Lisa Donahue, global joint head of turnaround and restructuring services for AlixPartners, was named to Crain’s annual list of Notable Women in Accounting and Consulting.
The list recognizes women in the New York City metropolitan area based on their career accomplishments, their mentorship of others, and their involvement in nonprofits and community organizations. Crain’s selected women who are advising their clients on critical financial matters and are often having an impact that extends beyond New York City’s borders.
In her role as a turnaround specialist, Donahue performs operational and financial transformations for companies with complex business issues, bringing them out of distressed situations and positioning them for future growth and success. Donahue began her career at AlixPartners in 1998, and during the ensuing years has regularly served as CRO, CEO, CFO and restructuring advisor. She is sought by clients globally to manage urgent situations involving complex financial, contractual, operational and legal structures. Donahue has been involved in multiple high profile restructurings and transformations over the last two decades, including Westinghouse Electric Company and Puerto Rico Electric Power. Currently, she is advising AeroMexico through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.
Donahue uses her influence to promote the advancement of women, not only in restructuring, but in broader professional and humanitarian contexts. She is the executive sponsor of AlixPartners’ Women’s Empowerment Employee Resource Group, sits on the Senior Leadership Council of Her Justice and is a member of the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC).
In 2019, Donahue was awarded the “St. Francis Award” from Catholic Renewal in association with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, which is awarded to members of the restructuring community who have demonstrated a standard of selfless integrity and charity. She is involved with the American Red Cross, Greater New York chapter, previously serving on the board and as a founding member of the Tiffany Circle, a community of women leaders who advance the Red Cross’ humanitarian mission. In May 2020, Lisa was awarded the “Women Who Lead Founders Award,” which is given to leaders who exemplify the Red Cross mission to bring change to New York City. Donahue also sits on the board of The Nucleus Group, a Brooklyn-based organization that helps commercial businesses, NGOs and nonprofits develop strategies for addressing humanitarian issues. She is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, the New York-based nonpartisan membership organization and think tank.
“We congratulate Lisa on this well-deserved recognition,” Simon Freakley, CEO of AlixPartners, said. “What truly sets Lisa apart is her innate ability to connect with people. She builds consensus and drives to sensible outcomes by blending her own instinct, intellect and creativity with a willingness to listen to constituents on all sides of the negotiating table. While turnarounds and restructurings are high-stakes situations — often the stakeholders have everything on the line — Lisa always accepts the challenge to provide needed leadership during these times of unprecedented disruption and devises innovative solutions to preserve value and jobs.”
