Accordion Announces Formal LA Expansion
Company Elevates Long-Standing Mackinac Executive, Nishant Machado, to Lead Accordion’s LA Office
LOS ANGELES – December 8, 2021 – Accordion, a private equity-focused financial and technology consulting firm, today announced that, as part of its recent acquisition of Mackinac Partners, a leading financial advisory, restructuring, and operational turnaround firm, it is expanding and deepening its presence in Los Angeles. The company has tapped long-standing Mackinac executive and 15-year industry veteran Nishant Machado to lead its LA operations.
“The combination of Accordion and Mackinac means that there is now a premier partner that sponsors can rely on across every phase of their investment lifecycle,” said Machado, Managing Director and Head of LA Office, Accordion.
“Our Mackinac clients know us as a trusted partner in the restructuring and turnaround space. I’m excited to introduce our expanded set of capabilities as I believe our joint expertise will be critical as our clients continue to navigate a complex marketplace. Not surprisingly, our LA-based sponsors face an ever-evolving set of challenges and opportunities within their portfolio. Our growing LA-based team can support those sponsors whether that’s through a focus on value restoration or value creation through operational improvement or M&A activity.”
The greater Southern California area represents the fifth largest private equity market in the U.S. with over 500 funds managing more than $300 billion in assets. Machado, who formerly served as co-leader of Mackinac’s Turnaround and Restructuring practice, and leader of its Restaurant and Food practice, will help support Accordion’s ambitious growth plans in the market.
Continued Machado, “At Accordion, we are always focused on talent acquisition and development. This is particularly true in Los Angeles, given our aggressive expectations for hyper-growth in the region. We have ambitious, but achievable, plans to double the number of employees in LA over the next year. Critically, we welcome candidates who not only have the requisite experience, but are also a good culture fit, with a can-do attitude and collaborative instinct.”
Accordion‘s LA office is home to additional company leadership, including Shauna Watson, Managing Director and Head of Accordion’s new Public Company Readiness practice. Watson has nearly three decades of experience spanning a variety of sectors including consulting, energy and aerospace, and defense. She is a subject matter expert in US GAAP, IFRS, SOX, and SEC Regulations.
Also based in the LA office is Managing Director, Stephen Masterson, a financial executive and CPA with a Big 4 public accounting background. Masterson’s experience serving as both an Audit and Consulting Partner included a role as the West Region Partner-in-Charge for the consulting practice at his previous firm. Masterson has also served as the Chief Financial Officer for two public companies and the Chief Credit Officer for a Fortune 500 brokerage firm. His expertise includes U.S. GAAP, SEC Regulations, ESG, Strategic Finance, and Risk Management throughout various industries including financial services, professional sports, entertainment, hospitality, and technology.
“Now more than ever, sponsors are facing an ever evolving set of challenges and opportunities within their portfolio,” said Nick Leopard, Accordion, CEO & Founder.
“From diligence to exit, and all the M&A and value creation activity in between, there is no provider in the LA market that has the types of people or breadth of services, experience, expertise, and track record that Accordion can offer.”
Continued Leopard: “Nishant is the perfect person to lead our growing team in LA. As a veteran of the industry and region, Nishant knows the sponsors, the market nuances, and understands the challenges clients face in the COVID-influenced economy. Moreover, not only is he an exceptional ambassador for our company, he is an exceptional leader who will help us attract and retain the kind of execution-oriented professionals for which we have become known.”
Machado has extensive business, finance, turnaround and restructuring experience including positions as Interim CEO, CRO, COO, CFO and Restructuring Advisor for turnaround clients, equity stakeholders, and public and private corporations. He also has considerable experience in buy-side and sell-side transactions and has successfully represented companies in and out of bankruptcy, in addition to managing complex M&A transactions.
Machado is a cum laude graduate from Purdue University. He is a member of The Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors and is a Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor (CIRA). He is also a member of the Global One Chapter of Young Presidents Organization (YPO). Machado has served as a Board Member for Native Foods, and currently serves as a Board Member for Sbarro, Checkers, and Rally’s, Dividend Restaurant Group, and Pamos Beverage Company.
The LA office brings the total number of Accordion offices to nine, including Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, New York, San Francisco, and South Florida.
About Accordion
Accordion is a private equity-focused financial and technology consulting firm. Rooted in a heritage of serving the office of the CFO, Accordion works at the intersection of sponsors and management teams to maximize value. The firm’s services span the entire CFO function – including operational and technical accounting, strategic financial planning and analysis, CFO-related technology, transaction execution, public company readiness, interim leadership, and following its 2021 acquisition of Mackinac Partners, now include turnaround and restructuring solutions for the broader private capital markets. Across all of Accordion’s services, clients are supported by deep expertise in CFO-specific technology and finance-led transformations. Accordion is headquartered in New York with nine offices in Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and South Florida.