Gordian Group appointed Fred Zeidman as chairman of the firm, effective immediately. Peter S. Kaufman continues as president and Henry F. Owsley remains as Gordian Group’s CEO.

Zeidman has been involved in numerous high-profile workouts, restructurings and reorganizations. He was the former CEO, president and chairman of Seitel, a Houston-based provider of onshore seismic data to the oil and gas industry in North America where he was instrumental in the highly successful turnaround of the company. He also held the post of chairman of the Board and CEO of Unibar, the largest domestic independent drilling fluids company, until its sale to Anchor Drilling Fluids.

Zeidman is also chairman emeritus of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, chairman emeritus of the University of Texas Health Science System Houston, interim CFO of the Texas Heart Institute and is Vice Chancellor of the Houston Community College System. He further serves on the board of directors and executive committee of the University of Saint Thomas and is National Campaign Chairman of Development Corp. of Israel (Israel Bonds).

He serves as chairman of the board of CompanionDx (a healthcare concern) and also chairman of the Board of Petroflow Energy, and as a director of Petro River Oil, Hyperdynamics, Lucas Oil, Straight Path Communications and Prosperity Bank in Houston. He was formerly bankruptcy trustee of AremisSoft and co-chief restructuring officer of TransMeridian Exploration.

“We are excited that Fred will join senior management and become an integral part of our organization, positioning us for exceptional growth in the restructuring cycle we see ahead of us. Access to board rooms to permit us to provide a suite of value-added services is always our focus, and Fred will aid greatly in those efforts,” noted Kaufman.

Owsley said, “The expansion of the team to include Fred is an important step in our efforts to continue to build a firm responsive to the needs of boards of directors and control stockholders which find themselves in increasingly more challenging environments. We look forward to a long and productive relationship with Fred, who brings extensive client-side and operational experience to our core team.”

“It is a privilege for me to join Gordian Group,” Zeidman said. “I feel this is the first time I have found a perfect fit in the advisory sector for what I love to do. I have come to know and respect the very talented team at the firm, and the sophisticated advice and judgment Gordian Group provides to boards of directors in an increasingly complex and litigious world appeals to me greatly as a platform. I look forward to assisting in the growth of that business.”