CLEAR THINKING GROUP - Key Persons
Brian has over 25 years of experience serving in Controller and CFO positions with both public and private companies. Over the past 15 years, Brian has been engaged by numerous companies in the consumer electronics, beverage, nursery, media, furniture, printing, consumer product, retail, and manufacturing industries to improve financial operations and performance with strategic and financial alternatives, and to serve in interim senior financial positions.
During his career, he has had direct responsibility for the accounting, finance, treasury, information technology, real estate, and investor relations functions. Prior to joining PKF Clear Thinking, Brian owned a financial advisory practice with a focus on middle market, consumer product businesses.
Gennady is an accomplished restructuring professional with over 15 years of experience. His expertise includes bankruptcy and insolvency, financial analysis, forensic accounting, fraud investigation, litigation support and wind-down management.
Prior to joining PKF Clear Thinking, Gennady was a Senior Manager in the Corporate Recovery & Litigation Services practice of a major accounting firm, where he specialized in the fields of bankruptcy and insolvency, creditors' rights, and litigation support. Gennady has worked as a financial advisor to debtors, unsecured creditors' committees, trustees, receivers, plan administrators, and other parties-in-interest in numerous bankruptcy proceedings. His experience includes liquidation and wind-down management, claims administration, fraudulent conveyance and preference litigation and defense work.
Gennady began his career as a forensic accountant where he worked in insurance claim valuations in a variety of industries.
Joe has over 25 years of experience consulting in the accounting and financial operations arena. His expertise includes all areas of business planning, cash management and financial reporting.
Joe has assisted clients in the telecommunications, roofing/construction, disaster recovery services, consumer product, wholesale distribution, manufacturing, and retail industries with out-of-court restructuring as well as Chapter 11 bankruptcies. As part of these assignments, he has held various positions including CRO, Interim CFO, Interim VP of Finance, and Interim Controller positions.
Marjorie (Margie) Kaufman has provided turnaround and interim management expertise to companies around the country for over 30 years. Her experience in developing and implementing strategic and financial plans has successfully driven business success and controlled costs for her clients.
Prior to joining PKF Clear Thinking, Margie served as Chief Financial Officer at Christmas Tree Shops, LLC. Before her role at Christmas Tree Shops, Margie spent over 30 years at several middle market turnaround and restructuring firms, frequently serving as interim Chief Restructuring Officer and Chief Financial Officer for companies experiencing financial difficulties. As part of those engagements, she provided cash flow management services, conducted business plan viability analyses, designed and steered turnaround action plans, managed debt and equity placement, sourced refinancing, and leveraged her deep expertise in forensic accounting. Margie's work has spanned many industries, including retail, car rental and sales, distribution, health care, education, manufacturing, food and beverage and professional services.
Margie was recently named Chair of The International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC), the premier international networking and professional growth organization for women in the restructuring and insolvency industry. She is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and previously served as the president and director of the Northeast Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association, now serving as a member of the past president's council for the chapter. Margie is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, frequently speaking on various aspects of restructuring and has been published in the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Bridgeport.
Mark has more than 30 years of hands-on experience working with large bank groups, private equity sponsors, turnarounds, workouts, and insolvencies. Over the course of his lending career, Mark has worked with companies in a multitude of industries including steel and aluminum, coal mining, transportation, plastic injection and blow molding, beverage distribution, retail, lighting, and generic pharmaceuticals.
Mark was formerly a Managing Director and the Chief Credit Officer of Wachovia Capital Finance, a unit of Wachovia Bank. While at Wachovia he served as chairperson of the credit committee, the national field exam manager and head of the risk ratings and compliance group. As Chief Credit Officer, Mark had a hand in all of the portfolio's problem loans and, as such, has played a key role in many bankruptcy cases, sales of businesses, restructurings, and loan workouts.
After leaving Wachovia, Mark helped form HVB Capital, a subsidiary of Hudson Valley Bank, and subsequently spearheaded their sale to EverBank resulting in EverBank Business Credit. More recently, Mark was recruited to help establish an asset based lending business for Bank Leumi USA, serving as First Senior Vice President and Group Head of Leumi Business Credit.
Mark is a frequent lecturer and panelist. Most notably, he spoke on behalf of the World Bank and the Commercial Finance Association in China, instructing over 250 bankers on asset based lending.
Mike has over 20 years of consulting and management experience in the manufacturing, food and beverage, service, wholesale, and retail industries. He has worked in all areas of operations including finance, manufacturing, supply chain, warehousing/distribution, inventory management, planning/allocation, and IT.
Neil Canty is an accomplished leader with more than 30 years of financial and operational expertise. He comes to PKF Clear Thinking with decades of senior-level experience spearheading the financial operations of numerous million- and billion-dollar businesses.
Over the course of his career, Neil has been a trusted financial partner to some of the largest and most prominent brands in the United States and North America, including PUMA, Staples, BJ's Wholesale Club and The Paper Store.
His multifaceted areas of expertise include strategic planning, accounting operations, post-bankruptcy management, financial reporting and analysis, loss prevention, team development, system design and implementation, process improvement, and financial planning.
Education
Bentley University, Bachelor of Science in Accounting
Pat has over 17 years of experience as a consultant in the turnaround/restructuring arena dealing primarily with companies in the consumer product manufacturing/distribution, staffing, metal products, manufacturing and retail industries. He has led/participated in numerous assignments related to cash management and operational performance improvement, as well as frequently serving as financial advisor to various constituents in bankruptcy proceedings.
Pat has assisted clients with the preparation and analysis of business plans, financial statements, cash flow reporting and forecasting, collateral analysis and monitoring, out-of-court wind-downs, refinancing, organizational restructuring, labor standards development, and POS implementation/training.
He has provided services to both debtors and creditors within the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process including: the preparation of cash collateral forecasts, DIP budgets, claims analysis, asset analysis and recovery, and estate wind-down activities.
Additionally, he has served as both a Chief Restructuring Officer and Chief Strategy Officer as well as other interim senior management roles. Pat has also been retained by numerous bankruptcy estate trustees/plan administrators to assist with post- confirmation activities and managing/administering the plan.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Executive Officer of PKF Clear Thinking LLC
Stuart is the Chief Executive Officer of PKF Clear Thinking LLC. As a consultant for over 20 years, he has been engaged by numerous companies in the manufacturing, consumer product, retail, fashion, corrugated, cellular, roofing, specialty printing, construction and temporary staffing industries needing assistance with strategic, financial, and operating alternatives. As part of these engagements, Stuart has served as interim CEO, COO and CRO. His areas of expertise include operations, logistics, process and productivity improvement, strategic financial planning, merchandising, restructuring, organizational planning, and acquisition assessment.
Prior to founding Clear Thinking Group LLC, the predecessor organization to PKF Clear Thinking LLC, Stuart spent over 25 years in a variety of senior leadership positions with consumer product and retail organizations including: President, iSolve.com; President, Footlocker - Outlet Division; Chief Operating Officer, Champs Sports; Chief Operating Officer, F.W. Woolworth Division; Chief Operating Officer/ Chief Merchandising Officer Herman's Sporting Goods; and VP/General Merchandise Manager Ames Department Stores.
Stuart has published or contributed to articles on subjects such as the turnaround processes for consumer product companies during a pandemic, consumer product and retail strategy, retail labor scheduling, consumer product and retail sales trends, real estate trends, retail mergers and acquisitions, ecommerce retailing, merchandising trends in the consumer product and retail marketplace and catalog retailing.