BOARDROOM MINUTES

Dr. Stefan Sax is a partner at the Frankfurt office of Clifford Chance and leader of the German Restructuring & Insolvency Group and specialises in corporate and insolvency law with a focus on cross-border financial restructuring and insolvency.

He has worked at Clifford Chance’s London office and is a qualified attorney (Germany) and a qualified solicitor (England & Wales). He advises German and international financial institutions on insolvency issues and also advises companies in financial difficulties on obligations arising in crisis situations.

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Jane O’Riordan is an experienced business development and strategy Chairperson with an impressive resume of helping businesses and organizations across the global restaurant sector. Jane has extensive knowledge of the restaurants, hospitality and leisure space, having been involved in business development strategies for Nando’s, Pizza Express/Gondola and Gourmet Burger Kitchen. In 2016, Jane joined the Piper Advisory Panel and in 2019 became the Chairperson for both Turtle Bay and Caravan restaurant groups. Jane received her both her undergraduate degree and MBA from Harvard Business School.

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Marwan Moukarzel is an experienced executive with more than 25 years under his belt serving the retail sector. Marwan became Chief Executive Officer of Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair Co., also known as Fawaz Alhokair Fashion Retail, in 2019 after serving as general manager of AZADEA Group, where he led the company into new markets and built relationships with brand owners and major real estate developers across the Middle East. 

Prior to his roles at Saudi-based fashion group Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair Co. and AZADEA Group, Marwan held various positions with Deloitte and Ernst & Young. Marwan holds a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame University (NDU) of Lebanon and an Executive MBA from INSEAD.  

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Guy Pendell is an experienced solicitor advocate practicing international arbitration and litigation at law firm CMS, where he is a partner based in London. Guy’s 18 years’ experience has primarily been in handling disputes for corporate clients, making him a leading individual for international arbitration. On a frequent basis, Guy focuses on international arbitration involving complex commercial and corporate/M&A disputes, international projects, and financial disputes.

Guy’s specialties include international commercial arbitration, commercial litigation, cross border disputes and alternative dispute resolution. Guy is also a board member of the European Justice Forum, a Brussels-based not-for-profit organization that works to promote fair, balanced, transparent, and efficient civil justice laws and systems in Europe.

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Alongside his work as a lawyer, Detlef Bischoff supports CMS in different business units on business and product development, with a focus on the needs of large medium-sized companies but also public institutions such as university hospitals. He concentrates on the media, energy, healthcare, engineering and raw materials sectors. Based on his long-standing experience as a lawyer, Detlef is also very familiar with the special requirements of high net worth individuals.

In addition to his legal practice he is, among others, a member of the legal committees of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce and Deutsche Bauchemie (association of manufacturers of chemical construction products) as well as member of the supervisory board of University Hospital Leipzig.

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Aidan Robson was a founding member of the Endless team in 2006 after time with Ernst and Young and Arthur Andersen. Now a Partner in the firm, Aidan is responsible for origination and execution of investments across the UK. He also manages an investment portfolio operating at board level to drive investment returns. His recent experience and highlights include the acquisition and management of Menzies Distribution, the acquisition and successful exit of Imtech, one of the largest managed technical service providers in the UK and Ireland and the acquisition and successful exit of Amco, a group of businesses primarily focused on specialist engineering and civils projects in the UK and abroad. 

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Pippa Wicks began her role as Executive Director at John Lewis & Partners in August 2020. This follows most recent appointments at the Co-op as Chief Operating Officer and then Deputy Chief Executive, with specific responsibility for Strategy and Transformation as well as its market-leading Funeralcare, Legal Services and Co-op Insurance businesses. Pippa has also previously held Non-Executive Director posts for a variety of government departments, Hays plc, Ladbrokes plc, Hilton International plc and Arcadia plc. Pippa is currently Chair of the Foundation Council of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Vice-Chair at AlixPartners and a Non-Executive Director of the Metropolitan Police Service.

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Dr. Lars Westpfahl founded Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s German restructuring and insolvency practice and has been its leader ever since. He has consistently been recognized as one of the few leading practitioners in the area of restructuring and insolvency. Lars advises groups on their financial restructurings and also often acts for fulcrum creditors on innovative restructurings of their borrowers. In doing so, Lars has been involved in most of the milestone transactions that have shaped the German market.

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