Christopher Pizzo

Christopher Pizzo is a Senior Managing Director in the Turnaround & Restructuring practice. He has more than 25 years of finance, accounting, interim management, restructuring, lender advisory and investment banking experience. His industry experience includes technology, media and telecommunications; healthcare; oil and gas; and manufacturing.

Mr. Pizzo has advised companies and lenders in a variety of situations. His experience includes developing and reviewing financial and operating turnaround plans; managing covenant compliance; renegotiating financing arrangements; managing cash and liquidity; developing and reviewing financial models and 13-week cash flow projections; implementing cost initiatives; SEC reporting; and raising capital.

Mr. Pizzo’s interim management engagements include serving as interim CFO for an $110 million oilfield services company where he managed liquidity restructured $210 million in loans, implemented cost initiatives, and managed the Chapter 11 proceedings including a 363 sale; interim CEO for a manufacturer/retailer where he restructured loans, developed and executed a turnaround plan, and raised capital; interim CFO for a technology/telecom provider where he restructured loans, implemented a turnaround plan, raised capital, managed cash and liquidity, and reported to the SEC; interim CFO for a private equity owned triple play services provider and spectrum owner where he developed the financial model and led a capital raising effort; and interim CFO for an oil and gas E&P company where he developed the business plan and financial  model, raised capital and acquired rights in Chesapeake Energy wells.

Mr. Pizzo’s company advisory engagements include a $5 billion health system on the acquisition of a $1 billion long-term care company, where he reviewed the business plan and financial model, and developed a turnaround plan; a $350 million grocery distribution company where he advised on financial projections, liquidity and covenant compliance; and a $175 million food distributor where he advised on the business plan, financial projections, and lender negotiations, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, where he advised on agency budgeting and reporting.

Mr. Pizzo’s creditor advisory engagements include representing the agent and senior lender syndicate of a $2 billion steel manufacturer in negotiating covenants and restructuring $3 billion in debt; advising the agent and bondholders in the Chapter 11 proceedings of a multi-facility continuing care retirement community with $160 million in bond debt; advising the agent and senior lender syndicate of a $250 million nationwide specialized surgery provider, negotiating covenants and restructuring $200 million in debt; and advising the second lien lenders on restructuring negotiations, including covenant compliance, with a $2 billion global food supply chain provider with $900 million in debt.

Mr. Pizzo’s investment banking engagements include advising on the sale of a SaaS provider to Mercer, raising debt for a newspaper publisher and for an owner/operator of radio stations, restructuring senior debt for a global distributor of computer accessories, and leading the sale processes of a private equity-owned Caribbean telecommunications provider, and of a financial services due diligence firm.

Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Mr. Pizzo was a Senior Vice President in Deloitte’s Corporate Restructuring Group. Previously, Mr. Pizzo was a Managing Director at LCG Capital, a boutique investment banking firm.  Prior to LCG, he was the Founder of CP Advisors, an interim management services firm. Previously, he was the Controller at The Knot, Inc., and the CFO of London & Leeds Development Corporation. Mr. Pizzo was a CPA with Ernst & Young in the Audit practice.

Mr. Pizzo holds a B.S. in accounting from the State University of New York at Albany and an M.B.A. from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. He is a Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor, and previously held FINRA Series 79 and Series 63 licenses. He is a Board Member of the Turnaround Management Association (Florida Chapter) and a Board Member of the Poynter Foundation. Mr. Pizzo is a member of the Association for Corporate Growth and the American Bankruptcy Institute.