Our Team

Robert Gallivan

Partner, Head of Investment Team

Mr. Gallivan joined Colbeck in 2016. Prior to joining Colbeck, Mr. Gallivan was a Senior Managing Director at Macquarie Securities USA, Inc.  Mr. Gallivan founded the business with six other senior partners in 2009 as head of sales.  Mr. Gallivan’s role eventually expanded to become head of both sales and trading, and Mr. Gallivan co-managed risk in the business’ $400 million - $750 million proprietary book of credit exposure.  Mr. Gallivan’s role included staffing and compensation within the business, and Mr. Gallivan further had the highest level of individual investment discretion at the firm. 

Prior to Macquarie, Mr. Gallivan was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley.  Mr. Gallivan’s various roles included fixed income sales and trading, as well as managing capital commitments made by the firm that became distressed and/or stranded on the firm’s balance sheet.  He also managed the high yield and distressed salesforce. 

Mr. Gallivan began his career at Toronto Dominion Bank from 1990-1999, spending 1991-1994 as a Credit Restructuring banker.

Mr. Gallivan is a graduate of St. Francis Xavier College (in Nova Scotia, Canada) and has a Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University.

David Aho, CFA

Partner, Investments

Mr. Aho joined Colbeck in 2009.  Prior to joining Colbeck, Mr. Aho was an analyst in the high yield and distressed group at DKR Oasis Capital Management where he reported directly to the portfolio manager.  Previously, Mr. Aho worked as a credit analyst at Primus Asset Management which managed Primus CLO I & II and Harrier Credit Opportunities Fund, and he traded ETFs and futures on the floor of the American Stock Exchange.

Mr. Aho graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a dual-major in economics and in international relations.  Mr. Aho is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Morris Beyda

Partner, Operations (Chief Operating Officer, Chief Technology Officer, & Chief Compliance Officer)

Mr. Beyda joined Colbeck in 2009 and is the Firm’s Chief Operating Officer, Chief Technology Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer. 

Prior to joining Colbeck, Mr. Beyda was Chief Technology Officer of Serengeti Asset Management LP, where he had both systems and operational responsibility from pre-launch through a 4x growth in AUM achieved in less than a year. Before joining Serengeti, Mr. Beyda was the North American Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Information Technology for Dimension Data Holdings (formerly LSE:DDT), a global systems integrator. Mr. Beyda began his career with Arthur Andersen’s business consulting group, followed by various executive roles in early-stage ventures. 

Mr. Beyda holds a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Patrick Cronin

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Cronin joined Colbeck in 2019 as the Vice President of Finance and was promoted to Chief Financial Officer in March 2020. Mr. Cronin is responsible for all financial matters related to CSL Fund I & II as well as financial matters at the Firm, generally. Prior to joining Colbeck, Mr. Cronin was the Global Fund Controller at HPS Investment Partners, LLC, a $50+ billion private credit focused alternative investment manager. Mr. Cronin spent 11 years at HPS where he was responsible for the accounting and reporting for over 120 private credit funds. Prior to HPS, Mr. Cronin held various accounting positions at Alliance Bernstein, Paloma Partners, SunAmerica Asset Management and Dreyfus. Mr. Cronin holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Iona College. 

Tony Hokayem

Managing Director

Mr. Hokayem joined Colbeck in 2013 as a member of the investment team. Mr. Hokayem was promoted to Managing Director in 2016. Prior to joining Colbeck, he was a Director at PNC Capital Markets. While at PNC, he worked as a Corporate Banker and Portfolio Manager in the Leverage Finance and Syndicate Trading areas. Mr. Hokayem has also held positions in the risk management, contract finance, asset based lending, and specialty finance verticals. Mr. Hokayem has spent most of his career focused on private middle market companies. Mr. Hokayem has lectured at New York University's Stern School of Business, taught at Wall Street Training, and spoken at multiple investment conferences. Mr. Hokayem holds a Master’s in Business Administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business where he graduated with highest distinction. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Mathematics from Centre College. Mr. Hokayem sits on the executive board of LIFE and actively involved in the mentorship program for both LIFE and ABANA. He holds the rank of Eagle Scout.

Greg Shamo, ESQ.

Principal

Mr. Shamo joined Colbeck in 2017 as a member of the investment team with primary responsibilities in deal-related legal matters. Mr. Shamo is based in Los Angeles. Prior to joining Colbeck, Mr. Shamo was Co-Chief Operating Officer for Relativity Media, with a particular focus on transactional activities. Prior to joining Relativity in 2009, Mr. Shamo had previously represented Relativity for two years as outside legal counsel at Loeb & Loeb LLP, where his practice also focused on entertainment and other corporate finance as well as general corporate representation. Prior to Loeb & Loeb, Mr. Shamo represented banks and other lenders in commercial and corporate finance matters at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP. Before his tenure at Paul Hastings, Mr. Shamo maintained a bankruptcy practice at Danning, Gill, Diamond & Kollitz LLP. He began his career with a litigation practice at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP. Mr. Shamo graduated with distinction with a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University. He earned his juris doctor at the University of Southern California, where he was a notes editor for the Southern California Law Review.

Keith Johnson

Senior Vice President

Mr. Johnson joined Colbeck in 2018 as a member of the investment team in the Firm’s Los Angeles office. Prior to joining Colbeck, Mr. Johnson was a Vice President at Wells Fargo in the Los Angeles Commercial Banking group. While at Wells Fargo, he worked as a Portfolio Manager, focusing on credit structuring, underwriting, and deal execution. Prior to Wells Fargo, Mr. Johnson held a similar position focusing on credit underwriting and deal structuring for middle market companies at JPMorgan Chase in Chicago, IL. Mr. Johnson holds a Master’s in Business Administration from DePaul University’s Kellstadt School of Business and a Bachelor of Sciences in Economics from Louisiana State University. 

Luke Vande Guchte

Senior Vice President

Mr. Vande Guchte joined Colbeck in 2018 as an associate in the Firm’s New York office. Prior to joining Colbeck, Mr. Vande Gutche was an investment associate at GPB Capital. While at GPB, he was responsible for deal origination, evaluating and executing of investments across multiple industries including Waste Management, Healthcare, Transportation and Logistics and Tech Enabled Services. He also held positions in GPB’s Special Situations vertical. Mr. Vande Gutche graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science in Managerial Finance with a focus in Economics. 

Charlie Madden

Senior Associate

Mr. Madden joined Colbeck in 2020. Prior to joining Colbeck, Mr. Madden was an Associate at Barclays in the Leveraged Finance Group, where he focused on credit structuring, advisory, underwriting and deal execution for Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT) clients. During his time at Barclays, Mr. Madden also held roles in the Equity Linked & Hybrid Solutions Group, Risk Solutions Group (Corporate Derivatives), Financial Institutions Group, and Real Estate Group. Mr. Madden graduated with Honors from Colby College with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a concentration in Financial Markets.

Yangyang Chen

Senior Analyst

Mr. Chen joined Colbeck in 2022. Prior to joining Colbeck, Mr. Chen was a Senior Analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Financial Institutions Group, where he focused on client advisory, including underwriting work and deal execution for Asset Management and Financial Technology (FinTech) clients. Prior to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Mr. Chen held various roles at Barclays across the Investment Banking and Sales & Trading Divisions. Mr. Chen graduated from Colby College with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a concentration in Financial Markets.

Alex Sarver

Head of Investor Relations and Business Development

Mr. Sarver joined Colbeck in 2022 as Head of Investor Relations and Business Development. Prior to joining Colbeck, Mr. Sarver was a Director at Briarcliffe Credit Partners, a private credit-focused placement agent. Before joining Briarcliffe, Mr. Sarver worked as a Vice President at Marathon Asset Management in Marketing and Investor Relations and as an Associate at HPS Investment Partners in Business Development and Investor Relations. Mr. Sarver began his career as an Associate at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Debt Capital Markets and Credit Research. Mr. Sarver holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Economics from Northwestern University.

William Reich

Senior Associate, Investor Relations

Mr. Reich joined Colbeck in 2021. Prior to joining Colbeck, Mr. Reich was an Associate at Hamilton Lane in the Business Development Group, where he focused on developing new business contacts and client relationships with institutional investors and consultants. Prior to Hamilton Lane, Mr. Reich held a similar position focusing on financial intermediaries at BNY Mellon in New York. Mr. Reich graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies.

Evan Buckwalter

Associate, Business Development

Mr. Buckwalter joined Colbeck in 2019 as a member of the investment team based in Los Angeles, with a primary focus on business development initiatives. Prior to joining Colbeck, Mr. Buckwalter worked in business development at FloQast, a FinTech SaaS startup, where he sourced qualified opportunities across the midmarket sector. Prior to that, he worked in asset management at peer to peer real estate startup Patch of Land, where he consulted with borrowers, ensuring they hit contractual benchmarks and maintained required financial solvency levels. Mr. Buckwalter received a Master’s in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Management from the University of Nottingham in the UK and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Occidental College in Los Angeles.

Narek Galstyan

Analyst Business Development – CSL Credit, LLC

Narek Galstyan joined the team in 2022 with an emphasis on sourcing investments and generating deal flow. Mr. Galstyan is based in Los Angeles. Prior to joining Colbeck, Mr. Galstyan worked in Business Development at the FinTech BlackLine where he sourced qualified opportunities and developed client relationships within the midmarket and enterprise sectors. Before joining BlackLine, Mr. Galstyan graduated from UCLA with Bachelor's Degrees in Physics and Business Economics. During his time at UCLA, Mr. Galstyan helped drive growth for companies operating within the intersection of technology and business, including the VC firm LvlUp Ventures, the Blockchain startup Agora Neos, and as a venture consultant with the UCLA Social Enterprise Academy.

Stephan Puhlmann

Senior Controller

Mr. Puhlmann joined Colbeck in 2020 as Senior Controller with 8.5 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Colbeck, Stephan was the controller at Green Bay Advisors, LLC, a venture capital firm, where he oversaw all matters relating to budgeting, valuations, treasury, investor relations, internal and external reporting, HR, payroll, benefits, and compliance. Prior, to Green Bay, Stephan worked at Apollo where he oversaw the management and reporting for multiple credit funds and managed accounts. He started his career at Ernst & Young LLP where he audited hedge funds and mutual funds. Mr. Puhlmann graduated with honors from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. Mr. Puhlmann is a CPA and has his CFA designation.

Taylor Amato

Controller – CSL Credit, LLC

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Muhammed Akbar

Senior Accountant

Mr. Akbar joined Colbeck in July 2022 as a Senior Accountant. Prior to joining Colbeck, Mr. Akbar was a staff accountant at Ernst & Young in the Financial Services Office where he was focused on tax compliance and tax structuring for private equity funds, hedge funds and foreign corporations. Mr. Akbar holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Accounting from Montclair State University.  Mr. Akbar is a CPA.

Aida Rivera

Executive Assistant

Aida Rivera is a meticulous, task-driven Executive Assistant with twenty-plus years of experience in assisting with managing client-centric office operations.  Equipped with exceptional ability to facilitate all aspects of internal and external communications, support the day-to-day administrative, financial, and operational functions by working collaboratively with C-Level executives.  Serves as primary point of contact and liaison among management, employees, clients, and vendors.  Proven talent for aligning business objectives with comprehensive administrative knowledge to achieve and maximize operational impacts, conserve time, and boost bottom-line efficiency.

She comes to us from AIG, where she supported a variety of executives and functions, from the Chief Data Officer to Compliance, after also having worked at Neuberger Berman, Lehman Brothers and Barclay’s Capital. 

Aida holds an A.A.S. in Executive Office Administration and Technology.  She enjoys kickboxing, cooking and good comedy.