How has your career progressed during your time at CMA? How long have you been here?

I started with Carl Marks Advisors in May of 2017, so I’m coming up on my two-year anniversary. Before I joined CMA, I was at a middle-market restructuring and turnaround advisory firm for roughly four years. Prior to that, I spent two years at a Big Four accounting firm, working in the Transaction Services group.

Since joining CMA, I’ve been promoted to a Director, gained valuable experience across a variety of industries and been afforded the opportunity to expand my roles and responsibilities. Now, as Director, I have a more meaningful leadership role working alongside clients to develop and implement solutions.

What originally drew you to a career in restructuring and investment banking?

Restructuring and investment banking offer me the opportunity to help businesses work through challenging situations and emerge stronger. That can mean locating capital to reinvest in strategic alternatives, executing a transaction critical to the progression of a business, or implementing necessary operational improvements.

Having the opportunity to work in these complex situations, while getting to make a meaningful difference for clients, is what originally drew me to this space and what makes it so compelling to me to this day.

What insights/advantages do you feel you gain by working across a variety of industries?

During my time at CMA, I’ve gotten the opportunity to work with stakeholders across a wide variety of industries. Each engagement is different and brings a unique set of circumstances to navigate. Getting the chance to work across such a broad range of industries allows me to make a significant difference for my clients by leveraging that wealth of experiences in ways I wouldn’t have initially thought.

What is the most rewarding aspect of working on/closing a deal?

Engagements are dynamic, and issues can arise quickly with limited reaction time. It can be tough to appreciate everything that is being accomplished while you are “in the weeds” working through things side-by-side with a client. Looking back after the fact, you get to appreciate all that was achieved. It’s satisfying to walk away from a successful engagement and later hear from a client that the company is continuing to outperform.