It’s a Small World - An International View of Global Dealmaking
Sponsored by McDermott Will & Emery LLP
1.25 CLE anticipated / 1.5 CPE credits / 1.5 CEUs available
Wednesday, February 24, 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. CST

Live Innovation Lab
9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. 

In this session, our experts will explore the impact of global, political, and economic events as well as the impact of international developments in key regions on the distressed investing and restructuring industry. Don’t miss a lively discussion as speakers will also discuss the risks and opportunities for distressed investing that exist in Europe and Asia post-COVID-19.

Moderator:
Wanya du Preez, Deloitte

Speakers:
Michael Epstein, Deloitte Special Situations Group
Jed Hart, Centerbridge
Philip Hertz, Clifford Chance
William Needham, KKR Credit

About the Moderator:



Wanya du Preez, Deloitte
Wanya du Preez is a vice president with Deloitte’s Corporate Restructuring Group (CRG), with more than 15 years of professional experience in South Africa, USA, UK and Greece as well as over 7 years of restructuring experience. Her key focus areas are business rescue, turnaround, financial restructuring, independent business reviews, liquidity and solvency reviews (including working capital optimization). She has represented a number of client stakeholders of distressed companies. Ms. du Preez is skilled in financial analysis, due diligence, business plan reviews and cash management. Wanya has experience in data analytics and visualization through Tableau for use in operational dashboards and diagnostics, forecasting, and revenue management.
 

About the Speakers:



Michael Epstein, Deloitte Special Situations Group
As global special situations leader for Deloitte’s restructuring practice, Michael Epstein spends his time primarily in the organization’s New York office. His practice is centered on crisis management, financial advisory services, and insolvency consulting activities in both middle market and large transactions. Mr. Epstein has been an integral part of the organization and its’ predecessors since 1989.   

Mr. Epstein works with management teams, creditors and boards of directors in many aspects of distressed businesses, operational reengineering, and financial restructuring.  His experiences include Lead Restructuring advisor to $3 billion (debt) lender syndicate for a South American manufacturer; Restructuring advisor for a ₤3 billion (debt) global media company; Restructuring advisor for a $1.6 billion consumer goods/brands company; Restructuring advisor for largest pension fund to $1 billion transportation company; Chief Restructuring Advisor (CRA) for a $750 million global contract manufacturer and CRO for numerous middle market companies.

Previously, Mr. Epstein was CEO of a large provider of software solutions for specialized asset-based finance and back-office support for lease administration. Mr. Epstein helped found that company’s first business unit outside of the United Kingdom and held a board seat for the parent company for nearly six years.




Jed Hart, Centerbridge
Jed A. Hart, Senior Managing Director and Management Committee Member.  Mr. Hart joined Centerbridge in 2008 as a Partner & Senior Managing Director.  He participates in the management of the Firm's credit portfolio and oversees all corporate credit activities in Europe.  Mr. Hart relocated to London in August 2012.  Prior to joining Centerbridge, Mr. Hart was a Managing Director at Angelo, Gordon, where he was the Chief Portfolio Manager for the distressed securities funds.  Mr. Hart worked in the High Yield Trading Group at Merrill Lynch & Co. ("Merrill Lynch") from 1993 to 1995, focusing on distressed and special situation investing.  Prior to that, Mr. Hart worked in investment banking specializing in financial institutions at Fox-Pitt, Kelton Inc. Mr. Hart received a B.S. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.




Philip Hertz, Clifford Chance
Philip is a Partner in and is Global Head of Clifford Chance's Restructuring and Insolvency Group. He specializes in general restructuring and insolvency. Recent assignments include advising the lessors of Malaysia Airlines, Gategroup Holdings AG in relation to its restructuring, Nordic Aviation Group in relation to its scheme of arrangement, the SGS bondholders of Intu, the RCF lenders to Kier plc, Matalan in relation to its recent refinancing, the reverse bidder for Premier Oil plc, the Official Receiver and Special Manager of British Steel Ltd, Senior Lenders to the Nyrstar Group, Senior Lenders to the House of Fraser Group, Senior Lenders to Carillion, an ad hoc committee of Finance Lenders in relation to the restructuring of PRISA and the Ad Hoc Committee of Bondholders of Abengoa SA in relation to the restructuring of the group.

Philip is the co-author of the chapters entitled "Schemes of Arrangement" in Tolley's Insolvency Law, "Compromising Shareholder Claims" in The Law and Practise of Restructuring in the UK and US and "Winding Up" in Private Equity Exits as well as numerous articles on general insolvency restructuring and related topics.  He is a past President of the Insolvency Lawyers Association