Hank Baer
Partner
Finn Dixon & Herling

Mr. Baer is the head of the Bankruptcy and Corporate Reorganizations practice group at Finn Dixon & Herling LLP. In his practice, Mr. Baer represents private equity funds, hedge funds, and other financial institutions in workouts and reorganizations, including in leveraged transactions, recapitalizations, and distressed M&A transactions, and in defending insolvency related litigation. Throughout his career, Mr. Baer has represented clients in the automotive, restaurant, paper, power, textile, grocery, printing, executive search, movable medical equipment manufacturing, coal, digital technologies and real estate sectors, among others. Mr. Baer is a member of the Asset Sale and the Business Reorganization committees of the American Bankruptcy Institute, and is an Editor of the Second Circuit case law updates for the American Bankruptcy Institute. Before joining Finn Dixon, Mr. Baer was a member of the Bankruptcy and Reorganization Groups at Latham & Watkins LLP and Dechert LLP, respectively, both in New York City.

 

Maria Boyazny
Managing Director/Portfolio Manager
Siguler Guff & Company, LLC

Maria Boyazny is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Siguler Guff & Company, a New York-based private equity firm with assets under management of over $8 billion. Ms. Boyazny oversees Siguler Guff’s flagship Distressed Opportunities Fund, with assets under management of over $4 billion, which is one of the largest institutional fund-of-funds focused on distressed and turnaround investing around the world. In this capacity, Ms. Boyazny designs fund strategy, identifies potential investments, negotiates investment terms and conditions, as well as selects direct investment opportunities.

Ms. Boyazny is a member of Siguler Guff’s Investment Committee and is involved in all aspects of its investment activities. Ms. Boyazny serves on the Advisory Boards of many leading firms investing in restructuring and distressed situations in the U.S., Asia and Europe. She is active in researching theoretical issues and their application to successful strategies for distressed and turnaround investing in various markets. Ms. Boyazny is the author of several publications, a frequent conference speaker and media commentator focusing on various aspects of the restructuring and distressed securities business worldwide.

Prior to joining the firm in 1997, Ms. Boyazny was a member of the Investment Banking Division of Smith Barney Inc., where she specialized in providing merger & acquisition and other corporate finance services to financial institutions. Ms. Boyazny graduated with a degree in Economics, with a concentration in Finance and minor in Mathematics, from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her M.B.A. from Columbia University.

 

Doug Cullen
Vice President, Business Development
Intralinks

• Graduate of Cornell University
• Joined IntraLinks in 2008 as VP of Sales covering North America
• Prior to IntraLinks, worked for a collaboration company in London called Avistar. He was the Managing Director for EMEA.
• Prior to Avistar, worked for a technology company called TalkPoint in NYC, a pioneer in web events where he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

 

Patrick H. Daugherty, Esq.
Partner, Head of Distressed and Private Equity Investments
Highland Capital Management

Mr. Daugherty is a Partner and his responsibilities include managing the Distressed Group and the Private Equity Group at Highland. He formally served as General Counsel and Head of the Merchant Banking Group at Highland. Prior to joining Highland in April 1998, Mr. Daugherty served as Vice President in the Corporate Finance Group at Bank of America Capital Markets, Inc. (formerly NationsBanc Capital Markets, Inc.) where he originated and structured leveraged transactions of mid-cap companies located in the Southwest. Prior to joining Bank of America, Mr. Daugherty was an Associate with the law firm of Baker, Brown, Sharman and Parker in Houston, Texas, where he worked with banks and financial institutions in the liquidation of various RTC (Resolution Trust Corporation) assets. Mr. Daugherty has over 20 years of experience in distressed, high yield and corporate restructuring. He has been involved in over 100 restructurings and held steering positions in over 50 bankruptcies. Mr. Daugherty currently serves on the Board of Directors of Trussway Holdings, Inc. and its affiliates (as Chairman), Cornerstone Healthcare Group (as Chairman), Marcal Paper Mills, LLC (as Chairman), Nextech Aerospace Holdings, Inc. (as Chairman), Safety-Kleen Holdco., Inc., Solstice Neuroscience, Inc.,Decision One and Romacorp, Inc.(as Chairman). He is a former board member of SunCom Wireless Holdings, Inc., Norse Merchant Group and its affiliates, Ferrimorac Holdings Limited, and Mariner Health Care. He received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston School of Law, and a BBA in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Daugherty is a member of the Texas Bar Association.

 

Kipp deVeer
Partner
Ares Private Debt Group

Mr. deVeer joined Ares in May 2004 and serves as a Partner in the Private Debt Group. Mr. deVeer is a senior member of the management team at Ares Capital Corporation, focused on originating and managing leveraged finance and private capital investments for the Company. In addition, Mr. deVeer serves as an Investment Committee member of both Ares Capital Management LLC and Ares Capital Europe. Prior to joining Ares, Mr. deVeer was a Partner at RBC Capital Partners, a unit of the Royal Bank of Canada that managed the firm's financing and principal investment activities in middle market leveraged finance and private equity. Prior to this, Mr. deVeer was a Vice President in the Merchant Banking Group at Indosuez Capital, a division of Credit Agricole Indosuez. Mr. deVeer has also worked at J.P. Morgan & Co., both in the Special Investment Group of J.P. Morgan Investment Management, Inc. and in the Investment Banking Division of J.P. Morgan & Co. Mr. deVeer received a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

 

Martin Flics
Head, US Restructuring & Insolvency Practice
Linklaters, LLP

Martin Flics, head of the Linklaters U.S. restructuring & insolvency practice and co-head of the U.S. banking practice, advises companies, secured and unsecured creditors and financial advisors in major U.S. and cross-border bankruptcies and restructurings. Significant aspects of Marty’s broad-based bankruptcy practice include advising purchasers of assets of, and investors in, distressed companies, and lenders to distressed companies (including providers of debtor-in-possession and exit financing). He also regularly provides advice on bankruptcy issues in a broad range of complex transactions including financing, M&A, commercial, structured finance and derivative transactions, including providing structuring and drafting advice to maximize desirable outcomes in U.S. bankruptcy proceedings. He has led our U.S. bankruptcy representation in many high profile matters, including Lehman Brothers, Samsonite, DBSD, Dura and numerous others. Marty is named as a leading lawyer in Bankruptcy/Restructuring in Chambers USA 2007, 2008 and 2009.

 

Jason Friedman
Managing Director
Marathon Asset Management

Mr. Friedman is responsible for identifying, evaluating, structuring and managing special situations investments for the Marathon Family of Funds. From 1996 to 2007, Mr. Friedman worked for CCMP Capital Partners and its predecessors JP Morgan Partners, Chase Capital Partners and Chemical Venture Partners, where he was a Principal. While at CCMP Capital and its predecessors, Mr. Friedman focused on making investments in the Financial Services, Media, and Consumer/Retail sectors. Mr. Friedman has been engaged in all aspects of the investment process including sourcing transactions, performing complex investment analyses and diligence, developing growth and cash management strategies in conjunction with management teams, restructuring capital structures and monitoring performance at the Board of Director level. Prior to joining CCMP in 1996, Mr. Friedman worked in Chemical Bank's Acquisition Finance and Global Loan Syndication groups. Mr. Friedman holds a BA degree in Public Policy and Economics from Duke University and has an MBA from the Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar.

 

Paul Gordon
Managing Director
S.A.C. Capital Advisors, L.P.

Paul Gordon is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at S.A.C. Capital Advisors, L.P. Mr. Gordon joined SAC in 2006 from Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. Mr. Gordon's investment activity focuses primarily on the credit markets covering both primary issuance as well as stressed and distressed secondary-market opportunities and ranges from highly tailored private structures to publicly traded instruments, both including senior and second-lien loans, subordinated and mezzanine debt and high-yield bonds, as well as debtor-in-possession and exit financing. Mr. Gordon is engaged in all aspects of the investment process including sourcing, structuring, diligence, documentation and portfolio management, including serving as a member of the board of directors for a number of companies. As part of his portfolio management responsibilities, Mr. Gordon also has extensive experience in the restructuring of investment positions, both in the context of bankruptcy reorganization as well as in out-of-court situations. Prior to Cerberus, Mr. Gordon spent three years in the investment banking division of Bear Stearns & Co. Inc. Mr. Gordon began his career at Citibank, N.A., where he specialized in the structuring and syndications of leveraged loan transactions. Mr. Gordon received an MBA from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a BA, magna cum laude, from Cornell University.

 

Robert Harris
Partner
Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis

Robert L. Harris is a partner at Waller Lansden and leads the firm’s Finance and Restructuring practice.Mr. Harris focuses primarily on the areas of corporate finance and commercial lending.Mr. Harris represents clients in structuring and establishing senior and subordinated credit facilities (including leveraged recapitalizations, acquisition and development financing and asset-based loans) and frequently represents borrowers in syndicated financings.He also has represented private equity firms in acquisition contexts.Mr. Harris represents a number of clients in health-care receivable financings and is widely published on the topic.

Mr. Harris has been involved in arranging more than $2.5 billion in financings for healthcare companies in the past three years.His recent experience includes:

• Representation of a healthcare technology company in its $135,000,000 senior credit facility and its mezzanine debt facility.
• Representation of a privately-held rural hospital company in connection with senior secured credit facility involving a $211,000,000 first lien and $72,000,000 second lien. Both tranches were syndicated.
• Representation of healthcare finance division of a publicly-traded company in connection with a $29,000,000 syndicated credit facility with a revolver and three term tranches.
• Representation of the healthcare finance division of a publicly-traded company in connection with a $47,100,000 syndicated first lien and second lien credit facilities to a behavioral healthcare company in an acquisition financing.
• Representation of an investor-owned hospital system in the negotiation and documentation of a $745,000,000 credit facility, including a revolver, term and incremental term components.
• Representation of a healthcare specialty lender in providing $6,000,000 receivables-based exit financing for a California-based hospital exiting bankruptcy.
• Representation of a private equity firm and its portfolio companies in re-negotiating and amending their senior credit facilities during the recent period of market turbulence.
• Representation of a privately-held company in a leveraged buyout to finance the purchase of a competing business in the pet product industry. Mr. Harris handled the financing of the transaction, which involved establishing a $195,000,000 senior credit facility, including
  a $45,000,000 revolving credit facility and a $150,000,000
  term B facility.

Mr. Harris has been recognized inThe Best Lawyers in America® (Woodward White, Inc.) for his work in banking law.His article “Using the Double Lockbox to Navigate Healthcare Asset-Based Lending” was published in the January 2007 issue ofABF Journal.

 

Joel Holsinger
Managing Director
Fortress Investment Group

Joel is a Managing Director in Atlanta at Fortress Investment Group in the Hybrid Group focusing on acquiring distressed loan portfolios, as well as other real estate, debt and equity opportunities.

Prior to Fortress, Joel was a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Atalaya Capital Management, an alternative investment fund that focused on private debt, mezzanine and equity investments in middle-market companies. While at Atalaya, he oversaw investments totaling more than $1 billion in commitments.

Prior to joining Atalaya, Joel was a Managing Director at Navigant Consulting, Inc., where he was the head of the Hedge Fund/Lender Services Group. Additionally, he was responsible for running Sextant Corporate Finance, Navigant’s $250 million alternative investment platform.

Prior to joining Navigant Capital Advisors, Joel was the CFO and EVP of a Southeast- based quick service restaurant and casual dining franchisee with 150 units and over $100 million in sales. Joel was a Vice President with Wells Fargo in the Middle Market Lending group where he managed a team of investment professionals underwriting senior loan transactions to middle market companies. Joel began his career as a Credit Analyst with Citigroup.

 

Richard Hurowitz
CEO
Octavian Advisors

Richard Hurowitz is the founder and chief executive officer of Octavian Advisors, LP, a global investment firm which has successfully invested in over forty countries on six continents. The firm is active in several alternative investment strategies including distressed debt, special situations, non-traditional assets, and is a provider of merchant capital worldwide. Octavian currently manages approximately $1.0 billion and is headquartered in New York with affiliate offices in Auckland, Shanghai and Taipei. Mr. Hurowitz has invested extensively in Europe, Asia, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Latin America. He was previously a partner and Managing Principal of Halcyon Asset Management LLC, a multi-strategy investment fund which had in excess of $3.0 billion under management. Before joining Halcyon in 2000, he was the founder and chairman of Richmond Communications, an electronic publishing company, and worked at Apollo Real Estate Advisors. He received a JD from Columbia University Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and the editor-in-chief of the Columbia/VLA Journal of Law & the Arts. He earned a BA in history from Yale University, graduating in three years at the age of twenty, magna cum laude and with distinction, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Alpha Theta. He is a member of the board of directors of SFM BAM, a leading Latin American carbon credit developer, and will be joining the supervisory board of Head NV, the sporting goods manufacturer. He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

 

Peter Lattman
Private Equity Reporter
The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Lattman is reporter for The Wall Street Journal coveringthe private equitybusiness. Prior to his current beat, he was a legal affairs reporter for the newspaper and also thefounding writerof theWSJ.com's law blog. Prior to joining the Journal in 2005, he was a reporter for Forbesmagazine. Previously, Mr. Lattman worked at Goldman Sachs & Co. and began his career as a lawyerat Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel. Mr. Lattman received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a JD from Fordham University School of Law.

 

Ari Lefkovits
Director
Lazard

Ari Lefkovits is a Director in Lazard’s Restructuring Group. Mr. Lefkovits joined Lazard’s Restructuring Group in 2002 and has advised numerous clients through the restructuring process, including IAP Worldwide Services, Vertis, Asia Global Crossing, GenTek, Kaiser Aluminum, Metromedia Fiber Network, Milacron, American Home Mortgage, New Century, SpectraSite, Zilog, 360networks, UAW, Landsource, Extended Stay Hotels and Crescent Resources.

Prior to joining Lazard’s Restructuring Group, Mr. Lefkovits worked in Lazard’s Technology, Media, and Telecommunications group, where he advised on a wide range of domestic and cross-border strategic advisory projects. Mr. Lefkovits’ work there primarily involved mergers and acquisitions and also included private placement and equity offering transactions.  

Dartmouth College, A.B. in History, Magna Cum Laude. Stanford University, J.D., with Distinction.

 

Michael Maiello
Editor of Markets and Intelligent Investing
Forbes

Michael Maiello is Editor of Markets and Intelligent Investing atForbes. He also writes a weekly column called "An Equal Shot," and is the co-host of Open Mike, a program on the Forbes Video Network. He appears frequently on The Deal with Neil Cavuto on Fox Business News and Forbes on Fox on Fox News. He is also a frequent panelist at Markets Media events. Previously, he was an associate editor at Forbes magazine. He has covered mutual funds, hedge funds investment banks, institutional investors and exchanges among other topics. He is also a published playwright and is sometimes a stand up comic.

 

Jeff Marwil
Partner
Proskauer

Jeff Marwil is a Partner in the Bankruptcy& Restructuring Group. During his 23 years of experience in the bankruptcy, workout and corporate restructuring area, he has developed a reputation for providing sophisticated strategic advice to upper-tier companies in distress and for solving challenging legal and business issues.

Currently, Jeff is devoting significant attention to hedge funds in distress.He representshedge funds, the managers/advisers, and sophisticated fund-of-fund and pension plan investors in hedge fund restructurings, wind-downs, liquidations,and complex litigation matters. Jeff recently served as lead fund counsel for a complex of several alternative strategy funds seeking to restructure in the midst of the current unprecedented market conditions. He currently serves as the Sole Managing Member of the Bayou Group of hedge funds, and is pursuing, in its Chapter 11 cases, fraudulent conveyance recoveries from Ponzi scheme recipients for the benefit of defrauded investors. Other matters in which Jeff is involved includethe representation of a large group of investors in Ezra Merkin’s Madoff “feeder funds,” as well as Fund counsel in an attempted restructuring, and now wind-down, of a multibillion dollar onshore and offshore affiliated group of multistrategy hedge funds.

Jeff also has long-term and extensive experience representing public and private companies (in and out of court) in restructuring complex capital structures and reorganizing their financial affairs and business operations. Jeff has an in-depth understanding of the roles and responsibilities of officers and directors of both publicly traded and privately held companies, and regularly is retained to provide advice on issues of fiduciary duty related to companies in distress, their creditors and their shareholders.

In addition to counseling clients through workouts, restructurings and reorganizations, Jeff has represented companies, private equity funds, hedge funds and other investment groups in the purchase and sale of distressed companies, debt and assets. He has assisted numerous clients, both on the sell side and the buy side, with structuring and consummating complex transactions. He also has represented senior secured lenders and official committees in major workouts, restructurings and reorganizations.

Nationally recognized as an independent fiduciary, Jeff handles investigations of fraud and pursuing recoveries for investors and other victims of fraud. In addition to his role in the Bayou matter, he serves as the Securities Exchange Commission-selected and Southern District of Indiana-appointed Conservator and Receiver for the Church Extension of the Church of God and United Management Services.

Jeff is a frequent speaker at the American Bankruptcy Institute, the Turnaround Management Association and other privately sponsored educational events.

 

Harvey Miller
Partner
Weil, Gotshal & Manges

Harvey R. Miller, born New York City, March 1, 1933; admitted to bar, 1959, New York. Admitted: United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Ninth Circuits; United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; New York State. Education: Brooklyn College (A.B., 1954); Columbia University (LL.B., 1959).

Harvey R. Miller currently is a Senior Partner in the New York City based international law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP where he had been a member of the Firm’s Management Committee for over 25 years and created and developed the Firm’s Business Finance & Restructuring Department specializing in reorganizing distressed business entities and representing creditors, investors and purchasers of distressed businesses and assets. From September 2002 to March 2007, he was a Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Greenhill & Co., LLC, an international investment banking firm. Adjunct Associate Professor of Law 1974-76, and Adjunct Professor of Law 1976 to present, New York University Law School; Visiting Lecturer, Yale Law School, 1983-84; Lecturer in Law 2000 to present, Columbia University School of Law; Member, Board of Visitors Columbia University School of Law through 2002; Member, Dean’s Council Columbia University School of Law 2003-present; Member, National Bankruptcy Conference; Fellow, American College of Bankruptcy; Fellow of the American Bar Foundation; Trustee, Committee on Economic Development; also serves on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Opera. Frequent lecturer at continuing legal education and economic conferences.

Recipient of: 2005 Distinguished Service Award, American College of Bankruptcy; 2002 Lifetime Achievement Award, Emory University School of Law; 2001 Medal for Excellence, Columbia University School of Law Association.

 

Jason New
Senior Managing Director
GSO Capital

Jason New is a Senior Managing Director of The Blackstone Group and Co-Head of Distressed Investing for GSO Capital Partners. Mr. New focuses on managing GSO's public investment portfolio with a specific emphasis on stressed and distressed companies and on sourcing direct distressed investment opportunities. Mr. New is a member of the GSO Investment Committee. Before joining GSO Capital Partners in 2005, Mr. New was a senior member of Credit Suisse's distressed finance group. Mr. New joined Credit Suisse in 2000 when it acquired DLJ, where he was a member of DLJ's restructuring group. Prior to joining DLJ in 1999, he was an associate with the law firm Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood where he practiced law in the firm's corporate reorganization group. Mr. New received a JD from Duke University School of Law and a BA, magna cum laude, from Allegheny College.

 

J. Kirk Ogren
Partner/Portfolio Manager
TPG Credit Management, L.P.

Kirk Ogren joined TPG Credit Management in 2005 as a Partner and Portfolio Manager. Mr. Ogren is actively involved in sourcing and managing distressed and stressed portfolio credit investments, work-outs and liquidations in North America, Latin America and Asia. Mr. Ogren serves on the TPG Credit Investment Committee . Previously Mr.Ogren was a senior member and Managing Director with Cargill in their Value Investment Global Credit Strategies business where he invested in distressed and special situations in North America and Emerging Markets. Prior to that he founded and managed Cargill’s cross-border Latin America equity trading and investment business.

Before joining Cargill in 1993, Mr.Ogren was a Vice President at Banker’s Trust and worked in the Latin America Merchant Banking Group based in both New York and Santiago, Chile, where he was involved in mergers and acquisitions activities, corporate finance and proprietary trading. Mr. Ogren received his B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Notre Dame and a M.I.B.S. from the University of South Carolina. Mr. Ogren has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

 

David Robbins
Managing Director, Control Distressed Debt
GSC Group

Mr. Robbins joined GSC Group at its inception in 1999 and is responsible for sourcing, evaluating and executing control distressed debt investments. He is also a member of the investment committee for the GSC Recovery Funds. He was involved in the formation of GSC’s European Mezzanine Group working in GSC’s London office for three years focused on analyzing and executing a variety of mezzanine transactions. He was previously with The Blackstone Group, in the Principal Investment and Mergers and Acquisitions Groups, where he worked on a variety of private equity and advisory transactions. Mr. Robbins is on the board of ATSI Holdings, International Wire Group, Inc., Kolmar Labs Group, Neucel Specialty Cellulose, and Safety-Kleen Corp. Mr. Robbins graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania, with a B.S. degree in Economics.

 

Henny Sender
Senior Correspondent
Financial Times

Henny Sender joined theFinancial Timesin 2007.

Previously, Sender was theWall Street Journal’s senior special writer for the Money & Investing section and covered private equity and hedge funds.

Before joining the Journal, Sender worked in Hong Kong for nearly ten years and covered regional finance for theWall Street Journal Asiaand theFar Eastern Economic Review; prior to that she was in Tokyo for five years forInstitutional Investor.

Last year, Sender was part of a team at the Journal which won a Loeb award for coverage of the meltdown of Amaranth, a hedge fund. Her work on the overseas Chinese received a citation from the Overseas Press Club and she was a finalist for the National Magazine Awards. Her book on India,

The Kashmiri Pandits, was published by Oxford University Press.

Sender holds an MS from the Columbia University School of Journalism. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Sender is based in New York.

 

Mark Shapiro
Managing Director, Head of Restructuring & Finance
Barclays Capital

Mark Shapiro is the Head of the Global Restructuring and Finance Group in the Investment Banking Division of Barclays Capital (former head of Lehman Brothers Restructuring Group 2002-2008). The Restructuring and Finance Group advises clients in connection with out-of-court workouts and Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. and Europe, including Debtor cases, acquisitions and sales, and provides financing for distressed companies, including DIP, rescue and exit financings. Some of the recent transactions the Restructuring and Finance Group have worked on include acting as Lead Arranger and Agent under the $3 billion rescue financing for CIT Group, acting as Sole Arranger and Agent under the $350 million DIP Financing for Tribune Corporation, and assisting Apollo as financial advisor in connection with terminating exclusivity in the Pliant chapter 11 case. Prior to joining Barclays, he was a partner and co-head of the Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group at the law firm of Shearman & Sterling. He has a B.A. from Hobart College and a J.D. from Columbia Law School.

 

David H. Storper
Senior Managing Director
WL Ross & Co. LLC

David H. Storper, Senior Managing Director of WL Ross & Co. LLC , Portfolio Manager of the Absolute Recovery Hedge Fund and Member of the Investment Committee. Mr. Storper leads W.L. Ross’ analyst team and trading departments sourcing and positioning product for the firm’s investment vehicles. Prior to W.L. Ross, Mr. Storper worked for Mr. Ross as a Managing Director in Rothschild Inc.’s Restructuring Group. He also worked as a distressed securities analyst and salesman at CS First Boston Corporation and Libra Investments. He began his career in the Credit Training Program at Wells Fargo Bank followed by positions in its Corporate Banking and Problem Loan Groups. Mr. Storper holds an M.B.A from Columbia Business School and B.S. from Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science.

 

Brian Sullivan
Anchor
FOX Business Network

Brian Sullivan joined FOX Business Network (FBN) in April 2008 as an anchor. He co-anchors the 10am-12pm ET hours of the FOX Business block.

Prior to joining FBN, Sullivan served as an anchor for Bloomberg Television where he hosted the programsMorning CallandIn Focus.He also frequently hosted the weekend interview programFor the Record. Sullivan’s July 2007 special “Subprime Shockwaves” won the New York CPA Society Excellence in Financial Journalism award and was nominated for the Loeb Award for its early reporting on the impact of subprime mortgages on the housing market and economy.

Sullivan joined Bloomberg Television in 1997 and during his eleven years with the network, he served in various roles as a writer, editor, on-air reporter and stocks editor. In his anchor position, Sullivan interviewed prominent political and business leaders including Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison, and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. He also frequently speaks and moderates panels at events such as the Milken Institute Global Conference.

Prior to joining Bloomberg, Sullivan traded chemical commodities for Mitsubishi International. Born in Los Angeles, CA, he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Virginia Tech, certificate in journalism from New York University School of Continuing Education, and a law degree from Brooklyn Law School.

Sullivan also races cars competitively in the Sports Car Club of America.

 

Steven Wayne
Managing Director
Oak Hill Advisors, LP

Steven Wayne has responsibility for Oak Hill Advisors’ investments in middle-market and sponsor originated transactions. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Wayne was a Managing Director of Berenson & Company, a boutique investment and merchant bank, where he also served as the firm’s Chief Financial Officer. At Berenson, Mr. Wayne was responsible for developing and advising on merger, acquisition, restructuring and financing transactions as well as evaluating and executing principal transactions. Prior to Berenson, he worked at a middle market private equity firm and he began his career in the Corporate Finance Department of Drexel Burnham Lambert. Mr. Wayne earned a B.S., magna cum laude, from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Jon Weber
Head of Portfolio Operations at Special Situations Group
Goldman Sachs

Mr. Weber heads Portfolio Operations within the Special Situations Group (SSG) at Goldman Sachs. He and his team conduct operational portfolio oversight and manage value enhancement initiatives for more than 50 businesses in which SSG is an influential equity investor in the Americas and EMEA. Previously, Mr. Weber was the senior finance and operations executive for Carl Icahn responsible for operational oversight of companies in which Mr. Icahn had a significant interest. In that capacity, Mr. Weber served as President of Icahn Enterprises, L.P. (NYSE-IEP), CEO of Philip Services Corporation and Viskase Companies, and as a board member of American Railcar Industries, National Energy Group, WestPoint International and XO Communications. Earlier in his career, Mr. Weber was Managing Director heading corporate and investment banking for JP Morgan Chase in Sao Paulo and a Principal in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley in New York. Mr. Weber began his career as a corporate lawyer at Weil Gotshal & Manges following his graduation cum laude from Harvard Law School. He also holds an MBA and Bachelor's degrees from Babson College. Mr. Weber is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Association of Corporate Directors.

 

Michael Weinstock
Managing Principal
Monarch Alternative Capital LP

Michael Weinstock is co-founder and co-Portfolio Manager of Monarch. Prior to joining Monarch in March 2002, Mr. Weinstock was a Managing Director of Lazard and served as co-Portfolio Manager of the Lazard Debt Recovery Funds. In 1992, he joined Lazard’s then-recently formed High Yield Bond Department as a Vice President to build a distressed debt research effort. Under Mr. Weinstock’s leadership, Lazard’s distressed debt research team was ranked #1 in the distressed debt category by Institutional Investor magazine in 1998. Prior to joining Lazard, Mr. Weinstock became a distressed debt research analyst in 1991 when he joined R.D. Smith & Co., a pioneer in the field of distressed debt investing. Prior to that, he was an investment banker for seven years at Salomon Brothers and Goldman Sachs working on corporate finance, securitization, and mergers and acquisitions transactions. He currently serves on the Investment Committee of the Jewish Community Foundation and Board of Directors of Protection One Inc. Mr. Weinstock graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, summa cum laude, with a B.S. in Economics and from Harvard Business School with an M.B.A.

 

David R. Williams
US Restructuring Leader
Ernst & Young

Dave leads Ernst & Young's US Restructuring practice and has over 20 years of restructuring experience with a majority of his career focusing on turnarounds and distressed transactions. He has advised debtors, creditors and stakeholders on a wide array of restructuring and strategic issues, including strategic alternatives involving a buy or sell decision, reorganization plans, profit enhancement, cost reduction, litigation, receiverships and fraud investigations. Prior to joining Ernst & Young, Dave was a member of FTI's restructuring leadership team and was responsible for the firm's financial services initiative. Prior to that, he was a senior partner at PriceWaterhouseCoopers where he held global leadership positions in restructuring and financial services.

 

Brett Wyard
Managing Director and Co-Head of Carlyle Strategic Partners
The Carlyle Group

Brett G. Wyard is Managing Director and Co-Head of Carlyle Strategic Partners at the Carlyle Group. He is based in Los Angeles.

Carlyle Strategic Partners manages closed-end distressed funds, investing in the debt and equity of financially distressed companies, exerting influence or control where deemed appropriate.

Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Wyard was a Managing Director at Oaktree Capital Management, LLC where he was a senior member of a team that invested in special situation, distressed debt and private equity investments. While at Oaktree, Mr. Wyard was on the Board of Directors of NTL Inc. and Pinnacle Foods. Mr. Wyard additionally managed the opening of the Frankfurt office in 2004.

Prior to Oaktree, Mr. Wyard was a Vice President in the Global Special Situations Group at Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith, Inc. From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Wyard was in the Financial Restructuring Group at Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin where he advised on restructuring and merger & acquisition transactions. Prior thereto, he worked at Voyageur Asset Management and Miller & Schroeder Financial.

Mr. Wyard received a B.A. in economics from Boston College.

 

Nathaniel Zilkha
Global Co-Head of Special Situations Investing
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.

Nat Zilkha is the global co-head ofSpecial SituationsInvesting atKKR, which includes the firm's activities in public and private distressed and structured investments. Previously he was a member of the North American Private Equity team. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Zilkha spent 8 years in the Principal Investment Area of Goldman Sachs, where he invested in private equity and principal debt transactions. He is currently on the boards of directors of Oriental Brewery and Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Zilkha graduated from Princeton University.

 

Bruce Zirinsky
Co-Chairman, Business Reorganization & Bankruptcy Practice
Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Bruce R. Zirinsky is Co-Chairman of Greenberg Traurig’s Business Reorganization and Bankruptcy Practice. He has focused his practice on U.S. and international financial restructurings and reorganizations for more than 30 years.

In 2008,The American Lawyernamed Bruce a “Dealmaker of the Year” for his lead role in the highly successful Chapter 11 reorganization of Northwest Airlines. He is one of the premier bankruptcy and restructuring attorneys in the United States and has represented debtors, creditors, investors and other parties in large and complex restructurings, reorganizations, acquisitions, financings and litigation, covering a broad range of industries and issues. Bruce has played a major role in the restructuring, reorganization, sale or acquisition of many large, complex businesses in the airline, telecommunications, energy, health care, manufacturing, retail, food services, financial services, real estate, rail car, shipping, forest products, petroleum, computer, media, casino gaming, and hospitality industries, among others.

Bruce’s clients include numerous Fortune 500 companies; public and private companies; commercial banks; investment banks; insurance companies; asset management, private equity and investment funds; and other business enterprises. His practice encompasses counseling debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, creditor committees, public bondholders, shareholders, and investors involved in many of the largest and most complex U.S. and international reorganizations and restructurings, financial transactions, litigation, and mergers and acquisitions.

Bruce holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.S. from Cornell University.