CIFC Asset Management strengthened its legal and compliance team with two senior appointments. Asha Richards, who has served as CIFC’s Deputy General Counsel and in other legal related capacities since 2015, has been promoted to General Counsel. Lily Wicker, former Chief Compliance Officer and Associate General Counsel at Sound Point Capital Management, LP, has joined CIFC as Managing Director, Chief Compliance Officer and Associate General Counsel.
In connection with Ms. Wicker’s joining the firm, and as CIFC continues to expand its asset base and product offerings globally, the firm has bifurcated the roles of General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. As Chief Compliance Officer & Associate General Counsel, Ms. Wicker reports to Ms. Richards.
Steve Vaccaro, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of CIFC, said, “We are thrilled to extend this well-deserved promotion to Asha and welcome Lily to CIFC as we continue to grow and navigate an ever-evolving regulatory landscape. Throughout her tenure at CIFC, Asha has proven herself a skilled legal practitioner and leader given her deep knowledge of private fund operations and spearheading of our DE&I and ESG initiatives, respectively. Moreover, Lily has extensive relevant experience at numerous well-established alternative credit and financial services firms and an approach that perfectly aligns with CIFC’s culture of compliance. We look forward to their collective contributions and guidance.”
“It has been extremely rewarding to play a part in CIFC’s significant growth over the past seven years and I am delighted by the opportunity to further bolster our legal function while continuing to service our investors. Throughout my time at the firm, I have watched the credit markets and systems that govern them mature, and I am excited to work alongside Lily to ensure CIFC continues to meet best-in-class legal and compliance standards,” said Ms. Richards.
“CIFC has sustained a reputation as a leader in alternative credit globally with robust infrastructure and operations supporting its talented investment professionals. I am pleased to add my skills to Asha’s and those of the entire team to further enhance CIFC’s existing compliance programs and build upon the firm’s strong foundation,” said Ms. Wicker.
Ms. Richards has nearly 20 years of experience in asset management. In addition to serving as CIFC’s General Counsel, she is Chairperson of the firm’s DE&I Committee and a member of its ESG Committee. Previously, Ms. Richards was General Counsel of Brookfield Asset Management’s Private Funds Group responsible for the structuring, marketing, fundraising and closing of private equity, real estate and infrastructure funds, as well as joint ventures, and also played a critical role in the development of Brookfield’s Fund Operations, Conflicts Management and Compliance corporate platforms. Before that, Ms. Richards worked with Kirkland & Ellis LLP where she represented a wide range of private investment funds in their fund-raising efforts, operations and transactions, as well as certain institutional investors. Ms. Richards started her career at Shearman & Sterling LLP. She holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Yale University and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.
Ms. Wicker brings 15 years of regulatory compliance experience to CIFC. She previously served as Chief Compliance Officer & Associate General Counsel at Sound Point Capital Management, LP. Before that, she was Deputy Chief Compliance Officer & Associate General Counsel at GoldenTree Asset Management LP. Earlier in her career, she held senior compliance roles at Permal Group and Brookfield Investment Management. Ms. Wicker started her career at Goldman Sachs, supporting the Fixed Income Trading and Sales desks. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Barnard College, a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, and is a member of the New York State bar.