Antares founding partner leaves firm – exclusive

A top dealmaker at Antares Capital left the firm at the end of November, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Eric Hansen was a senior managing director and founding partner at the mid-market lending firm, which a dozen former employees of Heller Financial launched in 1996. He was responsible for all aspects of the deal process, from sourcing deals to managing the investments, according to a Bloomberg biography. He left as part of a mutual agreement with the company, according to one source.

The firm declined to comment, while Hansen did not respond to request for comment.

In 2005, GE Capital purchased Antares for $5 billion and it then changed hands again in 2015 when the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired the credit manager for $12 billion. Northleaf Capital, which launched a credit strategy in 2016, acquired a 16 percent minority stake in Antares that same year.

Another senior managing director at the firm left in 2018 as well when Chet Zara departed in February, according to his LinkedIn account and multiple news reports. He also joined Antares early on – in 1999 from First Source Financial.

Antares invests in senior secured loans in private equity-backed companies. It provides revolvers, term loans, delayed draw term loans, second-lien debt and equity as well, according to its website. The firm also has a joint venture with Bain Capital through which it provides unitranche loans. Recent transactions include a $974.2 million first-lien credit facility to back a transaction for Oak Hill Capital Partners’ Insurance Brokers & Consultants.