Laura C. Holson
About Laura C. Holson
Laura C. Holson (age 39) is Chief Operating Officer of New Mountain Finance Corporation (NMFC) since 2022 and a Managing Director at New Mountain Capital since 2019; she also served as NMFC’s interim Chief Financial Officer from April 2023 to November 2023 and previously led Capital Markets at New Mountain Capital (2017–2021) . She was appointed COO of NMFC effective February 15, 2022 and earlier worked at Morgan Stanley (2007–2009) in Healthcare Investment Banking . NMFC’s 10-K highlights Holson as one of the key investment personnel crucial to achieving NMFC’s objectives, underscoring key-person risk and execution importance . Beneficial ownership disclosures show Holson directly owns 60,483 NMFC shares as of the 2025 proxy record date, a small stake relative to 107,851,415 shares outstanding, implying ~0.056% ownership, consistent with “less than 1%” noted in the proxy .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mountain Finance Corporation (NMFC) | Chief Operating Officer | 2022–present | Senior operating leadership for an externally managed BDC; designated key investment personnel for investment objective execution . |
| New Mountain Finance Corporation (NMFC) | Interim Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer | Apr 2023–Nov 2023 | Stabilized finance function during transition; relinquished upon CFO appointment in Nov 2023 . |
| New Mountain Capital | Head of Capital Markets | 2017–2021 | Led financing and capital markets activities across the credit platform . |
| New Mountain Capital | Director | 2016–2018 | Progression within the credit business prior to MD promotion . |
| Morgan Stanley | Healthcare Investment Banking | 2007–2009 | Early career execution experience in healthcare investment banking . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mountain Capital | Managing Director | 2019–present | Senior leadership within the credit platform . |
| NMF SLF I, Inc. (BDC) | Chief Operating Officer | 2022–present | Operating leadership across affiliated BDCs . |
| New Mountain Guardian IV BDC, L.L.C. (BDC) | Chief Operating Officer | 2022–present | Multi-vehicle COO responsibilities within credit complex . |
| New Mountain Guardian IV Income Fund, L.L.C. (BDC) | Chief Operating Officer | 2022–present | Operating oversight of affiliated income fund . |
| New Mountain Private Credit Fund (BDC) | Chief Operating Officer | 2024–present | COO role extended to newly launched private credit vehicle . |
| New Mountain Capital | Chief Operating Officer, Credit Platform | Effective Jan 1, 2022 | Platform-wide operations for credit strategy . |
Fixed Compensation
- NMFC does not directly compensate its executive officers; compensation is paid by the Investment Adviser. CFO and CCO compensation is set by the Administrator and reimbursed by NMFC for the allocable portion; the board (majority of Independent Directors) approves CCO compensation per Rule 38a-1 .
- NMFC has no employees; day-to-day operations are managed by the Investment Adviser, with NMFC reimbursing the Administrator for allocable overhead and compensation for CFO and CCO (and their staffs) .
Performance Compensation
- NMFC does not disclose performance-linked compensation metrics, vesting schedules, equity awards (RSUs/PSUs), or options for executive officers because executives are compensated by the Investment Adviser, not directly by NMFC .
- No executive performance plan details (metrics, targets, payouts) are provided in NMFC’s proxy/10-K .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial Shares Owned | 60,483 shares (direct) . |
| Shares Outstanding (for % calc) | 107,851,415 shares as of Feb 26, 2025 . |
| Ownership % of Outstanding | ~0.056% (60,483 / 107,851,415) . |
| Ownership Guidelines | Not disclosed for executive officers . |
| Section 16 Compliance | All Section 16(a) filing requirements met timely in FY 2024 . |
- Hedging policy: Hedging transactions (e.g., prepaid variable forwards, swaps, collars, exchange funds) are not expressly prohibited, but require preclearance by the Chief Compliance Officer; ETFs/ETNs and options on these are exempt from preclearance .
- Pledging: No pledging disclosure specific to executive officers was identified in the proxy/10-K .
Employment Terms
- Appointment: Holson appointed NMFC COO effective February 15, 2022 .
- Role tenure: COO since 2022; interim CFO Apr–Nov 2023 .
- Contract terms, severance, non-compete, change-of-control triggers: Not disclosed in NMFC filings due to external management structure .
- Governance context: Compensation committee annually reviews and recommends approval of the investment advisory and administration agreements (most recently re-approved Jan 29, 2025, for 12 months commencing Mar 1, 2025) .
Performance & Track Record
NMFC’s net income trend during Holson’s COO tenure:
| Metric | Q4 2023 | Q1 2024 | Q2 2024 | Q3 2024 | Q4 2024 | Q1 2025 | Q2 2025 | Q3 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Income - (IS) ($USD) | $27,244,000* | $27,408,000 | $34,471,000 | $23,889,000 | $27,675,000* | $23,413,000 | $7,774,000 | $12,189,000 |
- Values retrieved from S&P Global.
- Key-person dependence: NMFC explicitly cites Holson among key personnel whose loss could materially affect investment execution and results .
Compensation Committee Analysis
- Responsibilities include periodic review of director compensation, recommending advisory/administration agreement approvals, and, if NMFC were to directly compensate executives in the future, reviewing and recommending executive compensation; authority to engage compensation consultants (not currently used). Members: Alfred F. Hurley, Jr. (Chair), David Ogens, Rome G. Arnold III, Daniel B. Hébert, Barbara Daniel (all Independent Directors) .
- Board governance cadence in FY 2024: 9 board meetings; committee meetings—Audit (8), Nominating (2), Compensation (4), Valuation (8). Majority attended ≥75% of meetings .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Holson’s direct stake (~0.056%) is modest; NMFC permits hedging transactions with preclearance, which can dilute alignment if utilized—monitor insider filings for hedging/derivative use .
- Compensation transparency: Executives are paid by the Investment Adviser, not NMFC, limiting direct visibility into pay-for-performance ties at the public vehicle; compensation levers likely align to adviser-level objectives rather than NMFC-specific TSR/ROE targets .
- Retention risk: NMFC flags Holson as key personnel; her departure could impair origination, monitoring, and investment execution—elevated key-person risk for BDC investors .
- Trading signals: Watch for Item 5.02 8-Ks (role changes) and Form 4 activity around earnings/windows; section 16 compliance is reported timely, but lack of disclosed vesting/awards constrains visibility into potential selling pressure from vesting events .
- Governance: Compensation committee annually re-approves advisory/administration agreements; changes in terms/fees could impact NMFC’s net income trajectory and dividend capacity—monitor re-approval disclosures for economics and any consultant engagement .