People Spotlight: Leading Companies through Growth and Change

RACHAEL KUEHN

DIRECTOR, CHICAGO
RESTRUCTURING & TURNAROUND ADVISORY 

“Working in restructuring and turnaround, I provide financial and operational improvement services to healthy and distressed companies to tackle business challenges including liquidity constraints, acquisition integrations, and the execution of strategic and restructuring initiatives.

Riveron recently advised a manufacturing client that—due to pandemic-related disruptions—had a 50% decline in sales which severely limited the company’s ability to cover near-term fixed costs. We collaborated to enact a restructuring plan that strategically sold a major line of business, consolidated two facilities, renegotiated an existing master lease agreement, and optimized SG&A functions. We achieved a full turnaround in under seven months, restructured debt between lenders, and positioned an equity sponsor to deleverage the company and return it to profitability.

Exposure to a diverse set of clients, industries, and business lifecycles has been the most rewarding aspect of my career. At Riveron, I have been able to take on leadership roles and work with clients to tackle unprecedented challenges.”

ON CAREER DEVELOPMENT:
“I have had numerous opportunities to continue to grow and develop both personally and professionally at Riveron. Riveron has always supported and emphasized the pursuit of growth whether that be higher education, involvement in professional organizations such as TMA NOW or IWIRC, and community outreach.”

JUDY BUECHEL

SENIOR MANAGER, DENVER
TRANSACTION SERVICES 

“My career background spans audit, technical accounting, and acquisition-related financial reporting. I now focus on providing guidance and due diligence support for clients navigating complex transactions—from diligence to purchase agreements and networking capital negotiations.

Riveron advises all aspects of deals—both sell- and buy-side—and clients rely on us to guide the best outcome for all parties involved. With clients, target companies, or acquirers, I foster productive relationships so that parties work collaboratively during high-intensity situations. Clients seek our strategic expertise and perspectives on the business, and it is rewarding to develop relationships and create a symbiotic environment.

In professional services, being the client’s most relied-upon advisor and seeing the tangible result of our efforts is incredibly rewarding.  At the end of every deal, I love helping clients successfully acquire or sell their business.

ON CULTIVATING TEAMS & GROWTH:
“Transaction services as a profession allows me to constantly evolve—experiencing different industries, business sizes, and locations. This job keeps me captivated because of the unique stories surrounding the growth of each business, and the many opportunities outside of the core responsibilities. I have also developed a close bond with colleagues and love to train and develop them into the professionals they are.”

MARGO HELEN BRANACH

MANAGER, DALLAS
ACCOUNTING ADVISORY | ACCOUNTING & FINANCE OPERATIONS

“At Riveron, I work with clients to solve a variety of challenges and see myself as a business partner and an extension of my client’s team.

I helped one client establish a new process for tracking and reporting fixed assets. The client had no policies or procedures in place, with a very manual workflow leading to decreased productivity. As a result of the change, I was able to add value implementing a streamlined monthly standardized process that led to a decrease in the number of personnel hours spent on fixed assets.

A rewarding aspect of Riveron is continuing to dive deep with new projects that allow me to strengthen not only my technical accounting skills, but also develop client relationships.

ON CROSS-FUNCTIONAL STRENGTHS:
“Working at Riveron has provided a holistic perspective that has helped me to grow outside of pure accounting functions—managing and maintaining strong client relationships is a key component of a successful career in professional services.”

DARI ROM

MANAGER, NEW YORK
ACCOUNTING ADVISORY | ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE OPERATIONS

“My area of expertise involves solving accounting challenges for my clients, including very complex, ever-changing businesses.

In my role, I help stand up the client’s accounting team and improve their processes. I’ve taken complex entries and streamlined templates and reconciliations for them. In addition, if there are any ongoing variances and issues, I am the point person to investigate and solve these.

I’ve helped drive change by taking the initiative to improve a client’s old processes even when it wasn’t something I was initially told to do. Teams may resist change, fearing the need to be retrained, but I’ve made the effort to continuously be available to train, answer questions, and even provide in-depth instructions.

It is really rewarding to see the reconciliations and templates I’ve built catch errors that need to be corrected and also speed up my client’s closing process.

ON RIVERON’S EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE:
“Aside from client-specific work, it has been really rewarding to be involved in different initiatives that are driving connectivity and change. It has been a privilege to work with some amazing team members and build true friendships across offices.”

EMMA FREEDMAN

SENIOR ASSOCIATE, DENVER
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT

“At Riveron, I help businesses better position themselves for growth and achieve their strategic objectives.

My role includes leading program management offices, conducting business process analysis and re-design, executing process improvement opportunities, managing system implementations, performing operational due diligence, and post-acquisition integration work.

One impactful post-acquisition integration project I supported specialized in the HR integration workstream. Riveron partnered with the HR teams from two organizations to enable the combined company’s growth, ensure employee satisfaction, and help the client maintain a strong workplace culture.

ON WORKPLACE MENTORSHIPS:
“One of the most rewarding aspects of my professional development at Riveron thus far has been getting the opportunity to work with and learn from incredible female leaders in the company. The mentorship, guidance, and tactical support I have received from very strong female leaders has been invaluable.”

Visit the careers page to learn more about current opportunities at Riveron.