Mark Samson

Mark Samson (CTP), Managing Director, is a veteran of more than 30 years in both crisis management and operations and has worked with both US and foreign retail, distribution, and manufacturing companies. Mr. Samson’s areas of expertise include operations restructuring, business plan analysis, performance improvement, cash and vendor management, bankruptcy consulting, and interim management services. Over the past 20 years, he has served as Interim CEO, CRO, president, and financial advisor for more than 140 companies in the United States.

Mark’s expertise stems, in part, from having founded a specialty retailer that became the largest in that industry, and also from having served as chairman of the audit committee and lead independent board director of an NYSE public company, which was the largest vertical clothing manufacturer in the United States with 280 retail stores in 19 different countries. He has significant composition (out of court) Chapter 11 and Section 363 experience. He has been involved in the retail food and apparel industry for more than 30 years. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, he has restructured several high-end apparel and restaurant concept rent leases. Mark led the team restructuring Diesel Jeans USA, taking them in and out of bankruptcy in 38 days, winning the 2019 M&A Award for Deal of the Year under $100 million.

Mark currently serves as Independent Director on the board of Independent Health, an international fitness organization with over 1,100 locations worldwide, and Plan Administrator for Elite Home Products.  He holds a B.B.A. in Economics and Marketing from the University of South Africa. He is a Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP) and member of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA) and the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI). Mark has been published in the New York Law Journal on composition out-of-court agreements, Women’s Wear Daily (True Cost of Returns), Franchise Enterprise Magazine, and has authored several Hilco Global Food and Beverage Industry Smarter Perspectives on restaurants surviving the pandemic.