The 2020 Rinsing Stars of the Profession: Rodi Blokh

Rodi Blokh is Director, Turnaround & Restructuring for AlixPartners and says the thing that excites him most about his consulting career is the variety of experiences he gets to tackle day-in and day-out. From restructuring one of the largest companies in Colombia to representing the lenders of a start-up in Chicago—from running the M&A process for an insurance company in Puerto Rico to assisting in litigation related to a supermarket in Seattle, each deal has been completely unique, with its own set of challenges and rewards.

"There are a number of restructuring transactions that I have worked on where the outcome exceeded initial expectations, and being part of such teams is always rewarding," he says. "Oftentimes, these transactions involve companies that have been struggling for years and facing potential liquidation. We were able to materially change the trajectory of two such companies in 2019, working extremely quickly with various stakeholders to achieve significant capital infusions and unexpected out-of-court restructurings."

In both cases, the long-term viability and outlook for these companies was transformed, he says. "In addition, I am extremely proud of the strong relationships I have developed over the years with colleagues."

Blokh says there are two critical factors to being a successful advisor in distressed situations. The first is the ability to execute under pressure. "Typically, there is a limited amount of time and resources to achieve results, and those individuals that are able to think clearly and quickly to identify and resolve the most critical issues are often successful," he says. "The second is interpersonal skills. It goes without saying that technical skills are a requirement, but there is an interpersonal component that should not be ignored. It is important to develop a good working relationship with the company as well as other advisors in the case, in order to drive communication and credible information exchange between various stakeholders."

Prior to business school, Blokh was in corporate banking. After getting his MBA, all he knew was he wanted to do something a bit different. "I honestly wasn't focused on consulting at all, but found an opportunity in restructuring, which I didn't know much about," Blokh says. "The appeal was the variety in day-to-day work, highly dynamic situations and opportunity to make an impact. Fast forward nearly a decade, and it was 1,000 percent the right choice at the right time for me."

And being recognized as a Rising Star of the Profession drives home that point, for sure.

Q&A: What's the best advice—personal or professional—you've ever received? 

Blokh: "One of my first managers out of business school told me that technical competence is great, but he'd choose individuals with the right attitude over perfect technical skills any day. You can usually teach someone the technicals, but a poor attitude will really hurt the team dynamic. This is especially true in the consulting space, where you spend so much time together in conference rooms and on the road."