Board of Directors

Scott Guthrie draws on his more than 25 years’ of expertise to advise clients in the finance, insolvency and property industries. A significant part of Scott’s practice involves acting for various stakeholders in the unsecured and secured insolvency market. Scott regularly advises and acts for receivers, liquidators, administrators and bankruptcy trustees in identifying, preserving and recovering assets for secured and unsecured creditors. Scott also represents directors and company officers, particularly in response to investigations and enforcement action by ASIC and other corporate regulators.

Sebastian has 20 years’ experience in large-scale restructuring and commercial advisory across Australia, Asia and the UK. He leads the firm’s aviation sector work and has deep expertise across agriculture, health and construction, particularly in unionised environments. Sebastian has held interim CFO and strategic advisory roles in complex turnaround scenarios. A long-standing member of the TMA Victoria Committee, he brings both deep expertise and strong industry engagement to the Board.

Joseph Hansell is a specialist in corporate recovery, restructuring and turnaround management in Australia, advising corporates, lenders and capital providers. Joseph has industry expertise in retail, property, manufacturing, aviation, managed investment schemes and financial services and products.

Richard is the Queensland Restructuring Services Lead Partner. He specialises in corporate insolvency and business turnaround and has over 20 years of professional experience. His clients include corporates, major financiers and other professional advisors. Richard has a broad range of experience across a range of sectors, including manufacturing, property, retail, tourism, motor vehicle dealers; however, his main specialty is Agribusiness.

Alinta Kemeny is a partner in Ashurst’s restructuring and special situations team. Alinta has expertise in large cross border corporate restructuring, refinancing, formal insolvency and special situations work and she specialises in complex multi-jurisdictional financial restructuring matters. Alinta works for a wide range of debtors, banks, distressed fund investors and insolvency practitioners.

Jeffrey has over ten years of experience in investment banking and private equity. Jeffrey commenced his career at UBS Investment Bank in Sydney in 2007, where he worked in the General Industrials and Financial Institutions Groups. While at UBS, Jeffrey was involved in advising a range of clients across private equity and corporates on buy-side, sell-side and capital raising engagements.

Jeffrey joined Allegro in 2013.  Jeffrey is responsible for deal sourcing, appraisal and execution as well as management of portfolio companies including various operational turnaround initiatives.  During his time at Allegro, Jeffrey has been involved in the acquisition, turnaround and/or transformation of TSC Group, Carpet Court, Eagle Boys, JSW Australia, Terrex Seismic and Questas Group.

Specialising in both restructuring and insolvency and commercial litigation, Maria acts for distressed or insolvent companies, their external administrators and creditors on a wide range of insolvency issues (both contentious and non-contentious), including informal workouts, with a particular focus on cross-border restructuring and insolvency. Maria is a Fellow of INSOL International (the International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency & Bankruptcy Professionals), and is the Chair (and past President) of the Turnaround Management Association (Australia). She is a member of the External Advisory Committee to the Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA) and is a Treasury appointment to the Ministerial Pool for Insolvency Practitioner Registration and Disciplinary Committees convened under the Corporations Act.

Alison is a Partner at HWL Ebsworth in Perth with over 20 years’ experience specialising in insolvency, reconstruction, recovery, and commercial litigation. She advises major banks, lenders, turnaround and restructuring professionals, insolvency practitioners, and directors—handling matters ranging from security enforcement and external administration to complex contractual and boardroom disputes. As Chair of the TMA Western Australia Committee, Alison brings strong leadership and deep industry insight to the national Board.

Genevieve Sexton practices in commercial and banking and finance law with a strong emphasis on corporate finance transactions and corporate restructures. She has acted for financiers and borrowers, major corporations and family groups in a diverse range of finance and restructuring matters, including corporate finance, property development finance, mezzanine finance, joint ventures, shareholder arrangements and formal and informal corporate restructures.

Nikki Symthe, Partner, Clifford Chance

Nikki is a partner in the Sydney office of Clifford Chance primarily specializing in restructuring, special situations and structured finance, with extensive experience advising on complex domestic and cross-border financing, debt restructuring and insolvency transactions. Nikki acts for private credit funds, private equity funds, alternative investment funds, corporates, investment banks and other financial institutions on a broad range of financing, restructuring & insolvency matters including special situations lending, structured finance, complex real estate financing transactions, securitisation, rescue finance and restructurings, and distressed loan portfolio sales.

Nikki is highly experienced across a broad range of financing products and across multiple sectors, including real estate, financial services, mining, mining services, aviation, logistics, tech, gaming and healthcare, and uses this experience to help clients find innovative and bespoke financing solutions that meet the needs of their specific situations.

Nikki was previously a partner at Herbert Smith Freehills and is a ranked individual in Chambers as Band 2 for Restructuring and Insolvency.

Highlights of Nikki's restructuring and special situations experience include:

· Advising the lenders to Star Entertainment Group in relation to its recent financial difficulties;

· Advising Bain Capital on its acquisition of Virgin Australia out of voluntary administration;

· Advising Genesis Care on the Australian aspects of the financing arrangements relating to its Chapter 11 process and emergence therefrom (including its DIP financing facilities and exit financing facilities);

· Bain Capital Credit on its investment into Allied Credit Limited, including an unsecured holdco loan note provided to fund growth and recent refinancing through a secured Holdco instrument;

· Advising Allegro Funds on the financing aspects of its acquisition of Toll Global Express (now Team Global Express), which involved advising on 4 different financing packages, including a receivables facility, acquisition facility, ABL facility and LC facility.

· Advising Bis Industries on all of its debt financing arrangements since its debt for equity restructuring in December 2017, and subsequent debt restructuring and recapitalisation in August 2023; and

· Advising Camp Australia on its debt restructuring and recapitalisation.