Henry Furlow Owsley III
Henry F. Owsley | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Investment banker |
| Known for | Founder and CEO of Gordian Group LLC; Managing partner at Bacchus Capital Management |
Henry F. Owsley (born 1955) is a prominent American investment banker who established Gordian Group LLC, serving as its CEO. This boutique investment bank specializes in advisory services related to bankruptcy and corporate restructuring. Additionally, he holds the position of managing partner at Bacchus Capital Management, a private equity firm that focuses on investments in wineries.
Early life and education
Raised in New Orleans, Owsley completed his secondary education at Metairie Park Country Day School in 1973. He obtained a B.S.E. degree in civil engineering from Princeton University in 1977, graduating summa cum laude and earning distinctions such as Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Beta Pi honors. During his time at Princeton, he was awarded the James Hayes-Edgar Palmer Prize, served as chairman of photography for The Daily Princetonian, and participated in the Tiger Inn eating club. He further advanced his studies by earning an S.M. degree from MIT Sloan School of Management in 1979.
Career
Owsley launched his professional journey at Goldman Sachs in 1979, where he contributed to Corporate Finance and Mergers & Acquisitions divisions. Notably, he initiated Goldman Sachs' workout group and played a key role in establishing its technology group. In 1988, he founded Gordian Group to concentrate on intricate bankruptcy and restructuring engagements. Later, in 2007, he co-founded Bacchus Capital Management alongside Peter S. Kaufman and Sam Bronfman.
Widely acknowledged as an authority in distressed investment banking, Owsley has appeared in major media platforms such as ABC News, Bloomberg Businessweek, Fox Business, The New York Times, Reuters, and TheStreet.com. He is co-author of two significant publications: Distressed Investment Banking: To The Abyss and Back (initially published in 2005 with an update in 2015) and Equity Holders Under Siege: Strategies and Tactics for Distressed Businesses (2014), both released by Beard Books. These works offer strategic insights tailored for corporate boards, management teams, shareholders, and professionals navigating financial distress.
Owsley consistently ranks among leading investment bankers, securing the fourth position in The Deal Bankruptcy League Tables for 2012. Under his leadership, Gordian Group has received several accolades including "Outstanding Investment Banking Firm" awarded by Turnarounds & Workouts (2014) and "Boutique Investment Bank of the Year" from M&A Advisor (2014). The firm earned recognition for its restructuring efforts with clients such as Jobson Medical Holdings and Elyria Foundry. Furthermore, Owsley has provided counsel to labor unions like the Transport Workers Union of America during the American Airlines bankruptcy proceedings and the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union amid the Hostess Brands bankruptcy.
Publications
- Co-author of Equity Holders under Siege: Strategies and Tactics for Distressed Businesses (Beard Books LLC, 2014)
- Co-author of Distressed Investment Banking: To the Abyss and Back (Beard Books LLC, 2005)
- Co-author of "The Role of the Investment Banker," featured in Bankruptcy Business Acquisitions (Lex Med Publishing, 1998)
- Co-author of "Trading in the Distressed Market," included in Investing in Bankruptcies and Turnarounds (HarperCollins Publishers, 1991)