Conference programme

The automotive sector is facing major disruption from electrification, supply chain challenges, cost pressures and shifting demand, leading to rising insolvencies among suppliers. As a result, restructuring and insolvency tools are increasingly used not only to stabilise distressed companies but also to facilitate sales, operational downsizing, plant closures and strategic transformation.

This panel will offer a practical, cross-border perspective on how these frameworks are being applied across the automotive value chain. From original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to suppliers, this panel will highlight recent developments, stakeholder dynamics, distressed M&A and how different jurisdictions use legal tools to support consolidation and long-term sustainability.

In this panel you will hear how in financing insolvency proceedings the unique features of various jurisdictions impact the length of the sales process and structure of the deal. What obligations can be cleansed through a sales process? How do employees fare through it all? What about the credit bid rights of the elephant in the room: the secured lender? This panel of experts will provide key perspectives on recent interesting cases, along with insights for the future of the sale of distressed companies in court proceedings.

When a multinational enterprise faces financial distress, the path to restructuring is rarely straightforward. Competing legal frameworks, divergent creditor priorities and the sheer complexity of cross-border operations mean that stakeholders must navigate a landscape where the choice of jurisdiction can be as consequential as the restructuring itself. From schemes of arrangement and restructuring plans in England to the Stabilisation and Restructuring Framework of Companies Act proceedings in Germany, Chapter 11 filings in the US and emerging frameworks in Singapore and Latin America. Each regime offers distinct advantages, limitations and tactical considerations in an increasingly competitive environment. Drawing on the diverse perspectives of restructuring lawyers, financial advisers and investment fund managers, the panel will explore how practitioners assess and select among available regimes. This will include looking at the role of forum shopping in shaping outcomes, the practical challenges of coordinating different proceedings across multiple jurisdictions and how creditors – including distressed debt investors – evaluate jurisdictional risk when deploying capital.

This panel will examine how insolvency practitioners manage cross-border recoveries where assets span multiple jurisdictions, offshore structures and digital platforms. Using a practical case study, it will explore tools such as the EU Insolvency Regulation (Recast), chapter 15 of the UNCITRAL Model Law, avoidance actions and cross-border recognition mechanisms. The discussion will highlight jurisdictional challenges, enforcement strategies and key risks in complex, multi-jurisdictional restructurings.

Former State Secretary in the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former German Ambassador in Washington, DC and London. A member of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), he holds active roles in a number of committees, including the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), Atlantik-Brücke, the Yalta European Strategy Group (YES), the American Academy in Berlin and the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC.

This panel will explore how Europe’s distressed investing landscape is evolving amid economic pressure, rate volatility and refinancing challenges. It will examine the growing role of alternative credit funds, hedge funds, special situations investors and private equity, as well as the impact of differing national restructuring regimes and post-Brexit English law tools. The session will also highlight emerging opportunities and key legal and enforcement risks shaping the next phase of the distressed cycle.