Peter S. Kaufman

Peter S. Kaufman
Residence	New York, New York, United States, Chebeague Island, Maine, United States
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Virginia Law School Yale University
Occupation	Investment Banker; Investor President; Head of Restructuring and Distressed M & A at Gordian Group; Managing Partner of Bacchus Capital Management
Spouse(s)	Theresa Kaufman (née Paulson)
Children	Maddie Kate Kaufman and Ruby Lee Kaufman
Website	gordiangroup.com

Peter S. Kaufman is an American investment banker and private equity investor. He is the President and Head of Restructuring and Distressed M&A at Gordian Group LLC, an investment bank and financial advisory firm. He is also a Managing Partner of Bacchus Capital Management, a winery investment concern.^[1]

Early life and education

Kaufman attended the Edgemont Junior High School in Westchester County, New York and graduated from The Taft School cum laude in 1971. He attended Yale College, where he won letters in varsity lacrosse, was an editor of the Yale Daily News, and had a double major, graduating with Honors in 1975. He was in the top quarter of his class at the University of Virginia School of Law and graduated in 1978.

Career

Kaufman practiced law in New York City before going into investment banking in the mid-1980s. Leaving the First Boston Corporation as a Vice President in 1990, Kaufman joined Gordian Group LLC, the leading boutique investment bank specializing in distressed and/or complex financial challenges. Along with CEO Henry Furlow Owsley III, Kaufman is co-author of the definitive works in the field, the recently published, Distressed Investment Banking: To The Abyss and Back - Second Edition, Beard Books 2015, Equity Holders Under Siege: Strategies and Tactics for Distressed Businesses, Beard Books LLC, 2014 and Distressed Investment Banking: To The Abyss and Back, Beard Books 2005.^[2][3][4][5] All books are "must-read" for boards of directors, management teams and shareholders and/or owners of financially stressed situations, as well as for buyers and professionals. In The Deal financial restructuring league tables, Peter Kaufman is consistently named one of the country's top 10 restructuring investment bankers, and has been ranked #1.^[6]

He is perhaps the nation's most frequent commentator on national television regarding restructurings and distressed financial matters, as well as economic policy issues. He has been recognized by the media as "a top restructuring and distressed debt expert."^[7] Kaufman has appeared on, among others, Bloomberg TV, CNBC,^{[8][9][10][11][12]} CNN (including Anderson Cooper 360), Fox Business with Maria Bartiromo,^{[13][14][15][16][17][18][19]} Fox Business,^{[20][21][22][23][24]} NBC (Today Show) and WSJ TV, on matters relating to insolvency, corporate reorganization, federal “bailout” issues and broader stimulus and economic issues, including General Motors(GM),^[25][26] Chrysler and British Petroleum (BP),^[27][28] American Airlines^[29] & Hostess Brands,^[30][31] as well as municipal and state insolvency issues.^[32][33] He also discusses private equity on television and elsewhere.^[34] He is often cited in leading publications and international news sources such as The New York Times,^[35] The Wall Street Journal^[36] and Reuters,^[37] and was the subject of a Bloomberg feature.

Kaufman's investment banking practice primarily encompasses advising Boards of Directors, private equity firms, and buyers and sellers of distressed, stressed or "story" situations. In 2013, he testified in front of the ABI Commission on Bankruptcy Reform in regards to valuation. At Bacchus Capital, he is actively involved in the fund's selection and oversight of portfolio company wineries.^[38][39][40]

Representative engagements where Kaufman led or co-led the matter include: Alexander Gallo Holdings (debtor), American Airlines (TWU - Mechanics Union), Enron (Toronto Dominion), Jobson Healthcare (Private Equity), Lee Enterprises (Private Equity), Madoff Bankruptcy (Trustee), Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railroad (debtor), Ramsey Industries (Private Equity) and Spansion (debtor).

Kaufman currently serves as an Adjunct Faculty/Lecturer at the University of Virginia School of Law teaching a course entitled “Advising Boards of Directors Under Siege”; he also assists in teaching courses at Darden Business School at University of Virginia.

Professional recognition

External video

You can see video interviews of Peter S. Kaufman on CNBC, Fox Business News and Bloomberg TV here: , , .

Peter Kaufman and his work have been featured in Bloomberg News.^[41]

In The Deal financial restructuring league tables, Kaufman is consistently named one of the country's top 10 restructuring investment bankers, and has been ranked #1.^[42][43]

In January 2014 the industry organization, M&A Advisor, announced that Kaufman's firm Gordian Group LLC had won the 2013 Boutique Investment Bank of the Year award for the third time. It also awarded Gordian on behalf of their restructurings of Jobson Medical Holdings (Professional Services category) and Elyria Foundry (Industrial, Manufacturing & Distribution category).^[44][45] In 2014, the University of Virginia awarded him an honorary appointment as a Visiting Executive Lecturer at the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration.

In February 2015, Kaufman was honored with the 2015 M&A Advisor Leadership Award for his contribution to and accomplishments in the industry at the 9th Annual Turnaround Awards Gala on Monday, February 23, 2015 in Palm Beach, FL.^[46] In November 2015, Kaufman was inducted into the M&A Advisor Hall of Fame at the 14th Annual M&A Advisor Awards Gala in New York City.^[47]

Personal life

Kaufman married the former Theresa Paulson in 1997 in Portland, Oregon. They and their two daughters reside in Edgemont, in Westchester County, where he grew up. They also have a home on Chebeague Island, Maine.

Publications

• Co-author, Distressed Investment Banking: To the Abyss and Back - Second Edition(Frederick, Md.: Beard Books, 2015).
• Co-author, Equity Holders under Siege: Strategies and Tactics for Distressed Businesses.(Frederick, Md.: Beard Books, 2014)
• Co-author, Distressed Investment Banking: To the Abyss and Back.(Frederick, Md.: Beard Books LLC, 2005)
• Co-author, "The Role of the Investment Banker," in Bankruptcy Business Acquisitions (New York: Lex Med Publishing, 1998)
• Co-author, "Trading in the Distressed Market," in Investing in Bankruptcies and Turnarounds (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991)

See also

• University of Virginia School of Law (Notable Alumni)
• Yale University (Notable Alumni)
• Taft School (Notable Alumni)

References

External links

• Gordian Group LLC
• Bacchus Capital Management