Photo: Robert Scheer © PGIM

PGIM, Prudential Financial, Inc.’s global asset management business (NYSE: PRU), with US$1,500 billion in assets under management¹, has appointed Robert Scheer as Head of Direct Lending for the DACH region, effective immediately.

Based in Frankfurt, Robert Scheer will lead PGIM’s direct lending activities in collaboration with businesses and will be responsible for identifying, structuring, negotiating and underwriting transactions across the DACH region. In this newly created role, Robert Scheer will report to Matt Harvey, PGIM’s Global Head of Direct Lending for Middle Market Companies. The appointment forms part of the continued expansion of PGIM’s direct lending platform. 

Established more than 20 years ago, the platform spans the lower middle market, including through PGIM’s acquisition of Deerpath Capital, the core middle market and large-cap companies. The platform now manages US$16 billion, with deal flow sourced largely through an origination network covering both sponsor-backed and sponsorless transactions.

Matthew Harvey, Global Head of Direct Lending for Middle Market Companies at PGIM, said : « The DACH region represents one of the most promising opportunities for direct lending in Europe, with a substantial pool of family-owned and investor-owned businesses. Robert combines genuine local expertise with strong cross-border execution experience, and his appointment reflects the continued growth of our market-leading origination platform in Continental Europe. » 

Robert Scheer joins PGIM from M&G Investments, where he served as Co-Head of Private Credit Origination, leading sponsor-backed middle market activities as well as cross-border transaction teams in London, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. Prior to that, he was Head of Direct Lending for the DACH region at M&G, where he played a pivotal role in building the firm’s private credit origination business from the ground up in Germany and the Netherlands.

Robert Scheer added : « PGIM’s scale, its long-standing credit expertise and its long-term approach make it a natural partner for financial sponsors and companies seeking a dependable partner through the economic cycle. I look forward to helping strengthen those relationships and expand the platform across the DACH region. » 

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Notes for editors 

Robert Scheer biography 

Robert joins PGIM from M&G Investments, where he was Co-Head of the “Private Credit Origination” division, leading sponsor-backed middle market activities and cross-border transaction teams, and co-leading a team of ten professionals across London, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. He joined M&G in 2022 as Head of Direct Lending for the DACH region, where he played a key role in establishing the firm’s private credit origination business from the outset in Germany and the Netherlands. He also helped raise capital for the senior direct lending fund and represented the strategy in meetings with investors (LPs) and at industry conferences. 

Before joining M&G, Robert spent ten years at ING Bank in Frankfurt as Director of Acquisition Finance and Sponsor Coverage, where he originated, structured and executed sponsor-led leveraged finance transactions across the German-speaking market and built an extensive network within the private equity ecosystem, including leading sponsors focused on large-cap and mid-cap companies. His experience in that role covered end-to-end transaction management across a broad range of sectors — from manufacturing, automotive and software to healthcare, infrastructure and energy — as well as significant restructuring expertise in German and cross-border insolvency proceedings. He began his career in leveraged finance and origination roles at Commerzbank, IKB Deutsche Industriebank and HSH Nordbank. 

Robert holds a master’s degree in finance from INSEAD and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Frankfurt School of Finance & Management; he also completed the “Transition to Business Leadership” programme at IMD Business School in Lausanne. A native German speaker, he is fluent in English.

ABOUT PGIM

PGIM, Prudential Financial, Inc.’s global asset management business (NYSE: PRU), manages US$1,500 billion in assets.¹ PGIM provides clients with deep expertise across public and private asset classes, offering a diversified range of investment strategies and tailored solutions, including fixed income, equities, real estate and other retail investment vehicles. With more than 1,500 investment professionals across 40 offices in 20 countries, we serve individual and institutional clients around the world. For more information, visit pgim.com. Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI), a US company, is in no way affiliated with Prudential plc, a UK-incorporated company, or Prudential Assurance Company, a subsidiary of M&G plc, a UK-incorporated company. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com.

¹ As of 30 June 2026.

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