Grant Lyon, Craig Hansen and Peter Kaufman announced they have partnered to form Caissa Capital, LLC, a venture aimed at providing, in one entity, senior-level workout, financial restructuring and legal services. Caissa will target large, complex capital stack situations in international markets in both sovereign and corporate debt matters. Caissa will partner with top international law firms, as the need arises, to ensure clients receive the maximum value of professional services in the most efficient manner. While prepared to represent all levels of the capital structure in any given situation, Caissa will aim primarily to serve clients with junior debt and/or equity investments in international markets.

Caissa is currently in discussions to take over management of foreign private equity and hedge fund distressed portfolios, with a goal of maximizing value.

Lyon, formerly a Managing Director at Ernst & Young Corporate Finance and Krys Global USA, was most recently the primary financial advisor to the Bahamian government in the successful restructuring of the Baha Mar resort, which involved more than US$4 billion of debt. “Caissa’s formation is very exciting for me. We have already sourced significant international opportunities and, through Peter, we will enjoy a significant relationship with the investment bank Gordian Group, LLC,” Lyon commented.

Hansen, formerly a senior partner in the restructuring group of the international law firm of Squire Patton Boggs, who has over the last 35 years played an active role in restructuring more than US$50 billion in debt said, “This is a dream come true for me. Grant, Peter and I are bound together by, collectively, more years than we want to acknowledge of common personal and professional relationships, and intend to create huge success for our clients and thus for Caissa. There is significant investment and referral interest in Caissa even before its formation, which is pleasing and humbling.” Hansen is an internationally known restructuring attorney and a long-time Fellow in the prestigious American College of Bankruptcy.

Kaufman remains President, and Head of Restructuring and Distressed M&A, at Gordian Group, LLC. Gordian is perhaps the leading investment bank focused solely on financial and capital structure matters that are distressed, complex or “story”, and is well-known for its unique expertise in achieving outsized results for junior constituencies/old equity both through financial restructurings and M&A activities.

Kaufman noted, “Henry and my partners, colleagues and I relish the chance to work with Grant and Craig on the mandates that we expect to come Caissa’s way. Gordian will be devoting our substantial resources to support Caissa, and we look forward to building upon our firm’s 30 year track record of success with Grant and Craig.”