Rick G. Holzinger, 63, the head of investor relations at Build America Mutual Assurance Company, whose career in finance spanned 30 years and included attorney, investment banking, bond insurance, and consulting, died on March 1 of a long illness.
Holzinger held his most recent role at BAM — and was instrumental in marketing the firm to the investment community — since the company’s 2012 inception.
He tallied more than 100 in-person meetings annually.
“Rick was a crucial member of the team at BAM from the start, and was tireless in supporting our successful launch and growth,” Sean McCarthy, chief executive officer, at BAM said Tuesday.
“I had the privilege to work with Rick across three decades, and always knew we could rely on him to take on and succeed with tough assignments,” McCarthy said. "He worked hard, but nobody could mix work with having fun the way he could. Most of the time, it didn’t feel like work. Everyone at BAM will miss him.”
Since 2014, Holzinger spearheaded BAM’s growth in Texas, which is now the most active state by number of transactions, according to the firm.
Before joining BAM, he worked for FTI Consulting, an independent global business advisory firm, where he established a Structured Finance advisor business.
Prior to FTI, Holzinger was a managing director of the corporate finance group at Financial Security Assurance [FSA] from 2004 to 2008.
He joined FSA in 1996 when he transitioned to a career in bond insurance, and became head of the firm’s Asia-Pacific business, leading its growth of bond insurance across Asia and Australia.
His previous positions included managing director in the securitization and project finance group at Bankers’ Trust Company in Hong Kong and New York, as well as a member of the Board of Directors for CIFG Assurance North America, a leading provider of financial guaranty insurance.
Earlier in his career, Holzinger worked in investment banking at the former PaineWebber Inc., where he developed project and lease financings; as well as an associate attorney position at Dewey, Ballantine, Bushby Palmer and Wood.
A resident of Norwalk, Conn., Holzinger earned a bachelor of arts degree in government and economics from Harvard University and a Juris Doctorate degree with honors from the University of Texas School of Law at Austin.
He is survived by his wife, Sally, and three children, Hayley, Henry, and Lucy.
