View From the Market

By Patrick Fitzgerald

For the last Special Sits and Distressed Weekly newsletter of 2025, Octus spoke with Jon Henes, founder and chief executive officer of C Street Advisory Group, one of the premier strategic communications firms in the United States. The conversation focused on the importance of strategic communications and stakeholder engagement in the restructuring process, and how they contribute to successful outcomes. Prior to founding C Street, Henes was a senior partner in Kirkland & Ellis’ restructuring group, where he spent two decades advising on some of the biggest transactions within the U.S. and across the world.

Deal flow is picking up for C Street, Henes told Octus, where he explained that overall, the firm has seen a steady shift from liability management exercises back to big out of court restructurings as well as chapter 11 filings. C Street also advises clients on M&A, activism, corporate positioning, crisis, and reputation management. With the increased activity, C Street is being brought into situations much earlier to ensure alignment among the company, its advisors, and the key stakeholders as the process unfolds. C Street’s biggest, and perhaps most challenging engagement of the year has been none other than headline-grabbing collapse of auto parts company First Brands.

Read full article in Octus here or below.