Christopher Towle, Partner & Director of High Yield and Convertible Securities,  is the lead Portfolio Manager of the bank loan, bond debenture, and convertibles strategies, and also oversees the high-yield strategy.

Mr. Towle joined Lord Abbett in 1987 as a Securities Trader and as an Assistant Portfolio Manager within the fixed-income department, specifically supporting our Bond Debenture, high-yield, and convertible bond strategies.  In 1993, he became Portfolio Manager for the Bond Debenture Fund, as well as the high-yield and convertible bond strategies.  He has been the head of the bank loan strategy since its inception in 2007.   He was named a Partner in 1998.

Prior to joining Lord Abbett, Mr. Towle worked as an Assistant Vice President and Portfolio Manager at American International Group.  Prior to his role at AIG, he held a number of trading and portfolio management roles in the banking industry.

Mr. Towle is an acknowledged expert on the high-yield bond market, is frequently quoted on fixed-income issues in many publications, including Bloomberg News, The Wall Street Journal, and Investor's Business Daily, and has been profiled by Barron's and Dow Jones newswires. He also is engaged in educational programs for disadvantaged youth living in the New York City area.

Mr. Towle earned a BA in economics from Rutgers University. He also is a holder of a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.