Last week in downtown Chicago, the 13th annual Booth Credit Conference hosted a mix of keynote speakers, case discussions, and panels focused on hot topics facing the industry today. The gathering of Booth alumni participants and students asked some very tough questions. Not to mention we even had a few attendants from the Northside of Chicago from (dare I say) Kellogg?
The Booth student group known as CReDIT (Credit, Restructuring, Debt Investing, and Turnaround Club) had been planning the event for months and luckily the programming went off without a hitch! Let’s revisit the highlights of the day…
Held at Booth’s downtown Gleacher Center, the day started with a high-level discussion from our favorite, Professor Amir Sufi. He basically said that rates are rising and we need to watch out! Sad because I thought I was going to be getting a cheap mortgage fresh out of Booth?
We then moved onto a panel discussion regarding the struggling retail industry. Lawyers, bankers, and turnaround advisors painted an interesting picture of recent retail defaults and restructurings.
Next was a spicy conversation about Emerging Market investment opportunities across the globe and the never-ending question of “Is it worth the risk to invest in locations with less-than-stellar rule of law?” This author is biased, but let’s just say YES!
The day then moved into a case discussion of Toys ‘R Us from Reorg Research and a hearty lunch. Our fireside chat featuring Glenn Tilton, the ex-CEO of United Airlines, was a fascinating look back at that airline’s troubled past.
While the remainder of the day was hazy from our collective food coma, it featured heavy hitters from McKinsey to discuss the energy industry, a panel discussion on municipal finance, and a riveting panel on the ‘FinTech Revolution’ from… well you can guess which Booth professor was on that panel (Luigi Zingales).
And, let’s not forget esteemed Booth alumnus Jerry O’Brien who shared with everyone how impact investing can actually generate superior returns while at the same time supporting social goals.
It was a great day and the culmination of a lot of work for CReDIT group members. I’m sure the 14th annual conference will continue this amazing precedent of success!
