Richard Shinder and Mark Buschmann Launch Ensis Partners, a Boutique Investment Bank Focused on Complex Debt Restructuring Advisory

Advisory firm specializes in strategic transactions related to middle- and upper-middle market companies

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mark Buschmann and Richard Shinder, notable experts in the financial restructuring advisory space, announced today the launch of independent boutique financial advisory firm Ensis Partners (“Ensis”). Ensis has secured a significant investment from institutional and high-net-worth investors in connection with its entrance into the restructuring marketplace.

Based in New York City, Ensis will enter the restructuring market at a time when the expectation of higher future default rates as well as the explosive growth in private credit financing have given rise to heightened demand for comprehensive restructuring advice by middle market borrowers, their financial sponsors, and other stakeholders. As a growing number of companies implement increasingly complex financial structures, Ensis will advise this historically underserved segment of middle and upper-middle market companies facing financial distress. Ensis’ service offering will provide best-in-class, comprehensive restructuring advice to a market segment previously unable to avail itself of such expertise.

“We founded Ensis with the understanding that middle-market companies are facing far more complex financial situations than they have in the past, and consequently require more sophisticated restructuring expertise across a wide range of transaction formats – including LMEs, special situations financing, chapter 11 proceedings, and cross-border engagements, among others,” said Mr. Buschmann. “I am excited to be reunited with Rich to form this new investor-backed, fully-built boutique, which fills this growing niche. We began our careers together at Blackstone, and look forward to building the next successful restructuring boutique based on our similar culture and approach to helping clients maximize value.”

Mr. Shinder added, “With the support of our investors, we have built a platform which will offer a wide range of investment banking services, deep domain expertise, and sophisticated transaction execution, giving our middle market clients access to a premium debt and restructuring advisory product – inclusive of liability management – when such expertise and services are essential. Providing senior-level focus as well as capabilities and relevant experience beyond merely distressed sell-side M&A services will allow Ensis to design and execute capital solutions that work at all stages of a restructuring, allowing us to create significant value for these companies and their stakeholders.”

Mr. Buschmann and Mr. Shinder together bring more than 60 years of restructuring experience to Ensis, with both founders having played roles in some of the highest-profile restructuring engagements of the past twenty-five years, including Enron, Delta Air Lines, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Arch Coal, Westinghouse Electric, Barneys New York, and Loehmann’s, among scores of others. Both founders were instrumental in the growth of Blackstone’s Restructuring and Reorganization Group, with Mr. Buschmann an integral founding member of its successor advisory firm, PJT Partners.

Mr. Shinder was most recently the founder and Managing Partner of Theatine Partners, a boutique restructuring advisory and fiduciary services firm. Prior to that, he was Group Head of the Restructuring and Special Situations Group at Piper Jaffray, and previously a partner in the Restructuring Group at Perella Weinberg. He has also held senior-level roles at Goldman Sachs, Avenue Capital, Merrill Lynch, Blackstone and Lehman Brothers. Mr. Shinder has written and spoken extensively on economic, financial, and corporate governance-related issues, including having been published in the Wall Street Journal on multiple occasions. He earned an MBA with distinction from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and graduated summa cum laude from Gonzaga University.

Mr. Buschmann was most recently a Partner in the Special Situations and Restructuring Group at PJT Partners. Previously, he served as a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, working in their Restructuring and Reorganization Group. Mr. Buschmann began his career at Citigroup. He has been awarded recognition by numerous restructuring focused organizations and is a frequent panelist on restructuring related topics. He earned an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University and is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

About Ensis Partners
Ensis is a boutique, New York City-based investment banking and restructuring advisory firm founded by Richard Shinder and Mark Buschmann, providing comprehensive restructuring and liability management advice relevant to complex capital structures and financial situations. With a focus on the upper-middle market, Ensis offers senior-level expertise across a range of transaction formats, including LMEs, special situations financings, Chapter 11 proceedings and cross-border engagements. For more information, please visit: www.ensispartners.com.