Hunt stepping down from Kayne Anderson – exclusive

Jim Hunt, Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors’ mid-market credit chief executive officer, will relinquish the title he left retirement for at the end of August, just eight months after joining the firm.

Hunt said in a Friday email to friends and colleagues he would be leaving Kayne Anderson, according to a copy PDI obtained. “While this was a brief stay at Kayne, I appreciate having had the opportunity to work at the firm,” the note read. Hunt declined to comment.

The outgoing mid-market credit CEO began his tenure at Kayne Anderson in January, little more than 18 months after he stepped down from THL Credit, a firm he founded in 2007 as the credit arm of Thomas H. Lee Partners. Hunt served as the CEO and chief investment officer of THL Credit before leaving that firm in June 2014. Chris Flynn and Sam Tillinghast replaced Hunt, taking on the titles of co-CEO and co-CIO.

In February, PDI exclusively reported Hunt’s intention to grow the Kayne Anderson's credit platform. The firm in March hired two high-yield portfolio managers Heather Creeden and Steve Ahearn, both of whom formerly worked at Bradford & Marzec’s high-yield and bank loans portfolio.

Kayne Anderson manages $23 billion in assets. The Los Angeles-based investment firm has its credit staff at the headquarters, as well as in New York, Houston and Chicago. The credit business works on senior and junior loans. Kayne Anderson overall handles a variety of private equity, real estate and energy strategies.