Mike Keller, Chief Executive Officer of Great Elm Commercial Finance, returned to the University of Notre Dame this fall as an Executive in Residence at the Mendoza College of Business. Keller, an alumnus of Notre Dame’s MBA program, spent four weeks on campus.
He led the Applied Investing Lecture Series on Distressed Investing in partnership with the Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing (NDIGI), and met individually with students to offer mentorship and career guidance.
A Four-Session Series on Distressed Investing
The series kicked off with an introduction to distressed investing in mid-September, and subsequent sessions occurred on Wednesday evenings through early October. The series covered legal analysis, bankruptcy and restructuring situations, and the role of turnaround advisors. At the end, it concluded with a case study.
Two guest professionals joined the series. David Campbell, Executive Director and Practice Co-Leader at Getzler Henrich & Associates, joined Keller for the third session to discuss corporate restructurings, turnarounds and distressed investment strategies. Ken Ottaviano, a restructuring attorney and partner at Blank Rome, also took part.
Keller’s Background in Lending and Restructuring
Keller’s experience covers direct lending, credit workouts and restructuring. Before joining Great Elm, he served on CapitalSource Finance’s senior management team. There, he managed the firm’s stressed loan portfolio and led special-situation lending initiatives.
Earlier in his career, he led restructuring efforts for FINOVA’s $1.8 billion Healthcare Finance Division on behalf of Berkadia, LLC.
At Great Elm Commercial Finance, Keller leads a team that evaluates distressed financing and turnaround financing for businesses under financial pressure.
Great Elm thanks Martijn Cremers, Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business, Patty Brady, and the Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing for their support, as well as David Campbell and the other professionals who contributed to the series.
Source: Mendoza College of Business — Mike Keller’s Executive in Residence and Distressed Investing Series.
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