Rarely does anyone experience people and companies in such a state of emergency as those individuals involved as reorganisers and restructurers. Corporate crises often reveal the abysses, fates and characters of all parties involved. The financial expert Ralf Ehret could write books about it. Over the past 30 years, he has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs get back on track. His career began in banking in the early 1980s. Later, he spent fourteen years as the head of major client restructuring at Hypovereinsbank in Munich and London. Since July, Ehret has been both a partner and the Head of Debt Advisory at enomyc. For someone as passionate as Ehret, numbers are more than just mere figures: they are entire areas of tension. Sure, those between acute corporate crises and stakeholder conflicts, financial law and operational restructuring. However, he is much more interested in the areas of tension between chaos, despair and new beginnings. Why? What makes good debt advisors? And how is it possible - when your back is against the wall - to develop the "growth mindset" that he speaks of so fondly? A conversation about problems as logical life tasks and opportunities for personal growth.
Financing Strategy and Structuring
Tailored Capital Strategies for Sustainable Growth
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A robust capital strategy starts with the liability side of the balance sheet. We assess the financing architecture down to individual covenant provisions, evaluate risks through a Basel III lens, and model a range of target capital structures—from additional equity to mezzanine financing. Sensitivity analyses quantify the effects on credit ratings, interest expense, and capacity for growth.
Drawing on IDW S 6 principles, we identify specific levers, including working capital optimization, collateral strategy, and covenant design. We then manage a structured market process, negotiate term sheets with banks, debt funds, and insurers, and embed the new financing framework in the company’s reporting and KPI systems.
The result: stronger liquidity, longer maturities, and greater strategic flexibility. Our approach draws on three decades of banking, transaction, and restructuring experience and is focused on measurable outcomes.
Current Perspectives on Financing and Capital Structure
Financial Advisory
Crisis communication with financing partners: 5 typical pitfalls and how to avoid them
During a corporate crisis, many things change, including the relationship between the company and its financiers. Internal regulatory requirements lead to changes vis-à-vis lenders' engagement strategies and new contacts. Communication requirements also increase in many respects. Those who fail to recognise this risk a communicative downward spiral and thus potential existential consequences. Why is correct crisis communication so crucial for a successful restructuring? And how does it work exactly? Ralf Ehret, enomyc Partner and Head of Debt Advisory, looks at five typical pitfalls of communication with financing partners - and how you can avoid them.
Transformation & Restructuring
IDW S 6: From Restructuring Opinion to Strategic Management Framework
Many business owners first encounter the term IDW S 6 when dealing with banks or financing partners. This often gives the impression that it is a formal report or a regulatory formality for companies in crisis. However, as enomyc author Tom Hammer explains, a restructuring plan in accordance with IDW S 6 can do much more: when intelligently designed and implemented, it ensures clarity in corporate management and builds trust among financing partners—thereby laying the foundation for a sustainably successful future.
Impending double dip, pressing transformation, slowing banks: “Outdated financing concepts are of little help now,” says Ralf Ehret, partner and head of debt advisory at enomyc. They are often suboptimal, unstable, and not designed for the current risks or future needs of German SMEs. It is no surprise that alternative sources of financing are now booming. But what do companies need to anticipate now in order to act early, honestly, and smartly? A look at worst-case scenarios and dream scenarios from a debt advisor.
The StaRUG x Leoni AG case is making history in corporate restructuring. Specifically, it represents a paradigm shift. According to the summary of the restructuring plan, the expected return for the shareholders affected by the plan in the next best alternative scenario was 0%. This has never happened before. How has this case affected restructuring practices since then? Who are the winners and losers? And what opportunities or risks does StaRUG hold for LLCs? Ralf Ehret, Partner and Head of Debt Advisory, provides insights.
Financial Advisory
Payable in 30 Days: What SMEs Need to Know About the Late Payment Di-rective
One in four insolvencies is due to late payments. Especially in business trans-actions between large debtors and small creditors, long payment terms re-peatedly lead to problems. As a result, particularly SMEs, which rely on pre-dictable cash flows, are forced to delay payments to their own suppliers, incur higher financing costs, and have less room for investments. With a directive aimed at combating late payments in commercial transactions, the European Commission intends to ensure more fairness. Moreover, it aims to enhance the competitiveness and resilience of small and medium-sized enterprises. While this sounds promising, it also has its drawbacks, according to experts Marc Fahrig and Ralf Ehret, who outline what businesses should now prepare for.