About
James Cook is a partner at Accuracy and leads the UK Restructuring Services practice. James brings over 24 years of experience in assisting companies and their stakeholders to navigate financial, strategic and operational challenges in stressed and distressed situations.
James works with companies of all sizes, supporting clients to rescue businesses, as well as to preserve and maximise value for creditors. His sector experience covers financial services, automotive, retail & leisure, energy, property & construction, manufacturing, commodities and telecommunications.
His prior roles have included financial and operational turnarounds, liquidity and cash management exercises, strategic options analyses, accelerated M&A transactions, formal compromise arrangements, contingency planning and tactical insolvency solutions.
Qualifications
- Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
- Licensed Insolvency Practitioner
In-depth expertise
James provides leadership and hands-on expertise to assist companies, lenders, investors and other stakeholders in addressing the challenges they are facing. James prioritises a pragmatic approach to resolving issues and focuses on rapidly identifying and implementing effective solutions.
James has a broad range of international and domestic experience covering M&A, capital raising, liquidity management, performance improvement, financial & operational restructuring, fraud investigation and litigation management.
James has significant experience of leading large, complex and time-sensitive projects, which often involve managing multiple stakeholder groups and high-pressure circumstances.
Example of engagements
- Strategic options analysis for a fintech platform. Executed a sale of the business to an alternative capital provider to preserve the business.
- Contingency planning and accelerated sale process for a listed EV manufacturer.
- Strategic options analysis for a listed clothing and brand management group. Performed an accelerated marketing process for the sale of its UK operations.
- Contingency planning for a UK broadband service provider and support in a new funding raise.
- Strategic options analysis for a listed real estate group with significant exposure to cladding liabilities under the Building Safety Act 2022.
- Advisory services to an EU gas supplier in relation to the disruption caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Advisory services to a landlord in relation to a restructuring plan for a nationwide car park operator.
- The financial restructuring of a Sharia-compliant investment bank with assets of $10 billion under management.
- Support to the management team of a global steel and raw material trading group in the financial and operational restructuring of its business.
- Use of strategic insolvency appointments to effect the financial restructuring of one of the largest telecoms providers in Greece.
- Project management of the bankruptcy workout of a major bank in Lithuania.
- Numerous contingency planning exercises in support of wider debt restructurings, including a global cruise line business, a UK property group, a global automotive parts manufacturer, a multinational chemical company and a multinational consumer products manufacturer.