Houston-area energy, supply-chain and maritime experts and international restructuring counsel to examine where business distress could emerge next.
HOUSTON, October 19: When does a global economic shock become a business survival problem? The 2026 Turnaround Management Association (TMA) Annual Conference, taking place October 27–30 at the Marriott Marquis Houston, will bring that question into focus, gathering professionals who help companies navigate financial distress, preserve value and find a path forward.
Against a backdrop of geopolitical conflict, trade-policy uncertainty and rapid advances in artificial intelligence, the global economy faces pressures with effects that vary widely across businesses and markets. For turnaround, restructuring and bankruptcy professionals, those pressures are more than headlines. They can become a client’s cash shortage, a disrupted supply chain, a difficult financing decision or an urgent need to rethink the business. Working through those challenges gives these professionals a distinctive perspective on where risks emerge and what companies can do before their options narrow.
That perspective will anchor the conference’s opening general session, “Fault Lines: Restructuring in a Geopolitical Economy,” on Wednesday, October 28, from 4:15 to 5:30.
“There is so much going on – huge shipping premiums, supply chains are strained if not broken, there’s an impending election. Volatility requires nimble adjustments and we have a lot of work ahead of us. Houston is the energy capital of the globe and a major player in restructuring history,” said panelist Ed Hirs, lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Houston.
Houston expertise meets an international perspective
The conference’s opening session will connect developments in ports, trade corridors and international policy with their consequences for operating performance, available cash, company valuations and restructuring strategy. Panelists will examine disruption associated with conflict affecting the Strait of Hormuz, cross-border coordination under proposed tariff regimes, and the legal implications of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement review.
The panel brings together three Houston-area experts and a London-based restructuring attorney:
- Ed Hirs, Energy Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Houston is a recognized expert and frequently quoted on energy markets and finance. He has consulted on numerous transactions and disputes.
- Margaret Kidd, department chair of Business, Logistics, and Supply Chain Management at San Jacinto College, with expertise in supply chain resilience, global trade, maritime logistics, port-city interface and economic development.
Anna Nolan, partner in Alston & Bird’s London office, who advises on complex domestic and cross-border restructurings, refinancings and distressed transactions.
For reporters covering Houston business, energy, shipping, trade and the economy, the discussion offers an opportunity to connect global developments with the practical decisions facing companies, lenders and investors. The focus is not only what might happen next, but how businesses and their advisors can identify vulnerabilities, anticipate competing stakeholder interests and develop solutions.
Beyond uncertainty: strategies, tools and connections
The four-day TMA Annual Conference will combine professional education with opportunities to build relationships across the turnaround and restructuring community, bringing together advisors, attorneys, lenders, investors, corporate leaders and other professionals. Programming will address private-credit workouts, corporate governance, family-business distress and business recovery.
“The Annual Conference brings together some of the brightest minds in corporate health with banks, private equity firms and other capital providers to share what they are seeing on the front lines,” said Christine Melendes, CAE, CEO of TMA.” Those conversations help lenders and investors better understand the risks facing companies in their portfolios and identify practical solutions. For distressed investors, they also offer insight into where the next opportunities may emerge. This is an opportunity to move beyond the headlines and learn from the people helping businesses respond in real time.”
Featured keynote speaker Peter Cuneo, former president and CEO of Marvel Entertainment, will share lessons from Marvel’s post-bankruptcy transformation and his experience leading businesses through high-stakes turnarounds.
The conference will also move the AI conversation from speculation to practical application. During “From Prompt to Petition: Building a Repeatable 13-Week Cash Flow with AI,” panelists will demonstrate building a cash-flow forecast live on stage in 13 minutes, while examining the review procedures and professional judgment needed to evaluate AI-assisted work.
Conference information, the complete agenda and registration are available through the TMA Annual Conference website: annual.turnaround.org.
Media attendance and interviews
Members of the press who wish to be considered for a press pass should contact communications@turnaround.org. Individual interviews with panelists can also be arranged.
About the Turnaround Management Association
Established in 1988, the Turnaround Management Association is a global professional community dedicated to corporate renewal, restructuring and corporate health. Through 54 chapters worldwide, TMA connects turnaround practitioners, attorneys, financial advisors, lenders, investors and other professionals. TMA provides education, networking and certification resources to support professionals helping distressed businesses recover and healthy businesses navigate challenges.