Michael Welch leads Ballast Rock's Investor Relations and Capital Formation team from the firm's Charleston, SC headquarters. In this capacity, he directs the firm's capital raising initiatives and manages relationships with current and prospective investors across Ballast Rock's investment strategies. He is responsible for shaping and executing the firm's investor engagement strategy, serving as a primary point of contact for its investor base and driving growth in assets under management.

Before joining Ballast Rock, Welch spent more than a decade at PPM America, most recently as Senior Managing Director and Head of Relationship Management and Investor Relations. In that role, he led global relationship management for a $73 billion asset management platform spanning institutional, intermediary and affiliate channels, with strategies across private equity, private credit, commercial real estate, fixed income and equities.

Earlier in his career, Welch held senior business development and institutional sales positions at Core Capital Management, Oppenheimer & Co. and Lehman Brothers. He has worked with a broad range of investors — including insurance companies, foundations, endowments, family offices, consultants and wealth management firms — and has contributed to the development and launch of private equity, private credit and real estate investment strategies.

Welch holds a Master of Business Administration in International Business and Finance from the University of Miami and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.

Licenses: Series 7 & 63