Lisa Donahue, joint global head of turnaround and restructuring services at AlixPartners, received the Harvey R. Miller Outstanding Achievement Award for her service to the restructuring industry. Donahue is the first woman to receive the award in its 20-year history.

The award, sponsored by law and business publisher The Beard Group, annually recognizes leaders in the turnaround and restructuring business who have had standout careers and pivotal roles in the biggest deals.

The award was first given in 2001 to Harvey R. Miller, who was a partner at law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges and a known figure in the restructuring industry. He played a pivotal role in making the bankruptcy, restructuring and reorganization practice an integral practice group of most major law firms.

Donahue began her career at AlixPartners in 1998, and during the ensuing years has regularly served as CRO, CEO, CFO and restructuring advisor. Donahue has been involved in some of the highest profile restructurings and transformations over the last two decades, including Westinghouse Electric Company and Puerto Rico Electric Power. Currently, she is advising AeroMexico airlines through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.

“We congratulate Lisa on this outstanding achievement,” Simon Freakley, CEO of AlixPartners, said. “Through her exceptional leadership — both in the industry and within our firm — and her diligent focus on delivering exceptional results for clients around the world, Lisa has been instrumental in helping companies with operational and financial transformations, bringing them out of distressed situations and positioning them for future growth and success.”

Donahue is the third AlixPartners recipient of the Harvey Miller award, preceded by the firm’s founder Jay Alix in 2004 and TRS managing director Al Koch in 2009.

“I congratulate Lisa, who is truly a global leader in our business. She is highly respected and very effective, and she has the honor of being the first woman to receive the Harvey Miller award,” Tim Coleman, recipient of the 2019 Harvey Miller Award and partner and global chairman of the restructuring and special situations group at PJT Partners, said.

Donahue was also named to Crain’s New York’s “Notable Women in Accounting and Consulting” this year and was recognized as a “Power Player in Management Consulting” by Business Insider. She was named to the Turnaround Management Association Hall of Fame in 2018, a designation bestowed once every five years for those whose outstanding contributions have increased the stature and respect of an industry dedicated to stabilizing underperforming companies, rebuilding corporate value and retaining jobs.