Robert T. Ladd

Mr. Ladd serves as the Chairman of the board of directors and Chief Executive Officer and President for Stellus Capital Investment Corporation. Mr. Ladd is the managing partner and Chief Investment Officer of Stellus Capital Management. Mr. Ladd has more than 32 years of investing, finance, and restructuring experience. Prior to joining Stellus Capital Management, he had been with the D. E. Shaw group, a global investment and technology development firm, where he led the D. E. Shaw group’s Direct Capital Group from February 2004 to January 2012. 

Prior to joining the D. E. Shaw group, Mr. Ladd served as the president of Duke Energy North America, LLC, a merchant energy subsidiary of Duke Energy Corporation, and president and chief executive officer of Duke Capital Partners, LLC, a merchant banking subsidiary of Duke Energy Corporation, from September 2000 to February 2004. From February 1993 to September 2000, Mr. Ladd was a partner of Arthur Andersen LLP where he last served as worldwide managing partner for Arthur Andersen’s corporate restructuring practice and U.S. managing partner for that firm’s corporate finance practice. Before joining Arthur Andersen, from June 1980 to February 1993, Mr. Ladd served in various capacities for First City Bancorporation of Texas, Inc., a bank holding company, and its subsidiaries, including serving as president of First City Asset Servicing Company, an asset management business and executive vice president for the Texas Banking Division of First City Bancorporation of Texas, Inc., a commercial bank. 

He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Rice University, a member of the Board of Advisors of the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business of Rice University, a member of the RISE Council for Economics Advisory Council, as well as the McGovern Medical School of UTHealth Houston Advisory Council. Mr. Ladd received a B.A. in managerial studies and economics from Rice University, and an M.B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin, where he was a Sord Scholar and recipient of the Dean's Award for Academic Achievement.