Michael Pearson is an independent director, liquidator, trustee and advisor specialising in providing independent governance and dispute resolution advice to companies, partnerships, trusts and other financial structures. Michael currently acts as a director and liquidator to a number of hedge funds and other investment holding company boards, both offshore and onshore.
With over 25 years’ experience in the financial services sector, Michael occupied various senior roles in the insolvency teams of Big Four accounting firms prior to founding FFP Cayman in 2012. He has significant experience with wind-downs, restructurings and other complex situations, leading to disputes and litigation.
Michael is regularly sought out to deal with particularly difficult and contentious situations, often involving high value litigation or regulatory issues. He has given evidence and been cross examined on many occasions in the US, UK and offshore.
In recent years, Michael has been involved in some of the highest profile offshore situations. On the plaintiff side he successfully sued a global bank in a Ponzi scheme for over $100m, mediated against law firms and fiduciary firms and brought actions against auditors. He was recently appointed as liquidator of Silicon Valley Bank NA to recover several hundred million dollars of assets. On the defensive side he has successfully worked to defend funds and investors against insider trading and forfeiture actions. He has also acted as an independent director and special committee member in several multi-billion dollar contested bond restructurings.
Having grown FFP into an operation of over 60 people providing over half a dozen key service lines for complicated offshore situations, Michael is known for taking a robust and straightforward approach in providing innovative solutions. This level of experience makes him ideally placed to provide board level guidance and to enhance governance for all types of investment structures.
Michael is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and a UK licensed and Cayman qualified Insolvency Practitioner. He is a member of INSOL International and is the founding chairman of the Restructuring and Insolvency Specialists Association in the Cayman Islands, which has over 350 members. He is registered with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority as an Approved Director, approved by the BVI Financial Services Commission as a Director and is registered as an insolvency practitioner with the DIFC Registrar of Companies allowing him to be appointed and serve as a Nominee, Administrator, Receiver, an Administrative Receiver, a Liquidator or provisional Liquidator of an entity registered in the DIFC.