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Knighthead Capital Management
Knighthead Capital Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser in New York, NY, registered since 2012. The firm manages $19.0 billion in assets, with...
Knighthead Capital Management
Knighthead Capital Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser in New York, NY, registered since 2012. The firm manages $19.0 billion in assets, with $18.9 billion on a discretionary basis. It has 58 employees and 29 investment advisers.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
2008
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Additional offices
Los Angeles, CA
Principals
Thomas A. Wagner
Co-Founding Partner, Co-Managing Member
Ara D. Cohen
Co-Founding Partner, Co-Managing Member
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Knighthead?
Co-Founding Partners Thomas Wagner and Ara Cohen co-manage all assets and investment decisions. Wagner chairs Knighthead Holdings and several portfolio company boards; Cohen's oversight extends to investments including the Professional Fighters League and Singer Vehicle Design. The Director of Research, Andrew Shannahan, leads the analytical team that sources and underwrites distressed and special-situation investments.
How is Knighthead Annuity related to the asset management business?
Knighthead Annuity & Life Assurance Company was formed in 2014 as a greenfield insurance business by the Knighthead partners and its current CEO. Knighthead Capital Management serves as the investment manager for the insurer's general account, giving the firm a pool of long-duration liabilities to invest alongside its hedge fund and closed-end credit vehicles. Thomas Wagner serves as Board Chair of Knighthead Holdings, the parent entity.
Does Knighthead participate in control-oriented or private equity-style deals?
Yes. While the firm began as a distressed-credit and special-situations investor, its portfolio and board seats reflect control-influenced positions. Knighthead personnel hold board seats at Hertz Global Holdings, ATI Physical Therapy, Birmingham City Football Club, and several private companies including Trinity Cyber.
What lending activity does Knighthead conduct?
Knighthead Funding, the firm's real estate lending arm, originates commercial mortgages across property types including office, industrial, retail, multifamily, and hotel. The team, led by Principal Jonathan Daniel, has sourced and placed over $3 billion in commercial mortgages since its formation. The firm runs this lending business alongside its public and private credit strategies.
Is Knighthead structured more like a hedge fund or a diversified asset manager?
Increasingly the latter. Knighthead manages a hedge fund strategy focused on distressed and long/short credit, but also operates a dedicated real estate lending platform, closed-end credit vehicles, an evergreen credit fund, and an insurance asset management business. The firm's own materials note that it is not constrained by a narrow investment mandate, and the insurance subsidiary provides permanent capital that differentiates it from a traditional hedge fund.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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