Beyond Default: Managing the Hidden Risks in Distress – WEBINAR

RMA Australia is pleased to bring you our first webinar for August 2026 – Beyond Default: Managing the Hidden Risks in Distress hosted by KordaMentha.

Financial distress rarely begins with a default event. Long before a covenant breach, missed repayment of formal insolvency process, organisations can face a range of less visible risks, including governance missteps, stalled decision-making, stakeholder pressure, funding uncertainty and a loss of strategic options.

In this session, Scott Langdon, Partner at KordaMentha, will lead a discussion on the hidden risks that emerge when businesses come under pressure. Joining Scott are Janna Robertson, Non-Executive Director and Bernie Walrut, Partner at Ashurst Perkins Coie, who will share perspectives from the boardroom and legal sectors. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the warning signs that sit beyond traditional measures of financial distress and how organisations can respond proactively to protect value and support long-term outcomes.

FURTHER INFORMATION:-

About the Panel:-

Janna Robertson, Non-Executive Director

Janna is a co-founder of Agō, partnering with PE, private business owners and CEOs to deliver organisational improvement and performance uplift, working alongside existing executives, in interim roles or as an executive board member to effect meaningful change.

Following a 20+ year career in special situations, restructuring and turnaround, during which Janna worked in a number of “firsts” in delivering creative solutions to complex situations across a wide range of sectors, she took on an Executive role at listed financial services firm MA Financial as Group COO. Over seven years, Janna built the scaling infrastructure to enable the growth of MA across Strategy, People, Risk, IT, Operations and Governance. During that time, MA acquired and integrated 4 businesses, scaled revenue, AUM, team and profitability between 3-5x, took the business to the ASX 300 and expanded globally with operations in 6 countries. Janna also Chaired the Group Investment Committee and oversaw the portfolio watch lists. Post leaving her exec role, Janna continues to sit on the Investment Committees for MA Private Credit funds and the Marinas fund.

Bernie Walrut, Partner, Ashurst Perkins Coie

Bernie Walrut is an experienced restructuring lawyer with a focus on transactional restructuring.

Bernie regularly advises special situation funds, alternative lenders, bondholders, private equity and hedge funds in respect of opportunistic investments or turnarounds.

Bernie also advises insolvency practitioners in both formal and informal insolvency situations. In addition to this Bernie has been involved in a number of company side engagements, assisting corporate entities in all forms of restructuring and turnaround.

Bernie has been recognized in Legal 500 and Best Lawyers in respect of Restructuring and Insolvency.

About the Moderator:-

Scott Langdon, Partner, KordaMentha

Scott Langdon is a Partner in KordaMentha’s Restructuring practice. He advises companies, boards, lenders and investors through complex restructurings, turnarounds, distressed situations and formal insolvency appointments. His experience includes a number of Australia’s most complex restructuring engagements, including Virgin Australia, Arrium Mining, Forge Group and FTX Digital Surge. Clients engage with Scott due to his ability to ‘walk in the client’s shoes’. Clients know Scott drives outcomes that consider the wider business objectives and with a modus operandi which both empathetic and unwavering in a desire to succeed.