
Chris is a Chartered Accountant, Licensed Insolvency Practitioner and restructuring expert.
He has over 35 years’ experience in restructuring and recovery, working with owners, directors, lenders and creditors of troubled companies, providing pragmatic, relatable advice to stakeholders when they need it most.
Experience
As well as advising numerous distressed businesses to help prevent their collapse, Chris has acted as Administrator, Receiver or Liquidator to over 200 companies, ranging in size from small OMBs to PLCs, and across almost all industry sectors.
Alongside formal insolvencies, his assignments have included numerous strategic reviews for directors, lenders and investors; and hands-on help for distressed companies, working with owners and management teams to turnaround, refinance, sell or exit.
Notable client work and achievements
Highlights of Chris' recent experience include:
- Everest (2020) Limited - appointed as Administrator by the company's secured creditor to seek an urgent sale of this long-established and well-known double glazing business with 362 employees spread across multiple UK locations. The company's principal trading assets, including the customer order book, was successfully sold to the market-leading competitor which helped protect customers' deposits and delivered best value for the creditors.
- Independent supermarket group - negotiation with company's bank to achieve a major write-down of its debt, release of the director's personal guarantees and successful re-banking with another lender.
- Carter and Carter plc - Administrator of the UK’s largest private sector training business, with over 10,000 learners and 2,000 staff in 50+ locations throughout the country. Worked with the Learning & Skills Council to hold the business together whilst a buyer was sought and successfully found to transition the learners and staff.
- Auto Windscreens Ltd – Administrator of UK’s second largest vehicle replacement glass business, with 1000+ employees and 90 depots nationwide. Innovative solution to TUPE issues via Compulsory Liquidation of the company prior to sale of the assets.
Professional qualifications/memberships
- Chartered Accountant
- Licensed Insolvency Practitioner

Article
S&W team comment on latest company insolvencies data for construction industry
New data published today by the Insolvency Service shows that there were 367 construction insolvencies in February 2025, the highest they have been since June 2024. This is a 20% increase from January 2025 (306) and 3% increase from February 2024 (355).

Article
The team complete a sale of Utopia Distribution Services Limited to DP World Logistics UK Limited
On 13 December 2024, Mark Supperstone and Ben Woodthorpe were appointed as joint administrators to Utopia Distribution Services Limited (UDS or the ‘Company’), a physical entertainment distributor. Immediately following the appointment, a sale of the business and assets was completed to DP World Logistics UK Limited (‘DP World’), the supply chain solutions provider.