Managing Director and Co-Head of North America
Oaktree Capital
Mr. Vazales, Managing Director and Co-Head of North America Distressed Opportunities, leads the team’s investing efforts across a number of industries in the region and also oversees the group’s recruiting efforts. Mr. Vazales is responsible for sourcing, underwriting and executing publicly traded and private investments in the areas of distressed and stressed credit, private equity, leverage finance and equities. He has overseen a number of restructurings, and has played a key role in both in- and out-of-court recapitalizations for some of the group’s largest investments, including sitting on ad hoc and official committees of creditors in chapter 11. During his tenure, Mr. Vazales has had primary coverage responsibility for a significant number of sectors, and made investments in the auto, specialty finance, gaming, commercial real estate, retail/consumer, and oil and gas industries. He has served on a number of public and private boards, including Pulse Electronics, Berry Petroleum Corp., International Market Centers, Aleris International, FullBeauty Brands, and Acosta, Inc. Prior to joining Oaktree in 2007, Mr. Vazales worked as an analyst in the Financial Restructuring Group at Houlihan Lokey, advising creditors and distressed companies on strategic alternatives. He graduated from Harvard University with an A.B. degree in economics, cum laude.
