Alvarez & Marsal Launches New Business Consulting Group.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 2004

Consulting Industry Veterans Join A&M to Provide Suite of

Management-Focused Services to Companies With Good Market Positions

and Solid Financials

Expanding its breadth as a global professional services firm, Alvarez & Marsal announced it has formed a new consulting division to serve companies with good market positions and solid financials. The Business Consulting Group of Alvarez & Marsal builds on A&M's 20-year track record of problem solving with the addition of a team of top-flight consultants who offer a suite of functional and technical services, complementing the firm's deep-rooted operational and financial expertise.

Led by Thomas Elsenbrook, who joined A&M from BearingPoint, the group's services include: Strategy and Corporate Solutions, such as post-merger integration, cost management, business development and marketing; Finance Solutions, such as finance strategy, shared services, business process outsourcing advisory, financial process improvement, business planning and performance management; Information Technology Strategy and Integration, such as software evaluation and selection and ERP optimization; Human Resources Solutions, such as HR operational improvement, compensation and performance management, talent management and organizational effectiveness solutions; and Supply Chain Solutions, such as strategic sourcing, procure to pay process improvement, warehouse and inventory management and transportation and logistics.

"While A&M may be better known for executing high-profile turnarounds and restructurings on behalf of troubled companies, the firm has also worked for more than twenty years with companies in more stable financial positions to create value and improve business performance," said Tony Alvarez, co-founder of A&M. "Not only is our new business consulting division a logical extension of the unique skill set we provide to clients, our approach to business consulting fills a demand in today's marketplace for a distinct blend of services and expertise not offered by pure strategy firms. Particularly today, when time and resources are of the essence, companies need more than just great strategic thinking, they need a partner who can not only think, but who can also lead, implement and deliver results within compressed timeframes."

"Changes in both corporate America's needs and the consulting industry itself have created a significant opportunity for A&M to serve top-tier corporate management seeking action-oriented and proven professional services," said Mr. Elsenbrook. "Our advantage over publicly owned competitors, which have consistent earnings pressure, is a low cost structure, flexibility, employee commitment, client service and trust in executive management. Our advantage over privately owned strategy firms is our ability to offer clients the service of professionals who have superior operational expertise combined with strategic consulting experience at a moderate cost."

Prior to joining A&M as a Managing Director, Mr. Elsenbrook, who has 25 years of consulting industry experience, was a Senior Vice President at BearingPoint and responsible for the firm's oil and gas industry practice. Before that, he served as the partner in charge of the Andersen Business Consulting West Region, where he assisted top companies in a variety of industry segments.

Joining Mr. Elsenbrook is an outstanding team of professionals. In the Finance Solutions Group, Jeffrey V. Smith has been named a Managing Director and Michael Davidson has been named a Director. Mr. Smith has over 20 years of consulting experience, having worked with a variety of commercial and industrial services, manufacturing, retail, consumer packaged goods, communications, healthcare and energy organizations. He previously served as a Managing Director and Service Line Leader of the Business Transformation Practice of Answerthink, a mid-sized publicly traded consulting firm. Mr. Davidson, who has more than 13 years of management consulting experience, was formerly a Managing Director with Parson Consulting, an international consulting firm focused on finance and accounting, where he had overall management responsibility for the Houston practice. Prior to that, he was a Senior Manager in the finance and performance management practice at Accenture.

In the Human Resources Group, Kevin McMahon and Tony Pilegge have been named Directors. With more than a decade of management and consulting experience involving complex business and performance issues, Mr. McMahon most recently spent four years as Director of Global Organizational Development at a global software company. Before that he was an experienced manager in the Change Management Practice of a Big Five firm. Mr. Pilegge specializes in helping organizations improve business performance by maximizing value of and return on their human capital assets and managing related costs. He previously spent nine years in the Human Capital Practice of two Big Five firms as a Senior Manager.

With more than 30 years of experience in both industry and consulting, Ron Hunt has been named a Director in the Information Technology Strategy and Integration Solutions group. Prior to joining A&M, he served as a Managing Director and partner of two international professional services and consulting organizations. In industry, he held one of four key management positions in an independent exploration and production company.

Based initially in Houston and serving companies across the country in myriad industry sectors, the Business Consulting Group of Alvarez & Marsal is expected to expand to cities throughout the U.S. during 2004.

Founded in 1983, Alvarez & Marsal is a global professional services firm that helps businesses in the corporate and public sectors solve problems and unlock value. With nearly 250 professionals across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America, Alvarez & Marsal delivers a distinct blend of leadership, problem solving and value creation. Drawing on its strong operational heritage and hands-on approach, Alvarez & Marsal works closely with organizations and their stakeholders to help navigate complex business issues.

For more information about the firm, please visit www.alvarezandmarsal.com or contact Rebecca Baker, Chief Marketing Officer at 212.759.4433. To find out more about the Business Consulting Group of Alvarez & Marsal, contact Tom Elsenbrook, Managing Director at 713.259.7080.