KBRA - Kroll Bond Rating Agency

In this episode of the Navigate Series, learn about KBRA – the credit rating agency that has changed the landscape of rating analysis and find out about their comprehensive strategy for ESG ratings.​

 

Jim Nadler is President and CEO of Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA)

Prior to joining KBRA, Jim was responsible for all alternative assets in the New England Asset Management Division at General Re Corporation. 

Over the last 30 years, Jim has held several executive roles in the financial analysis arena; In 1989, he joined Fitch Ratings and was instrumental in the growth of Fitch’s Structured Finance. 

Jim was a senior accountant at Pricewaterhouse Coopers before moving to Standard & Poor’s (now S&P Global Ratings), as a ratings officer. 

Jim is the Board Chairman of DealVector, serves on the boards for the New York City/Long Island Chapter of JDRF, and is an elected member of The Economic Club of New York.

Jim earned a B.A. in economics from the University of Kansas and an MBA from Rutgers University. 

 

Kate Kennedy is a Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of the Business Development Group at Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA), responsible for Marketing and Investor Relations. Kate also oversees KBRA Analytics, the company’s product platform for high-quality data and advanced analytics, which includes KBRA Financial Intelligence (KFI), KBRA Altman, and the company’s Ratings Feed platform. 

Prior to joining KBRA in 2011, Kate was a senior director at Fitch Ratings for 12 years, spearheading the investor relations initiative across U.S. Structured Finance. 

Prior to Fitch Ratings, Kate worked for two years at the Norinchukin Bank, where she was responsible for portfolio management reporting and trade settlement with U.S. investment banks, brokers, and custodians.