Private Credit Investment Grade | Voya Investment Management
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Private Credit Investment Grade

Approach

This strategy takes advantage of privately negotiated covenant structures, investing in fixed-rate corporate debt sold to investors and exempt from SEC registration. We believe that intensive up-front underwriting of individual securities, paired with appropriate structural and covenant protection, leads to more flexible portfolios and strong risk-adjusted performance in all market conditions.

Key Benefits

  • Deal Sourcing and Selectivity: Our robust deal flow allows us to avoid stretching to fill production demand or to achieve sector/name level diversification
  • Integrated Deal Team: Our unique integration of legal staff within the investment team facilitates partnership with deal analysts at the onset of a deal and the incorporation of our specialized Private Credit High Yield team at early points of credit distress provides significantly lower losses
  • Deal Structure First: Our disciplined investment underwriting and monitoring process does not change with market demands

Performance

Performance

Performance data for this strategy is not available at this time.

Literature

A Guide to Investment Grade Private Credit

Date: June 06, 2025

Not all private credit is the same—in this Market Overview & Analysis we explore the nuances of the investment grade private credit market.

Approved For: Qualified Institutional Investor Use Only

Download

Investment Team

Chris Lyons

Chris Lyons, CFA

Head of Private Fixed Income and Alternatives

Years of Experience: 36

Years with Voya: 32

Chris Lyons is a managing director and head of private fixed income and alternatives at Voya Investment Management, responsible for partnering with our clients and internal stakeholders to develop new innovative products and solutions, while ensuring the scalability of the platform for current and future teams. Prior at Voya, Chris was the managing director and group head of Voya’s private credit investment grade and infrastructure businesses where, along with his direct responsibilities in private credit, Chris was also active in overall management of Voya’s fixed income franchise. He has over 30 years of lending and investment experience with the large majority of that time spent with Voya working in and then leading the development of its private lending effort. Prior to joining Voya, he worked as a commercial and investment banker for SunTrust Banks, Inc. Chris earned a BS from the Georgia Institute of Technology and is a CFA® Charterholder.
Justin Stach

Justin Stach

Managing Director, Head of Private Credit

Years with Voya: 20

Justin Stach is a managing director, head of private credit at Voya Investment Management, where he is responsible for the oversight of sourcing, underwriting, and management of the private credit investment grade team. He is a member of the senior leadership team and sits on the Voya Investment Management Credit Committee, which is responsible for approving all private credit, mortgage loan, and alternative assets investments. Prior at Voya, Justin was a senior vice president, head of investment grade corporates within the private credit team, responsible for sourcing, underwriting, trading and management of a multi-billion dollar privately placed debt portfolio. He has also worked across a variety of asset classes and strategies, including corporate debt, infrastructure, emerging markets and alternative assets. Justin earned an MBA from the W.P. Carey School of Business and a BA from the University of St. Thomas.
Virginia O'Kelley

Virginia L O'Kelley, CFA

Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager

Years of Experience: 24

Years with Voya: 20

Virginia O'Kelley is the portfolio manager for the private credit team at Voya Investment Management, responsible for underwriting and managing the private investments on behalf of Voya’s external clients. She is a direct investor in the asset class and has experience reviewing transactions across multiple sectors and geographies, including corporates, infrastructure, and asset-based finance. Prior to joining Voya, Virginia was with Wells Fargo Corporation as an analyst in their asset management business. Virginia earned an MBA with honors from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and a BS with honors from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. She is a CFA® Charterholder.

Disclosures

Principal Risk

All investing involves risks of fluctuating prices and the uncertainties of rates of return and yield inherent in investing. High-Yield Securities, or "junk bonds", are rated lower than investment-grade bonds because there is a greater possibility that the issuer may be unable to make interest and principal payments on those securities. The strategy may use Derivatives, such as options and futures, which can be illiquid, may disproportionately increase losses and have a potentially large impact on performance. Foreign Investing does pose special risks including currency fluctuation, economic and political risks not found in investments that are solely domestic. Risks of foreign investing are generally intensified in Emerging Markets. As Interest Rates rise, bond prices may fall, reducing the value of the share price. Debt Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes. Other risks of the Fund include but are not limited to: Credit Risks; Other Investment Companies’ Risks; Price Volatility Risks; Inability to Sell Securities Risks; and Securities Lending Risks.

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