Getzler Henrich names Michael Appel, Managing Director and Practice Leader and Glenn McMahon, managing director of retail turnaround and restructuring practice. Getzler Henrich & Associates is a Hilco operating company which provides a range of solutions tailored to aid brands and retailers with operational and financial solutions. They join Getzler Henrich Managing Director Mark Samson. In this role, Michael will be a key contributor to helping GHA expand their best-in-class national Retail Turnaround and Restructuring practice. He will be developing the business strategy, recruiting key executives, and managing the practice. In addition, Michael’s broad experience in the retail sector will be tapped to support the broad goal of integrating GHA into other Hilco Global businesses. He will work closely with Hilco Performance Services opportunities, and actively support Hilco Merchant Resources. As President of Appel Associates LLC, a firm he founded in 1991, Michael has held leadership roles across various functions of retail and in multiple categories and channels — from off-price to luxury. He has served as chief executive officer and/or chief operating officer as well as turnaround adviser for retailers such as Laura Ashley, Barney’s, Wilkes Bashford, Baccarat, Loehmann’s, MacKenzie-Childs and Kasper/Anne Klein, for which Appel won the 2004 Turnaround Management Association’s company turnaround of the year award. Most recently, Appel served as CEO and chairman of rue21, the 700-unit omnichannel fast-fashion retailer, where he led the company’s successful turnaround from its emergence from Chapter 11 in September 2017 until February of 2020. He has served on many corporate and non-profit Boards including rue21, Loehmann’s, Mattress Discounters, Charming Shoppes (where has was Chairman of the Compensation Committee) Barth and Dreyfuss, and The Laboratory Institute of Merchandising Fashion Education Foundation. He currently serves on the Board of Ashley Stewart, Inc., the Advisory Board of FIT’s Global Fashion Management MBA program and is a member of The Fashion Group and the Turnaround Management Association, where he served on the National Board, and was Chairman of the TMA Awards Committee. Mr. Appel graduated from Brandeis University (Phi Beta Kappa) and from the Harvard Business School (MBA with Distinction). Glenn McMahon has over 30 years of executive experience leading the transformation and growth of storied brands such as St John Knits, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Giorgio Armani, and operational turnarounds of numerous other brands, As CEO of the iconic American luxury brand St. John Knits from 2007-2013, Mr. McMahon led the successful transformation and turnaround of the company by creating and expanding product, repositioning the brand and marketing to appeal to new and younger customers; restructuring the operations; saving operating expenses; improving margins through sourcing and SKU rationalization and optimizing the retail fleet of 42 stores by introducing a new store concept and design and right sizing and renegotiated leases. These actions resulted in a significant increase in annual revenue. Upon completing the turnaround of the business, he led the sale of the company to Fosun, now Lanvin Fashion Group. After leading St John Knits, Mr. McMahon established a performance and profit improvement advisory firm where Private Equity firms engaged him to transform and restage portfolio companies. In announcing his joining Getzler Henrich, Michael Appel said, “We are pleased to welcome Glenn to Getzler Henrich. He brings impressive operational turnaround and advisory experience to the firm, and we look forward to collaborating with him as we continue to expand our team and range of services in the consumer retail space.” On Joining Getzler Henrich, Glenn McMahon said, “Since leading the successful transformation and eventual sale of St. John Knits, I saw a dramatic shift in retail, and I wanted to have the ability and flexibility to work across the variety of consumer and retail brands in all formats where I could share my skills and experiences. I began with my own successful consultancy, but I am excited now to combine forces with the retail team at Getzler Henrich to offer an even wider array of services to a larger universe of companies and brands.” Mr. McMahon has a BA from the American University (Washington, DC) Mark Samson is a veteran of more than 30 years in both crisis management and operations and has worked with US and foreign retail, distribution, and manufacturing companies. Mark’s areas of expertise include operations restructuring, business plan analysis, performance improvement, cash and vendor management, bankruptcy consulting, and interim management services. Over the past 20 years, he has served as Interim CEO, CRO, president, and financial advisor for more than 140 companies in the United States. Mark’s expertise stems, in part, from having founded a specialty retailer that became the largest in that industry, and also from having served as chairman of the audit committee and lead independent board director of an NYSE public company, which was the largest vertical clothing manufacturer in the United States with 280 retail stores in 19 different countries. He has significant composition (out of court) Chapter 11 and Section 363 experience. He has been involved in the retail food and apparel industry for more than 30 years. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, he has restructured numerous high-end apparel and restaurant concept rent leases. Mark led the team restructuring Diesel Jeans USA, taking them in and out of bankruptcy in 38 days, winning the 2019 M&A Award for Deal of the Year under $100 million. In 2021, Mark and his colleagues won the $100-250 million M&A deal of the year for his work advising the secured lender group of Rubies Halloween Costumes.
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