Key Takeaways from PIK and Preferred Equity Financing Structures: Balancing Flexibility with Risk
Atlanta, GA — In today’s elevated interest rate environment, private equity sponsors are increasingly turning to PIK and preferred equity structures to preserve liquidity while maintaining operational flexibility.
In the article published by Private Equity Professional, Configure Managing Directors Mark Birkett and Joseph Weissglass explore when these tools create value and when they introduce unnecessary complexity.
Read the full article at https://peprofessional.com/2025/11/pik-and-preferred-equity-financing-structures-balancing-flexibility-with-risk/
About Joseph Weissglass
Joseph has focused his career on providing advisory services to middle-market companies regarding debt advisory, liability management, and restructuring engagements.
Joseph joined Configure Partners from the Middle-Market Special Situations practice at Guggenheim Securities, where he served as Vice President. Prior to joining Guggenheim, he was part of the Global Finance and Restructuring Group at Barclays Capital in New York.
Joseph graduated with a B.S. in Construction Science and Management from Clemson University and with an MBA from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School. He is a FINRA General Securities Representative (Series 24, 63, 79) and holds the Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor (CIRA) and the Certification in Distressed Business Valuation (CDBV) designations.
Joseph remains active as a thought leader in the private debt space. His insights and commentary on market trends have been featured in industry publications, including Bloomberg, Private Equity Professionals, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Debt Investors, PitchBook, The Deal, and LSEG Loan Connector.
About Mark Birkett
Mark joined Configure in 2025 as our first banker in Chicago, bringing over two decades of experience supporting private equity firms and middle-market borrowers across a range of debt products, including those supporting acquisitions, growth, recapitalizations, and refinancings.
During his career, Mark has underwritten and advised clients in structuring and executing more than $6 billion of financings comprising senior debt, subordinated debt, structured capital, and non-control equity.
Before joining Configure, Mark was a Senior Managing Director at Hilco Corporate Finance. Prior to joining Hilco Corporate Finance, Mark was a Managing Director in the Leveraged Finance Group at William Blair. Previously, he served as Partner and Managing Director at Livingstone Partners, a lower middle-market investment bank. He was also an Underwriter at GE Antares Capital.
Mark earned his MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and his B.S.B.A. in Finance from Villanova University.