Restructuring & Turnaround
Areté leads restructuring and turnaround efforts with full accountability. Operational-first, fact-based, and decisive from day one. We step in, take the seat, and lead the business back to stable ground.
We step in, take the seat, and lead the plan from inside the business
Areté’s Restructuring & Turnaround practice is led by operators who have run distressed businesses, not just advised them. Our approach is operational-first and fact-based, grounded in decades of hands-on leadership across industries. We take authority, realign strategy, stabilize liquidity, and lead the business back to performance. Leading from within lets us adapt in real time, producing a more resilient business positioned for sustainable performance and long-term value.
Our role is not to recommend. It is to lead.
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Liquidity is tightening and the runway is weeks, not quarters
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Covenant pressure is escalating and the lender conversation is coming
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Operating performance has deteriorated and management has lost momentum
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Chapter 11 is on the table and the company needs a Chief Restructuring Officer in the seat
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Owner needs an operator who can take authority and execute, not advise from the sideline
Four disciplines. One way to lead.
Fact-Based Assessment
We begin with an unflinching read of the business across strategy, operations, cost structure, liquidity, and governance. The output is a value-creation plan grounded in operational reality, not theoretical recommendations.
- 13-week cash flow & liquidity assessment
- Operating performance & cost structure diagnostic
- Strategic plan validation & scenario analysis
- Governance, reporting, and controls review
Embedded Leadership
We take on roles with decision-making authority—CEO, CRO, CFO, board seats—to implement the plan in real time and hold accountability for outcomes.
- Chief Restructuring Officer (CRO) & interim CEO
- Interim CFO & liquidity leadership
- Independent board seats & fiduciary roles
- Functional leadership where the seat needs to be filled
Stakeholder Alignment & Stabilization
We prioritize speed, clarity, and alignment with stakeholders, lenders, owners, management, and employees to stabilize the business and restore performance.
- Lender & creditor negotiations
- Owner & board alignment on the plan
- Vendor, customer, and workforce continuity
- Communications & stakeholder cadence
Course Correction
The first plan is rarely the right plan. We course-correct when conditions change with humility, data, and experience, so the business emerges stronger than the original blueprint assumed.
- Real-time plan revision & scenario testing
- Operational pivots & cost structure redesign
- Strategic alternatives & transaction readiness
- Post-stabilization hand-off to permanent leadership
Why Areté for Restructuring & Turnaround
Operators, Not Advisors
Our team has run distressed businesses. We know what to do when the options narrow and the clock starts moving faster.
Decision Authority from Day One
We take the title that lets us act: CRO, CFO, CEO, board seat. Decisions land. Execution happens inside the business, not in a binder.
Fact-Based, Not Formulaic
We start with what the business actually is, not what a template says. The plan fits the situation, and it evolves as the situation does.
Course Correction Without Ego
Plans change because conditions change. We adjust on the data, not on the pride of the original recommendation. Humility is how we protect value.
The Work in Practice
Turning Around a $300M Global Post-Production Platform in Crisis
Areté served as Interim CFO and Independent Board Chairman to stabilize a global platform, lead a lender-driven change of control, and deliver ~$38M in annualized savings, moving EBITDA from ($39M) to above breakeven in 15 months.
Read case study →Stabilizing a Multi-Brand Outdoor Platform Under Severe Liquidity Pressure
A PE-backed outdoor recreation company managing 18 brands faced a liquidity crisis, organizational breakdown, and a lender group demanding a path forward. We stepped in and built it, securing $100M in ABL refinancing in six weeks and ~$49M in total fresh capital.
Read case study → Industrials & ManufacturingStabilizing a Multi-Plant Contract Manufacturer Through a Liquidity and Leadership Crisis
With covenant breach risk imminent, Areté installed interim management across three functions, stabilized a nine-month RCF negotiation, delivered a 25% EBITDA improvement, and built the financial infrastructure for the business to operate independently, all without a single covenant breach.
Read case study →