Marissa Hassen
About Marissa Hassen
Marissa Hassen is the Controller of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NCDL), serving as an executive officer since 2019; she is 41 years old as of the 2025 proxy record date . She joined Churchill in 2018 and currently serves as Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer (Investment Funds) at Churchill; she is a member of Churchill’s Operating Committee as well as its Valuation and Product Committees . Hassen holds a B.S. in Accounting and Business Administration from Lehigh University and is a Certified Public Accountant in New York . NCDL does not disclose company-paid executive compensation metrics or TSR/financial performance tied specifically to her role; executive officers are employees of affiliates and are not compensated by NCDL directly .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ernst & Young LLP | Senior Manager, Wealth & Asset Management Practice | Pre-2018 | Led planning, implementation, and completion of financial statement audits for alternative investment funds and registered investment companies |
| Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. | Controller | 2019–present | Executive officer overseeing financial controls and reporting; contributes to valuation oversight and product governance through committees |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Churchill Asset Management | Managing Director; CFO – Investment Funds | 2018–present | Finance leadership across investment funds; member of Operating Committee; influences firm-wide operations |
| Churchill Asset Management | Member – Valuation Committee | Current | Supports fair value determinations of portfolio securities |
| Churchill Asset Management | Member – Product Committee | Current | Guides product development and governance |
Fixed Compensation
NCDL states that none of its executive officers (including the Controller) are compensated by the company; services are provided by personnel of the Advisers/Administrator, and NCDL reimburses an allocable portion of expenses (e.g., CFO and staff under the Administration Agreement) . As a result, base salary, target bonus, actual bonus, equity grants, and option awards for Hassen are not disclosed at the company level .
Performance Compensation
NCDL does not disclose executive incentive plan metrics or payouts for Hassen, as executive officers are not compensated by NCDL directly; the Compensation Committee will not produce or review an executive compensation report under this structure .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Ownership policy and insider trading: NCDL prohibits hedging, short selling, and derivative transactions in company shares, and prohibits pledging/margin accounts unless the Chief Compliance Officer provides prior written consent .
- Legal proceedings: The company reports no Item 401(f) adverse legal proceedings against its directors, director nominees, or officers in the past 10 years .
Multi-period beneficial ownership and insider activity:
| Metric | FY 2023 Record Date (Nov 24, 2023) | FY 2024 Record Date (Mar 28, 2024) | FY 2025 Record Date (Mar 31, 2025) | Post-trade (Jun 6, 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shares Beneficially Owned | 1,150 | 1,368 (listed as “Marissa Short”) | 1,368 (listed as “Marissa Hassen”) | 5,998 (after purchase of 4,630 sh @ $16.18) |
| Ownership % of Class | <1% | <1% | <1% | <1% (implied) |
| Insider Transactions | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Open-market purchase: 4,630 sh on Jun 6, 2025 |
Additional insider activity references: reporting on the same Form 4 transaction appears on Nasdaq/Quiver and other outlets, corroborating the June 6, 2025 purchase .
Notes:
- The FY 2025 proxy ownership table reflects holdings as of March 31, 2025; the June 6, 2025 purchase occurred after that record date, increasing Hassen’s direct holdings to 5,998 shares .
- No pledging of Hassen’s shares is disclosed; company-wide restrictions apply to pledging without prior consent .
Employment Terms
- Employment structure: Executive officers (including Controller) are employees of affiliates (Adviser/Administrator), not NCDL; NCDL reimburses an allocable portion of related expenses .
- Contracts/severance/change-of-control: No individual employment agreements, severance multiples, change-of-control triggers, or clawback provisions are disclosed for Hassen in NCDL’s proxy filings .
- Non-compete/non-solicit: Not disclosed.
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Hassen’s open-market purchase of 4,630 shares on June 6, 2025, lifting her stake to 5,998 shares, is a positive alignment signal and increased her direct holdings materially versus prior periods . Lack of disclosed company-level compensation details reduces transparency into pay-for-performance alignment for NCDL executive officers .
- Retention risk: Compensation is set by affiliates rather than NCDL; absence of disclosed employment/severance/change-of-control terms at the company level limits visibility into retention incentives and protections .
- Trading signals: Insider buying by a finance/control executive (Controller/Chief Accounting Officer) is typically a constructive signal for governance confidence in valuation and financial reporting processes; there are no reported sales by Hassen post-IPO in filings reviewed .
- Governance controls: Her roles on Churchill’s Valuation and Product Committees suggest involvement in fair value determinations and product oversight—key areas for BDCs—while company policy restricts hedging/pledging, supporting shareholder alignment .