Les Matuson

Les is a highly respected business advisor and turnaround specialist, and Senior Business Rescue Practitioner. He has been active in this field for almost 35 years and has supervised and maximised recoveries in many large, high profile corporate matters. 

Les founded Matuson & Associates after recognising the opportunity to provide advice and hands on support to organizations facing operational and financial crises situations demanding immediate action, objectivity and tangible results. 

Matuson & Associates is one of the premier South African turnaround, and Business Rescue practices. The company enjoys a reputation for providing leadership, problem solving and value creation to under performing and robust companies across the industry spectrum. The firms focus is on preserving and maximizing enterprise value for all stakeholders while dealing with a wide range of complex issues. 

Les has worked on some of the largest corporate restructuring matters in South Africa, in both a formal (legal) and informal processes.  

Les’ most recent engagement is to lead the Business Rescue of Ellerine Furnishers which was the furniture retail arm of the failed African Bank. The Ellerine Furnishers group had over 1 000 retail furniture stores across 6 countries in Sub--‐Saharan Africa. According to the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (“CIPC”), the Ellerine Furnishers Business Rescue is the largest Business Rescue in South African history.

Les has considerable private equity experience, having sat on the board of Gensec NSA Private Equity Fund, focusing on restoring value to the underperforming private equity investments.

Les’ relentless pursuit of excellence and his commitment to the industry has led to numerous accolades, including the Turnaround Management Association (“TMA”) Recognising two of his Business Rescue Plans For retail companies at the TMA’s 2014 Annual awards ceremony.
 
Les has worked across a broad range of industries and sectors with a significant focus on the retail industry. He is also a well regarded industry speaker and commentator.

Qualifications and Memberships

• Bachelor of Accountancy, BAcc (Wits)
• Chartered Accountant South Africa, CA (SA)
• Master of Business Administration, MBA (Wits)
• Member of the International Turnaround Management Association
• Member of the South African Restructuring and Insolvency Practitioners Association (SARIPA)
• CIPC Recognised and Approved Senior Business Rescue Practitioner