Lyuba Petrova is Moody’s Global Head of Leveraged Finance, bringing together the firm’s leveraged finance expertise across regions and disciplines. Lyuba’s team focuses on credit performance of speculative grade issuers, trends in documentation, dynamics in the leveraged finance market and private credit.

Prior to Moody’s, Lyuba spent a decade at Fitch Ratings, leading the firm’s North America Leveraged Finance team, and 9 years at JPMorgan, in roles in leveraged finance origination, capital markets and credit risk management in New York and London.

John Puchalla is an Executive Director in the New York office of Moody’s Ratings. He is responsible for the Consumer Products & Gaming team within Moody's US Corporate Finance Group. Prior to his current assignment, John managed Moody’s High Yield Team. Previously, John was as a full-time Rating Committee Chair, managed the Credit Estimates team and led research on defaults and liquidity. John has covered a variety of corporate sectors at Moody’s including consumer products, media and entertainment, broadcasting and cable, publishers and amusement parks. John originally joined Moody’s in 1997 as a member of the Economics Analysis group evaluating trends in global corporate credit quality and credit markets until transferring to the Corporate Finance Group in 2002. Prior to joining Moody’s, John held various positions at Nasdaq and MNC Financial. John holds a M.B.A. in finance, economics and international business from New York University, a B.S. in finance from Penn State University, and is a CFA charter holder

Sebastien’s responsibilities as Head of EMEA Leveraged Finance include:

•Leading Moody’s EMEA Leveraged Finance franchise, providing strategic and analytical leadership to ensure high standards of ratings quality, consistency, and timeliness.

•Overseeing team development and cross-regional collaboration, strengthening coordination across Leveraged Finance, Private Credit, Structured Credit, Credit Estimates, and Recoveries.

•Representing Moody’s in the market, building relationships with issuers, investors, sponsors, and other key market participants across EMEA.

Prior to his leadership appointment, Sebastien was a senior lead analyst for over 15 years based in London and most recently in Warsaw covering portfolios of European-based investment and speculative grade corporate issuers operating across varied sectors. Coverage sectors included investment holding,chemicals,telecom, payment solutions, business and consumer services, equipment and transportation rental, and retail.

Prior to re-joining Moody’s in 2011, Sebastien was an analyst within the credit team at LGT Capital Partners (fund of hedge funds based in Switzerland), where he monitored a portfolio of investments in distressed credit/special situations hedge funds.

Sebastien holds a Master’s Degree from AudenciaBusiness School in Nantes (France) and a post-graduate diploma from the College of Europe in Warsaw (Poland).