Chris Creger, CIRA

Principal, Restructuring & Dispute Resolution Practice, CohnReznick LLP

Chris Creger is a principal in CohnReznick’s Restructuring and Dispute Resolution Services Practice. He provides financial advisory, business restructuring, and transaction support services to corporations, lending institutions, private equity firms, hedge funds, and law firms. He works with a wide range of clients, including debtors, secured lenders, unsecured creditors, and other constituents, with matters including turnaround, bankruptcy, out-of-court workouts, litigation, lender and M&A due diligence, transactional support, and profit improvement services. Chris has significant experience serving clients in a wide range of industries, including healthcare, retail and consumer products, manufacturing and distribution, media, oil and gas, telecommunications, publications, textiles, not-for-profit, and energy. Chris’ areas of expertise include liquidity/ vendor management, organizational and process reformation, capital sourcing, and implementing business and creditor workout/management/ restructuring initiatives.

What is the best professional advice you have been given and how have you implemented it? 

Be patient, but don’t settle for anything less than your best. Learn how to evaluate each situation and provide a response that balances reassurance, ingenuity, and compromise to achieve your goal at hand.

How do you define a good leader?

A leader is a doer, one who is pulling the proverbial sled right next to you as opposed to cracking a whip behind you. A good leader leads by example and not simply by dictating a direction. 

What advice do you normally give to the junior talent you mentor? 

Do not be afraid to make mistakes, but do communicate early and often. The worst mistake is to go too far down a wrong path and wait until the end to raise your hand to ask for help. 

What advice would you give on how to self-advocate?

You are your best champion – communicate in a respectful way with your junior staff, peers, and upper management, your goals, achievements, and broader wants. You’ll be surprised how many people at different levels will be motivated by this and want to help you at different points along the way. 

What are some negotiation tactics you’ve learned over the years?

If there is enough to argue about, there is enough to divvy up! Communicate what is most important to you and communicate what is least important to you. At times, you will be surprised how parties may have differing goals which can make initial first steps of a negotiation fruitful. Start every negotiation with a win for both sides (or as close to it) for whatever is the most obvious. When you get to the point where parties are far apart, remember to have priorities and to identify leverage. 

With many working remotely or hybrid-style the past few years, what are some work-life balance strategies you’ve stuck with?

Stepping away from your home office for a physical and mental break is paramount. Whether it be something as simple as getting coffee down the street, or stepping outside the door to get fresh air, it is important that while you are embracing the WFH environment that you catch your breath from time to time and have quick resets. 

When interviewing newcomers to the industry, what do you say to pique their interest about why they should accept a position in this industry?

We are notorious for setting the mantra of “Work hard; play hard!” This industry has its peaks and valleys relative to deal flow and responsibilities. Newcomers should know that there are times that even if you are racing at 100 mph that the expectations are going to be for you to produce even faster, better, and to provide more. When deadlines are imposed or you have real implications relative to client service, you will have to choose whether its worth it to you to sacrifice your own time. To be successful, you will have to do this from time to time, but it’s how you manage expectations of those around you that becomes the difference between “winning” and “losing” in the career game of life.