I think I speak for most of us when I say we are ready to welcome 2021 and put 2020 behind us. While we’ve witnessed the heroic efforts of our healthcare professionals, essential workers, and others this past year, most, if not all, of us have also experienced challenges caused by the pandemic, whether because the crisis affected our families and friends, impacted our clients, or changed how we interact with one another and the world around us. This year has caused all of us, including TMA, to reevaluate what is important, how we build relationships, and how we move businesses forward in times of such turmoil.

During 2020, TMA leadership, made up of volunteers like you, took on these challenges and ensured that the organization remained the premier source of networking, education, certification, and programming for our industry. Whether it was the TMA Town Hall programs that educated us on the latest issues facing our industry, the Restructuring Boot Camps that led interactive discussions between professionals and expert instructors, or IMPACT 2020: The TMA Annual Experience that brought us together to network and learn, TMA found ways to meet a difficult year head-on and thrive.

I am honored to be your Global president for 2021 and, with your help, I will strive for TMA to continue to be:

• Relevant: demonstrating value to members, chapters, international affiliates, and the marketplace.
• Innovative: remaining at the forefront of innovation in this remote world (and as we transition back to more normal times) through our technology, networking, education, and community.
• Confident: building confidence in our industry and showcasing how TMA members are the experts to call first when there is a crisis.
• Focused: remaining strategic, but also laser-focused, on what we want to accomplish in 2021, allocating our scarce resources (volunteer and staff time, cash, and energy), while setting targets and measuring our results.
• Unafraid: leading and acting to improve our industry’s diversity and inclusion, even when those conversations are tough, and accessing the wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion from a group of professionals today (and professionals of the future) who don’t realize there is a career path for them in turnaround, restructuring, and bankruptcy.

We will build on the great work of 2020 TMA Global President Derek Meek, Chair Jeffrey Hampton, CEO Scott Stuart, and the many TMA leaders globally and in local chapters. Due to their leadership and willingness to adapt, we find our organization entering 2021 with enhanced strength and resilience.

Up next is the popular TMA Distressed Investing Conference, February 23-25, 2021. While this will be a virtual event and I will miss seeing each of you at the lobby bar at 2 a.m., the Planning Committee is working to bring together the top speakers, programming, capital sources, and networking opportunities that you would expect from TMA. With the virtual conference pricing, and, factoring in all the contacts you will make and the savings on your annual blackjack or craps losses, the conference should be a money-maker for you. So, there is no excuse not to register and join us for a virtual chat with a colleague, a breakout session with your next capital source, or an interesting keynote.

This year will continue to be one of change and transition. But, during times of crisis, there are no professionals I’d rather be associated with than the members of TMA. I look forward to being able to again visit our chapters overseas, break bread with you in your hometown, and network at The Annual in person. Until then, be safe, be strong, and be #TMAProud.

Best Regards,

Matthew English, CTP
2021 TMA Global President