impressive career by looking at things differently. From the early days of navigating his education and passion for lacrosse at Syracuse University to landing on Wall Street and teaching himself the world of structured credit, Brett's refusal to fail and his focus on innovation has led Hildene to become a multi -award winning asset manager, and there's a lot more on the horizon for the firm.
Episode 3: Andy Gordon on being intellectually curious
Andy Gordon, co-founder, former CEO, and current Executive Chair of the Board of Managers at Octagon Credit joins Brian Bejile on The Ramp Up. Andy has had an illustrious career on Wall Street. From being one of the first analysts on the leveraged buyout desk at Manufacturers Hanover Trust to successfully spinning out Octagon – he did all of this while finding opportunity through two recessions and building a business that champions diversity and inclusion.
Episode 2: Thomas Majewski on doing things differently
Thomas Majewski, Founder and Managing Partner at Eagle Point Credit joins your host Brian Bejile, CEO of Octaura on The Ramp Up. Tom has been at the center of some of the most impactful innovations in the CLO market. On this episode, we cover a wide spectrum – including how Tom executed one of the earliest known CLO equity trades and what led him to start one of the first CLO equity funds.
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Episode 1: Scott McKay on being "the guy"
What do you say when someone asks you if you want to “be the guy?” On this month’s episode of The Ramp Up, Scott McKay, Head of Blue Owl Liquid Credit, fills us in on what he said next and shares why long-lasting relationships and perseverance were key to his career thus far.