By Helen Jacobi, General Manager, TMA Europe 
TMA Europe’s 12th Annual European Conference convened in Vienna, Austria, on 17 May, bringing the TMA Big Tent tour to 140 corporate restructuring and renewal, and corporate health professionals from 21 countries, making it a truly cross-border gathering.
The programme focused on “Taking Cross-Border Turnaround to the Next Level” and was kickstarted by Stefan Bruckbauer, chief economist for UniCredit Bank Austria. His address responded to the question, Is a long economic upswing coming to an end? These are certainly interesting times economically, and Bruckbauer’s insights, presented with a healthy dose of humour, were very well received by the audience.
Throughout the day, industry experts and thought leaders shared their knowledge about cross border turnaround, which included an update on the European Directive, a new legal framework for cross border deals. A panel on Agrokor, the Croatian food and retail group and one of the country’s largest employers, took the audience through that successful and highly complex restructuring.
The Successful Cross Border Industry Integration panel debated the complexities that legal, financial, and cultural variances bring to a deal and how to successfully manage a positive outcome. Another panel took a Deep Dive into Retail, looking at how the retail landscape is constantly morphing and presenting challenges.
Scott Y. Stuart, TMA Global CEO, hosted a panel conversation debating The Future of Turnaround. Panelists discussed how to navigate cross-generational change from a variety of angles, including at a human level, and how technology will likely influence change.
The conference concluded with an interactive roundtable session. Niche topics for discussion were: “Is Fashion Out of Fashion?” “Invitation to the Third Wave of Early Warning Europe,” and “Greece and CSE – the big turnaround opportunity.”