Robert Schach Managing Editor Debtwire

Rob joined Debtwire Europe in 2007 to cover the European high-yield market and went on to become Managing Editor, overseeing its stressed debt and restructuring, leveraged loan, high yield bond and sovereign coverage. Based in London, he specialised in the chemicals sector but has broad experience of reporting on all aspects of the high yield market. He was instrumental in the launch of Debtwire’s ABS product, and more recently in the development of its sovereign debt coverage.

Previously, Rob reported for two years on the European securitization market at EuroWeek, where he covered the development and subsequent collapse of the sub-prime RMBS market.

Rob began his career as a chemical engineer, initially working as a research technician for ICI Explosives in South Africa, and subsequently in the European industrial wastewater treatment sector. On the foundation of his broad industrial experience, he completed a specialist degree for business journalists and has been covering debt capital markets since.

Dirk Schumacher European Head of Macro Research and Managing Director Natixis

Dirk Schumacher is European head of macro research and a Managing Director at Natixis. He joined Natixis in 2018. Prior to joining Natixis, Dirk worked for a year at the European Central Bank in the economics department. Before that, he worked for 17 years in the investment research department at Goldman Sachs in Frankfurt and London, where he was a Managing Director. Dirk earned a master’s degree in economics from Bonn University in 1997 and a PhD from Frankfurt University in 2002.

Matthijs Assink Head Restructuring and Distressed Assets NIBC

Matthijs is responsible for the NPL portfolio of NIBC and heads the restructuring team. He was part of the European restructuring team of RBS where he worked on a wide range of restructuring projects across Europe. Matthijs has developed a specific focus on mid-market corporate turn-arounds, both consensual and non-consensual. Previously, Matthijs worked at GE where he developed ABL and CF solutions for large German corporates. He is trained a corporate finance lawyer at Clifford Chance and holds an MBA from SDA Bocconi/ UNC Kenan Flagler.

Daniel Judenhahn Partner, Advisory PwC

Daniel is leading the debt & capital advisory business within PwC'stransaction and restructuring practice in Germany. He advises corporates,creditors and investors in raising, refinancing and restructuring capital in takeoverand special situations. Previously, Daniel spent more than 11 years working forDresdner Kleinwort and Commerzbank where he focused on leverage buyouts,takeovers and turnarounds across Europe. Daniel holds an MBA from LondonBusiness School. 

Ralf Ehret Managing Director UniCredit Bank AG

Since the end of 2018 Ralf heads Unicredit’s regional corporate restructuring department in Hamburg and works in restructuring for more than 20 years. Before assuming his current role Ralf was leading the restructuring unit for Large Corporates at Unicredit in Munich for 14 years. Ralf also built up Unicredit’s restructuring team in London in 2002 and has wide-range senior experience in hands-on in- and out of court restructuring situations. Besides his extensive corporate focus, Ralf has also dealt with large LBO, Project Finance and Shipping transactions.

Frank Grell Partner Latham & Watkins

Frank Grell is partner in Latham & Watkins’Hamburg office and chairs the German Restructuring and Insolvency Practice. His practice focuses on insolvency and restructuring, including corporate reorganizations, debt restructuring and out-of-court and in-court representation of creditors of distressed companies and investors in such companies, including in particular protective shield/insolvency plan proceedings and loan-to-own strategies.

JUVE names him as a “leading name”. Chambers Europe lists him as “key individual” and describes him as “highly experienced in cross-border restructuring cases.” 

HJ Woltery Managing Director SVP Global

 Mr. Woltery is Co-Head of the European investment team having joined SVP at the opening of the European office in 2004. From 1985 to  2004, Mr. Woltery worked at Deutsche Bank, with his last role being a Senior  Research Analyst and Head of Research, Germany, in the London Distressed  Products Group. Mr. Woltery received a Diploma in Banking from Bank Academy in  Aachen/Coburg in 1991 and an MBA from Ashridge Management College in 2001.

Rob Kortman Partner PwC

Rob Kortman is a partner at PwCs and heads up the PwC Europe Working capital Management practice and brings over 20 years of dedicated working capital and advisory experience.

The PwC working capital management practice focuses on operational working capital management, supporting companies to optimize and release cash from their Procure-to-Pay, Forecast-to-Fulfill (Inventory) and Order-to-Cash operations.

Rob has worked for a wide range of clients across many geographies and industries. In the process, he helped to deliver billions of Euros in working capital improvements for his clients. He is the author of numerous publications in international journals and newspapers and is often quoted in the press as a subject matter expert for working capital.

Kevin Zander Managing Director Commerzbank AG

Dr. Kevin Zander is a Managing Director within Commerzbank’s corporate credit risk department and as Industry Head responsible for Automotive (Global Head), Machinery and TMT corporate clients. Prior to joining Commerzbank, Kevin started his career with McKinsey and advised a wide range of clients on corporate-finance and strategy-related topics.

Kevin graduated in Economic Engineering at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and holds a Doctoral Degree in Management Accounting from the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar.

Markus Hunold Director KKR

Markus Hunold joined KKR in 2013 and is a Director of KKR, focusing on the Special Situations funds and portfolios. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Hunold was a member of the principal investment area of Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he invested across industries in private equity and principal debt transactions. Mr. Hunold started his career in finance at Citigroup in the mergers & acquisitions group. Mr. Hunold graduated from the European Business School Oestrich-Winkel (Germany) and the University of Hong Kong.

Jurij Puth Managing Director GSO Capital Partners

Jurij Puth, Managing Director.  Mr. Puth is a Managing Director with GSO based in the London office.  Mr. Puth is involved in various performing and distressed investments, including direct financing, secondary trading, and portfolio purchases, across various target sectors. Before joining GSO Capital Partners in 2006, Mr. Puth was an analyst at Credit Suisse European Financial Sponsors Group in London. During this period, he focused on financing of a variety of deals including leveraged buyouts, recapitalisations, and public-to-private transactions. Mr. Puth holds a Master of Science in International Management, specialized in Finance and Accounting from Cass Business School in London, as well as a Diplôme Grand Ecole and a Diplom Kaufmann (German and French equivalents) from ESCP-EAP, Paris and Berlin. He is fluent in English, German and French and has intermediate knowledge of Spanish.

Kevin Zander Managing Director Commerzbank AG

Dr. Kevin Zander is a Managing Director within Commerzbank’s corporate credit risk department and as Industry Head responsible for Automotive (Global Head), Machinery and TMT corporate clients. Prior to joining Commerzbank, Kevin started his career with McKinsey and advised a wide range of clients on corporate-finance and strategy-related topics.

Kevin graduated in Economic Engineering at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and holds a Doctoral Degree in Management Accounting from the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar.

Jörn Kowalewski Partner Latham & Watkins

Dr. Jörn Kowalewski is  a partner in the German Restructuring, Insolvency & Workouts Practice. He  focuses on advising in corporate restructurings as well as in the acquisition  of companies and of distressed debt.

He focuses his practice  on advising distressed investors, lenders, lender groups and steering  committees as well as the debtors in out-of-court (financial and operational)  restructuring, acquisition of distressed companies and corporate groups and  representation in bankruptcy proceedings and in the context of insolvency plan  negotiations

Mr. Kowalewski is regularly  “recommended” as a lawyer for Restructuring and Insolvency, inter alia by JUVE.