Experience

Accomplished. Principled.

Willow Tree is led by managing director Carl Lane.  Carl has over 25 years of experience at tier-one professional services firms providing interim management and financial advisory consulting to middle-market and large corporate companies, creditors, shareholders, and other interested parties.  He has served both public and private companies across a broad spectrum of industries and business sectors.  Representative matters include The Budd Company, Pacer International, Motor Coach Industries, MoneyGram International, Neff Corp., ASARCO, Bally Total Fitness, Federal Mogul, Florsheim Shoes, Jacobson Stores, an aluminum casting company, a coal mining company, a baking company, an oil and gas equipment manufacturer, and a national association.  His broad expertise also includes experience in operational improvement, mergers and acquisitions, valuation and dispute resolution as well as providing expert testimony on a range of financial matters. 

Prior to founding Willow Tree, Carl was a managing director with AlixPartners LLP and a principal at Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP.

View Carl's LinkedIn profile

Carl has also served as an independent board director for several privately-held companies, a board member of numerous civic organizations, business associations and community administrations, and as a trust administrator.

He is a Chartered Financial Analyst, a Certified Turnaround Professional, a Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor, and holds a Certification in Distressed Business Valuation.  Carl received a bachelor of science degree in accounting with high honors and a master of business administration degree with a concentration in finance from the University of Florida.  Carl was the past-president of the 1000-plus member Chicago/Midwest chapter of the Turnaround Management Association ("TMA").  In 2019, he was the recipient of the TMA's Outstanding Individual Contribution Award.  In 2009, he was honored by Turnarounds & Workouts in the “People to Watch” list.

Carl is a frequent speaker and author on the subject of corporate restructurings, finance and accounting matters.  Selected speeches and articles include:

• “2019 Restructuring & Economic Outlook,” TMA NextGen Leadership Conference, November 30, 2018
  
• “Valuations in Restructuring: De-mystifying the Valuation Process,” co-author and technical editor, Turnaround Management Association Course, July 2015
  
• “Interim Officers – Critical Skills for Critical Situations,” co-authored with Duncan S. Bourne, ABI Journal, September 2013
  
• Willow Tree Consulting Group profiled in the The Daily Deal and The Deal Pipeline article “Special Assignment” on February, 23, 2012
  
• “CRO 201 - Executing the Operational Turnaround,” Turnaround Management Association Webinar, September 27, 2011
  
• “Thirteen Week Cash Flow: What's In a Name? 13 Weeks May Be Everything,” Turnaround Management Association Webinar, June 9, 2011
  
• “CRO 101 – Using the Tools,” Turnaround Management Association Webinar, April 21, 2011
  
• Quoted in Turnaround Management Association publication "New Views in a Post-Recession World - Expert insights to guide you through changes,” Spring 2011
  
• “Turnarounds and Restructurings: What a Difference a Year Makes,” University of Florida, Hough Graduate School of Business – Finance Professional Speaker Series, Gainesville, Florida, February 18, 2011
  
• “Chapter 11 Reorganization Process,” The Nuts and Bolts of Dealing with a Troubled Business, Chicago/Midwest Turnaround Management Association, Chicago, Illinois, October 14, 2010
  
• “Working It Out in the Age of Tight Credit,” The Canadian Institute’s Western Canada Advanced Insolvency Law & Practice Conference, Vancouver, September 16, 2009
  
• “Portfolio Company Turnarounds,” McGuireWoods Private Equity Webinar, April 15, 2009
  
• “Mastering a Distressed M&A Transaction,” The Canadian Institute’s 9th Annual Advanced Insolvency & Restructuring Law Conference, Toronto, January 23, 2009
  
• “Exchange Offers,” co-author of chapter in Strategic Alternatives For and Against Distressed Businesses, West Publishing, all editions
  
• Quoted in Deloitte publication “Preparing for a Pandemic – Not your average business disruption,” 2007
  
• Quoted in CFO.com article “Burn Prevention for Creditors,” October 31, 2006 
  
• “The Market Responds to Code Changes with Fewer Reorganizations,” co-author, Daily Bankruptcy Review, June 28, 2006
  
• “How to Win the Valuation Battle: An Overview of Critical Reorganization Valuation Issues,” Turnaround Management Association Annual Conference, Chicago, Illinois, October 20, 2005
  
• “Pension Obligations – Who owns the company anyhow?,” Jefferies 2005 Global Automotive Conference, New York, New York, May 18, 2005
  
• “Determining the Feasibility of Plans,” Joint Session of Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors Conference on Recent Developments in Chapter 11 and Norton Bankruptcy Litigation Institute I, Park City, Utah, March 1, 2005