With the 2021 TMA Distressed Investing Conference now concluded, I would be remiss if I didn’t start off this month’s column by thanking the people who made it such a valuable experience.

First, thank you to our TMA DIC attendees—550 of you! You engaged, connected, and brought energy throughout the three-day virtual event. We all know that Zoom fatigue is real, but from the keynotes to educational panels to breakouts, your participation and involvement made the conference such a success.

Thank you to the sponsors—without you, we couldn’t put on such a professional conference using new innovative technologies with top speakers.

Thank you to our TMA DIC Conference Co-Chairs: Darren Azman of McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Mary Ann Domuracki of MMG Advisors, Catalin Nichifor of BM&T European Restructuring Solutions, and Kenneth Yager of Newpoint Advisors Corporation who led a great team of conference volunteers and speakers to build the great content we all enjoyed. And of course, thank you to Jim Van Horn of Barnes & Thornburg LLP and Jane Mitnick of SM Financial Services Corporation, our TMA Conference VPs for 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Finally, thank you to the TMA staff, who made the conference run smoothly and made it look easy (and knowing what goes on behind the scenes, it isn’t).

For 2021, we’ve also launched a Presidential Working Group focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I). This working group will reinforce and reaffirm TMA’s commitment to including representation from a broad range of identity groups in the membership and all of its leadership, programmatic activities, and business of the association.

The working group has set goals by quarter that include:

Q1 2021: Build working group team, develop vision, collect data and best practices

Q2 2021: Develop DE&I strategies for 2021 and implement quick wins

Q3 2021: Build and leverage chapter DE&I knowledge base and start rollout of tools, templates, and techniques that can be used by TMA chapters as they implement DE&I initiatives

Q4 2021: Continue our rollout of best practices and the knowledge base; measure our results

Please let us know if you are interested in participating on this working group by emailing Dominique McClay, our TMA staff liaison, at dmcclay@turnaround.org.

Another key focus for TMA for 2021 is making strides back toward in-person events, conferences, and networking. With the rollout of vaccines, TMA continues to evaluate how we can return to pre-pandemic modes of operation.

While Derek Meek, now 2021 TMA Global Chair, had the unenviable task of leading TMA through the shift from in-person to virtual events last year, the return toward normalcy, a key component of my presidency, will not be without its own set of challenges. I appreciate your patience and understanding as we work toward the goal of sharing that drink, breaking bread together, and cheering on one another at the craps or blackjack table at the next Distressed Investing Conference in Las Vegas.

With such a terrific group of TMA members, volunteers, staff, and sponsors, I know that the TMA community will make the best of the situation and continue to lead in our industry, as we have done so many times before.

Thanks, stay safe, and be #TMAProud. I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.

Best Regards,

Matthew English, CTP
TMA Global President