TMA Philadelphia/Wilmington Chapter April 6, 2021

April 6, 2021 | Turnaround Management Association | turnaround.org

Message from Neil Gupta, Chapter President

Managing Director,

SSG Capital Advisors, LLC

Hello TMA Philadelphia/Wilmington Members:

I am honored to serve you as Chapter President in 2021 and I hope to build on the strong leadership template Mark Felger left for us in a unique and challenging 2020. My mother always told me I could be President someday, but she didn’t have the reaction I was expecting when I told her I finally made it!

The Chapter has been extremely active in the first quarter as our committee leaders continue to develop creative events that will generate strong attendance both locally and from other chapters across the country. Additionally, TMA Global recently hosted a virtual version of the Distressed Investing Conference that attracted over 500 attendees who engaged in compelling discussions and productive networking activities. We expect TMA activity to remain at a high level in 2021 as we have a robust slate of events planned in the coming months.

While we have all made the best of virtual meetings and our marketing budgets have been spared the typical expense burden of planes, trains, hotels and meals, the big question is: “When will we return to in-person events?” The first live event currently on the calendar is the TMA Annual which is scheduled for the end of October in Nashville, TN. While our hope is that our Chapter may have an opportunity to begin in-person networking before then, we are remaining cautious and will continue to follow the guidance of TMA Global as well as the local and national health departments.

In closing, I encourage you to get more involved with our Chapter and the planning and implementation of events and programs. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me (ngupta@ssgca.com) to discuss how you may be able to participate on a committee or otherwise support the Chapter.

Be well and enjoy the spring weather!

Message from Christine J. Friday,

DE&I Committee Chair,

Partner, Stradley Ronon

The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (“DE&I”) Committee was established organically from several discussions at the Board level, which resulted in specific Board members volunteering to further organize and develop the Chapter’s DE&I initiative. Certain members of the DE&I Committee are also a part of TMA Global’s Presidential Working Group, which has been useful in guiding the committee’s development. The committee plans to work closely with the TMA Global DE&I initiative, while also establishing its own plans, goals and objectives specific to the Chapter.

While the DE&I Committee is still in the early stages of its mission and goal development, part of its objectives will be to provide educational programming. Our goal is to host at least two programs prior to the end of 2021, and the committee is exploring different mediums for this programming, such as speaker events, panels and small group training sessions. Another objective of the committee is to explore mentoring opportunities with local law and business schools, colleges and high schools, both to develop goals from a recruitment standpoint as well as from a community outreach perspective. The committee would like to identify at least one mentoring opportunity prior to the end of the year as well.

The DE&I Committee plans to work in conjunction with the already well-established TMA committees to further the Chapter’s DE&I initiatives. Most of its early activities will be centered around information gathering, education and community outreach. At this stage, the committee plans to further develop and recruit the DE&I Committee, review the Board and Chapter membership, and develop strategies to increase diversity among both the Board and the Chapter.

Last week the DE&I Committee launched its first event which was a Town Hall intended to gather ideas and insights from the Chapter related to the committee’s strategy and mission, as well as to identify additional members from the Chapter interested in becoming involved on the DE&I Committee. 19 participants attended, both members and non-members, for a lively and thought-provoking conversation. The ideas and insights generated from the Town Hall have helped develop the committee’s mission statement, short and long terms goals and objectives. The committee plans to host additional Town Halls to further refine the committee’s objectives and composition. The committee welcomes and encourages additional involvement, input and support from all of our members as we continue to roll out this very important initiative.

The committee members include: Christine Friday (Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP), Ronald Gellert (Gellert Scali Busenkell & Brown, LLC), Randi Hershgordon (Gibraltar Business Capital), Rachel Jaffe Mauceri (Robinson+Cole LLP), and Josef Mintz (Blank Rome LLP). Please feel free to reach out to Christine Friday (cfriday@stradley.com) or one of the other committee members if you would like to become involved in the committee or provide additional input or insight.