Professional services firm bolsters retail offering with new hire

Alvarez & Marsal, a global professional services firm specializing in turnaround and interim management, performance improvement and business advisory services, has hired Tom Phelps as a managing director. He will help retailers in the U.S. and worldwide improve business performance.



“A&M has a long history of working with retailers around the world to dramatically improve operations and drive performance across these organizations,” said John Rossman, managing director and head of A&M’s retail industry consulting practice. “As retailers continue to navigate choppy market conditions, technology has become increasingly critical to their ability to plan effectively, guard against risk and improve profitability amidst lingering uncertainty. With a track record of leadership and an extensive background helping major companies utilize technology as a strategic business asset, Tom and his team make an outstanding addition to our firm.”



Phelps was most recently CEO of ClearLine Group, where he led a team of seasoned professionals for 25 years. Prior to that, he was EVP of Palladium Group and founder and CEO of ThinkFast Consulting. Earlier in his career, he was a consultant for Comshare, one of the early pioneers of Decision Support technologies.



Phelps earned a bachelor’s of science degree in business administration, with a concentration in finance, from Marquette University. He is a frequent speaker and publisher, and participates in software vendor advisory councils to foster best practices in EPM and strategy execution.