Gerald Shapiro has more than 30 years of management and advisory experience. A seasoned restructuring professional, Mr. Shapiro works with operationally and financially distressed organizations through periods of transition.

He has experience in variety of industries, including:

Manufacturing Distribution Aerospace and defense Broadcast media

Pharmaceuticals Healthcare Retail Oil and gas

Mr. Shapiro was most recently the senior vice president and co-head of the New York office of Buccino & Associates Inc. Prior to that he was a founder and principal of Vista Associates, a strategic advisory firm. Some of his engagements include:

• Financial advisor to a privately owned, $200 million jewelry and hard goods retailer in an out-of-court restructuring; assisted in the integration of management teams following the purchase of the company and oversaw vendor matters, including a creditor composition, thereby avoiding a bankruptcy filing
• CFO and CAO of a publicly traded bioscience company during its restructuring and return to profitability; managed the company's recapitalization, acquisitions, in- and out-licensing programs and contract manufacturing efforts
• Court-appointed advisor to a beef processor in a Chapter 11 proceeding; recommended converting the operation to a Chapter 7 and seeking out strategic investors; served as an advisor to the pre-petition lender in devising a restart plan, performed monitoring and claim resolution assignments and monitored the company during its restart
• Interim COO/CFO of a manufacturer of military aircraft runway repair systems; coordinated bid preparation for a major foreign contract that expanded the business from $2 million per year to the $40 million level; developed plans for entry and expansion into additional markets
• Interim CFO of an $80 million manufacturer of military and commercial firearms; secured alternative working capital refinancing, directed the overall financial function and assisted the CEO in operational matters
• COO of a Wall Street back office consulting firm charged with developing a turnaround plan to reverse declining revenue trends; among other duties, he instituted operational and financial controls and steered the company to new service offerings

Mr. Shapiro holds a bachelor's degree from City College of New York and an MBA from Columbia University. He is actively involved in The Executive Forum, the American Bankruptcy Institute, the Turnaround Management Association, the Association for Corporate Growth and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.