Octavian Popescu is a Managing Director in Blackstone’s Tactical Opportunities Group in London. Mr. Popescu has been involved in the group’s execution of investments in Rothesay Life, GEMS Education, Prima Assicurazioni, MagicLab, Hafnia Tankers and Ellington Residential Mortgage REIT. He has also been involved in the financing transactions for Cobham and thyssenkrupp Elevator.  Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Popescu was a Senior Associate with Centre Lane Partners, a New York based private equity fund, where he focused on executing special situation private equity investments. Prior to that, Mr. Popescu was an Associate with Bank of America in New York. Mr. Popescu received a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois, where he graduated summa cum laude. Mr. Popescu currently serves on the Board of Directors of Prima.