London, 7 January 2026 – Leading global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) has bolstered its Restructuring practice with the appointment of Matt Atkinson as a Managing Director in London.

Mr Atkinson brings more than 25 years of restructuring experience, having worked in practice, government and the education sector. He specialises in M&A, financial restructuring, asset realisation and alternative financing. His expertise strengthens A&M’s capability to support education providers and funders, particularly universities, as financial and operational pressures intensify across the sector.

At A&M, Mr Atkinson will have a national role focussing helping higher education institutions who are grappling with sufficiency of tuition fees, inflationary cost pressures, volatile overseas student demand, maintaining large estates, cyber threats and increasing scrutiny over the value of undergraduate degrees. Alongside the medium-term potential for oversupply of UK undergraduate places, many universities are also contending with insufficiently funded research activity and rising refinancing costs, creating a pressing need for more agile financial and operational decision-making so that they are fit for the future.

Prior to joining A&M, Mr Atkinson was interim Chief Financial Officer at the University of Nottingham and, before that, held the same role at Middlesex University. Earlier in his career, Mr. Atkinson spent six years with the UK Department for Education, where he oversaw £62 billion of annual public spending and established and led the transactions unit, which was responsible for funding over 40 mergers within the further education sector.

Chris Johnston, Managing Director and Co-Head of Financial and Operational Restructuring EMEA at A&M, said: “Matt brings a unique combination of deep sector insight and restructuring expertise. The higher education sector is under significant strain, with a rapidly worsening financial outlook and an urgent need to take action on a number of fronts. Matt’s experience, both within educational institutions and government, will be invaluable in helping clients address immediate pressures and plan for long-term stability.”

Commenting on his appointment, Matt Atkinson said: “The higher education sector is one of the UK’s biggest exports and one of our greatest national assets, yet it faces mounting financial, operational, and competitive pressures. To improve its financial health, the sector increasingly needs the support of the recovery and turnaround profession in performance improvement, cost reduction, restructuring and M&A. With the support of the global A&M platform and investment in this sector, I am well placed to help institutions meet the challenge, navigate change, innovate and find the bold solutions that are needed. I am looking forward to building out our team to help more education providers and funders across the country.”