Blackstar Capital, a specialist structured capital solutions provider, has appointed James Paul as Head of Sport.
Blackstar Capital has leading expertise in origination, structuring, placement, and management of transactions globally. With Blackstar successfully making inroads into the sporting world in the past twelve months, Paul’s new role will see him lead the expansion of that sporting portfolio.
The pandemic has had a profound impact upon global sport, creating unique needs for clubs and franchises, and new opportunities for lenders. For specialist financiers, this depressed market is presenting both challenges and opportunities that Blackstar Capital is well-placed to take advantage of.
Paul joined Blackstar in 2020 as a Portfolio Manager. Prior to joining Blackstar Capital, Paul gained more than eight years’ experience in a number of credit-focused roles at JP Morgan, Credit Suisse and 23 Capital, covering a range of industries, geographies, asset classes and product types.
Mark Stephens, CEO of Blackstar Capital, says: “James has become an invaluable part of the Blackstar team since he joined, and the new role is a reflection of both the traction we are getting in the sports finance space and the faith we have in James to drive this part of our business forward”
Paul says: “I am very excited by the opportunity to lead Blackstar’s growth into the sports sector. We believe there is a unique opportunity at the moment for our flexible approach towards structured financing to assist clients in the industry as the disruption of the past 12-18 months begins to stabilise and return to normality. I look forward to enhancing this capability and driving the overall expansion of our sporting portfolio.”
