To further expand its CFO Services offering, Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) has appointed Houston-based Bill Besancon as a Senior Director within its Corporate Performance Improvement (CPI) practice. Mr. Besancon’s expertise bolsters A&M’s capabilities to help distressed and non-distressed companies augment their finance and accounting organizations in support of their business goals.

Mr. Besancon brings more than 15 years of experience in financial planning and analysis (FP&A) across different industries. He provides clarity and discipline to complex engagements with a focus on finance, accounting and operational improvements.  

Mr. Besancon also advises on financial and management reporting, strategic business plan development, finance back-office process improvement, cost saving initiatives and technical accounting including Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting. Additionally, he specializes in valuation of derivatives and other financial instruments, and has assisted companies in implementing treasury risk management and hedging strategies.

Cyndi Joiner, A&M Managing Director and Co-leader of the firm’s CPI practice, said, “Bill possesses a unique skillset in the field of FP&A, helping clients unlock insights from trusted data. His ability to translate strategic business objectives into practical solutions aligns with A&M’s approach of maximizing value and driving change. Bill’s hire boosts our CFO Services capabilities and dovetails with A&M’s operational heritage.”

Prior to joining A&M, Mr. Besancon was Senior Director of FP&A at Conn’s HomePlus, where he transformed the finance and accounting functions for the retailer and consumer lender. In that role, he drove significant process improvement efforts across FP&A, financial reporting and credit accounting teams including organizational restructuring, the implementation of a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) and loan servicing system, and the adoption of new accounting standards.

Previously, Mr. Besancon spent four years with A&M’s Financial Industry Advisory Services (FIAS) practice, where he served as a strategic advisor to boards and executive management, developing and implementing enterprise risk management strategies.

Mr. Besancon also worked for Deloitte in London and Washington DC. While there, he was a trusted advisor to executives in a global bank insolvency proceeding, was appointed as a valuation expert in mediation meetings, and managed and executed audits of large SEC registrants.
 
Mr. Besancon earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in finance from Texas A&M University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder, and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of Texas.