Tom Shanklin

Tom Shanklin

Senior Managing Director & Head of Investment Grade Private Credit Blue Owl Capital
Tom Shanklin is a Senior Managing Director at Blue Owl and the Head of Investment Grade Private Credit. In his role, he focuses on leading the investment strategy and portfolio management for investment grade Corporate Credit, Asset Backed Finance and Structured Credit. Before joining Blue Owl, Tom was a Managing Director & Head of Corporate Credit for Kuvare Asset Management, predecessor to Blue Owl Insurance Solutions. In 2009, Tom joined Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, a Life Insurance and Property & Casualty financial services company based in Columbus, OH as a Senior Investment Professional. From 2012 through 2021 Tom was the Managing Director & Head of Private Debt and led the development of Nationwide’s multi-billion dollar Private Debt investment strategies. Preceding Nationwide, he worked for Deutsche Bank Capital Markets and SunTrust Capital Markets (now Truist). Tom began his career in the Corporate Banking Training Program at SunTrust Bank in Atlanta, GA. Tom received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his MBA from Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

Day 1 | 4th November

3:40 PM Oxford-Style Debate *CHATHAM HOUSE RULES*: FOR OR AGAINST: Private Credit is Becoming a Source of Systemic Financial Risk

Private credit's rapid expansion is increasing scrutiny around where leverage, liquidity risk and refinancing exposure now sit across the broader financial system. Growing interconnectedness between insurers, banks, BDCs, NAV financing structures and secondary markets is also intensifying debate around whether private credit is creating new systemic vulnerabilities or building a more diversified and resilient lending ecosystem beyond traditional banking channels.  

This debate will examine whether opacity, liquidity mismatch and complex financing chains could amplify contagion risks across increasingly connected public and private credit markets. Panellists will also debate whether the growing integration of insurer capital, long-duration liabilities and balance-sheet financing structures ultimately strengthens stability across private credit markets or creates new forms of systemic interconnectedness across the broader credit ecosystem.  

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Tom.

Download The Latest Agenda