David Kurtz will join Hilco Global as vice chairman and chief strategic officer. Kurtz will report to and work with Jeffrey B. Hecktman, founder and CEO of Hilco.
Kurtz has 40 years of experience and was most recently at the financial advisory firm Lazard, where he had been vice chairman of U.S. investment banking and head of global restructuring since 2012, as well as a member of the global executive committee.
In this new role as vice chairman and chief strategic officer with Hilco, Kurtz will be responsible for continuing to fuel growth and further expansion of the firm’s overall platform while reinforcing Hilco’ s reputation for delivering asset knowledge and expertise.
“David will work directly with our executive leadership team and me to align the now 800-plus person organization to meet our aggressive strategic and commercial growth objectives and to expand our footprint around the world,” Hecktman said. “I’ve known David Kurtz for many years. He is recognized across the industry as one of the best strategic dealmakers in the business and his addition to our top management serves as a testament to the quality of the work we deliver and the level of talent we continue to attract to our company. As a longtime colleague and friend for many years, I am thrilled to say that David’s business prowess is only bested by his commitment to his family, friends and community, a critical component of our company’s culture and values.”
Kurtz has worked across a range of restructuring, M&A and investment banking transactions around the world. Some of the transactions he was associated with at Lazard included work with Bed Bath & Beyond, J.C. Penney, Neiman Marcus, J. Crew, Eastman Kodak, Tribune Company, Toys “R” Us, Belk, Nine West, Claire’s, Valaris Limited, Transocean, Diamond Offshore, RH Donnelley, Xcel Energy/NRG, USATA Board (USAir, ATA Airlines, America West and Aloha Airlines).
“Joining Hilco Global provides such a unique opportunity to leverage both my professional skill set and passion for strategic thinking at a firm that is truly innovative,” Kurtz said. “Jeffrey Hecktman and his leadership team at Hilco Global have built an impressive solutions focused platform that can look at a transaction holistically. The operating structure is built to take advantage of a comprehensive range of financial solutions delivering. This powerful one-two punch enables Hilco Global to deliver highly customized and proven solutions to resolve complex and stressed situations and enhance long-term enterprise business value for the client. And being privately held, they deliver it with speed and an entrepreneurial agility that is truly unsurpassed. “
Prior to joining Lazard in 2002, Kurtz was an attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where he served as senior partner and member of its global restructuring group. Over the years Kurtz has received many awards and accolades, including the Global Restructuring Investment Banker award at the Turnaround Atlas Awards and Bankruptcy Dealmaker of the Year award by American Lawyer Magazine.
