Robert Schmitz received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1974. After graduating, he joined the Peace Corps, serving in the Philippines from 1975 to 1978. Mr. Schmitz received his Master of Business Administration from New York University in 1980.
Mr. Schmitz’s career spans four decades. He started as a commercial banker in the international sector and later developed investment banking and financial advising skills. He has specialized in distressed companies for nearly 30 years, with experience in North America, Asia, and the Middle East. Mr. Schmitz chartered UBS, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, Macquarie, and NM Rothschild & Son’s restructuring and debt advisory practices in Asia before joining Deloitte in 2012. In March 2018, after 38 years of the institutional world, he founded Fulcrum Partners Asia Pte. Ltd.
Mr. Schmitz was awarded Asia Pacific Restructuring Adviser of the Year by International Finance Review in 2005 and 2009. Mr. Schmitz earned industry awards for leading transactions at Total Access Communications (1998), PT Tanjungenim Lestari Pulp and Paper (2005), PT Garuda Indonesia (2009), PT Arpeni Pratama Ocian (2012), and PT Bukit Makmur Mandiri Utama (2014).
Fulcrum Advisory Asia advises boards of directors and executive management teams on negotiating financial crisis and distressed recapitalization.