Restructuring & insolvency

During times of financial difficulty, uncertainty or corporate transformation, our global team of restructuring and insolvency professionals help preserve value, implement rescue strategies and enhance the outcomes for your business.

We believe early action to identify the root causes of a business’s problems gives the best chance of implementing a restructuring plan that will sustainably improve business performance. 

Restructuring services are requested for a variety of reasons, but our principal output is always the same: to evaluate, present and recommend the best options for your business and your stakeholders at this challenging time.

Depending on which you consider most appropriate, we will help support the delivery of either a solvent or insolvent solution.

Our restructuring services include:

- Independent business reviews (IBRs)  - reviewing a business’s financial, operational and strategic performance and forecasts.

- Options reviews - assessing the merits of a range of actions available to management.

- Pre-lending reviews - identifying the extent of support required and the level of debt that a business is likely to be able to service.

- Solvency reviews - determining the solvency position of a business and advising management and directors of their responsibilities. Setting out the options available to stakeholders and the likely outcomes of a structured exit.

- Contingency planning - helping to evaluate and manage short-term working capital ahead of alternative strategies, such as an accelerated merger and acquisition process or an insolvency event.

- Corporate simplification – helping simplify corporate structures and reduce a business’s compliance burden, cost and risk. Acquisitive companies often find that over time their structures become unduly complicated, with numerous legacy dormant subsidiaries within a group.

Insolvency

When a company has reached the end of its lifecycle, we can put in place the most appropriate strategy for all concerned. We have extensive experience winding down entities and minimising the impact on shareholders – be they personal or corporate shareholders. Our intention is always to address any immediate challenges, preserving value where we can.

Our tailored advice and support will identify and deliver the optimal restructuring solution for your business.

In addition, we have significant experience of contentious insolvency procedures and our team is well versed in identifying and pursuing claims under the relevant laws and legislation in the countries in which you operate. As an integrated, international partnership, we have the scale and local knowledge to support you in every market you operate in.

We have enhanced recoveries for the benefit of creditors by way of commercial settlements and, when necessary, litigation.  On many occasions, the recoveries achieved through our investigations have been the only source of funds for the insolvent estate.

Our team regularly pursue claims arising from transactions at undervalue, preferences, breach of duty/misfeasance, unlawful dividends, wrongful or fraudulent trading, as well as seeking the repayment of outstanding loans from directors and third parties. 

Investigating fraud and tracing assets, often on an international scale, is made more effective by our global network of offices and in-house forensic experts.

Our Services

 •  Business Rescue viability assessments

•  Comparison of Business Rescue vs Liquidation

•  Acceptance of appointment as Business Rescue Practitioner

•  Management/Turnaround specialists

Our recent assignments

Forvis Mazars Business Rescue Services has been involved with a number of Business Rescue assignments across a wide range of industries, including (but not limited to);

•  Retail

•  Agriculture

•  Manufacturing

•  Civil Engineering - Construction

•  IT

•  Financial Services

•  Property

Many people consider Business Rescue as a last resort. If you think your business may be in trouble take action immediately and let us help you turn your business around before it is too late.

Our people

We have restructuring professionals in 30 countries, across all 5 continents, with vast experience of national and international engagements. This means that we can support your businesses during times of challenge and distress wherever you may be based.

The dedicated team of Business Rescue professionals is resourced to attend to assignments across all our South African offices. We are skilled in assisting financially distressed companies find the best possible solution, whatever the situation. Mazars maintains a distinct advantage as we offer an integrated and independent service across a range of markets and sectors.

We are recognised internationally for our work in the Business Rescue space and our local South African team is regularly called upon to consult international partners and service providers.