Ankura appoints Roy Messing as chief operations officer
Management consultancy Ankura has named Roy Messing as its chief operating officer (COO). He will be based in New York.
As COO, Messing will oversee the firm’s operations, with a focus on accelerating growth and executing strategic priorities.
The appointment follows Ankura’s announcement earlier this week that it completed a $710 million debt refinancing – including a $465 million first lien term loan, a new $175 million second lien term loan, and a new $70 million revolver. “The refinancing will realign the Company's capital structure and financial flexibility for future growth,” a release from the Washington, DC-based consulting firm said.
Messing has been at Ankura for the last five years, serving as a senior manager director in the turnaround and restructuring practice. He has over 30 years of experience providing interim management services to healthy and distressed companies.
Messing has served as an interim CEO and chief restructuring officer (CRO) at numerous large companies in a range of industries. Some of his notable engagements include serving as CRO of Exide Technologies, a $2.7 billion batter manufacturer, and Caribbean Petroleum Corp., a $400 million petroleum products distributor, during their Chapter 11 liquidations and subsequent sale.
He also served as interim president for Peachtree Doors and Windows, a $200 million manufacturer and distributor of residential building products; advisor to the secured lenders (holding $2 billion of debt) of Centro Properties Group, an Australian REIT; and advisor to Bally’s Fitness during its wind-down and liquidation.
Prior to joining Ankura, Messing was a partner at Hayloft Partners and a senior managing director at FTI Consulting. He began his career at McKinsey & Company, where he was an engagement manager.
Messing holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Yale University.
"We are thrilled to have Roy join the leadership of our Firm," said Kevin Lavin, CEO of Ankura. "Roy is a multifaceted, highly talented senior executive who brings significant financial and operational expertise to this new position who also has a deep understanding of the culture of our Firm. I look forward to working closely with him as we continue to deliver world-class capabilities to clients in a fast-changing global environment."
Lavin became CEO of Ankura in January 2020, having previously served as co-president since 2016. He succeeded Roger Carlile, who had served as CEO since founding the consultancy in 2014.
Messing added, “As we continue to expand our practice areas and client offerings, I am committed to working closely with my colleagues to augment our ability to achieve Ankura's short- and long-term objectives and build upon Ankura's success as a leading global consulting firm in today's highly dynamic marketplace.”
Ankura last year also appointed Christina Wong as chief financial officer and R Jason Straight as chief privacy officer.
Ankura has more than 1,500 employees in 30+ global offices. The firm focuses on corporate performance and risk management, providing consulting services across compliance, investigations, forensics, technology, turnaround and restructuring, and corporate strategy.
