Expert Spotlight: Meet Our Restructuring Expert Ricole Tan

As one of the newest senior members of Kroll’s European Restructuring team, Ricole Tan brings a sharp global perspective shaped by her life and career across Hong Kong, New York, London, Singapore, Indonesia and now back in London. Now settling into Kroll, she adds that working from London while staying closely connected to Asian and European markets really helps set her experience apart.

Her Asian heritage also shapes how she builds relationships and reads the dynamics of stressed situations. She has already seen how this perspective matters in today’s market, particularly as private credit continues to position itself as a driver in distressed lending and how deals are being structured.

 

From Banking Foundations to a Career in Restructuring

Ricole began her career in investment banking, building a strong grounding in corporate finance before moving into restructuring roles in Asia. She found herself drawn to situations where companies were under pressure and needed clarity, direction and calm decision making. She explains that restructuring appealed to her because it brings together financial discipline, operational discernment and human judgement, striking the balance of understanding the numbers, and people.

Her time in previous roles, including RBS’s Global Restructuring Group in Hong Kong and leading the Special Situations practice for Boston Consulting Group in APAC exposed her to complex cross border situations and reinforced her belief that restructuring is a team sport. As she puts it,” success in restructuring requires a holistic solution with cross functional coordination because you need people with different expertise working together toward a shared goal.”

 

Bringing a Fresh Perspective to Kroll

Joining Kroll marked a natural next step for Ricole. She was drawn to the firm’s ambition in expanding the practice in the UK and Europe and the opportunity to help shape a growing practice. Today she works across UK and Europe, supporting senior leaders while building her own network and mandate as she continues to settle into the firm.

What excites her most is the ability to combine financial restructuring with operational insight, thereby providing a more comprehensive solution to the challenges faced by the business. She feels it is critical to take a step back to see the full picture that allows her to seize the opportunity to showcase Kroll’s differentiators in the market with tailored solutions for the client.

 

What She Is Seeing in the Market

In her first months at Kroll, Ricole has been speaking with lenders, funds and advisors in the UK and across Europe. Several themes are emerging that she believes will shape the next phase of activity:

• Private credit is now central to global lending. Ricole notes that the asset class has moved from niche to mainstream, and that its scale is reshaping how capital is deployed and how risk is shared.
• Market sentiment is diverging. Some expect stress and dislocation, while others see continued resilience supported by strong investor appetite. Ricole says this divergence itself is becoming a trend to watch.
• Abundant dry powder is delaying visible distress. The volume of available capital is acting as a buffer, enabling refinancings and extensions that change how quickly stress surfaces despite bubbling beneath.
• Structuring discipline is becoming critical. She is seeing lenders focus more on covenant strength, security packages and cross border enforceability as a way to protect value in uncertain conditions.
• Disruption may be more nuanced than expected. Rather than a wave of large scale restructurings, Ricole anticipates more targeted activity, complex refinancings or LMEs and selective stress situations.

These themes align closely with what she is hearing from the market, and they are shaping how she positions conversations with clients and partners.

 

A Leadership Style Built on Collaboration

Ricole’s working style is grounded in discipline, coordination and collective intelligence. She believes in open dialogue and says people make better decisions when they work through diverse perspectives and solve problems together. She places strong emphasis on consensus and building trust, not as soft concepts but as practical tools for aligning decision makers and accelerating progress.

Her approach is direct, collaborative and focused on creating clarity in situations that often feel overwhelming. It is a style that has already resonated with colleagues and clients as she continues to integrate into the team.

 

Strength Through Adversity

A significant part of Ricole’s resilience comes from a personal challenge early in her career, when she was diagnosed with cancer. She continued working part time during -month treatment, determined to stay connected to her clients and maintained momentum with her career. She reflects on that period with calm and perspective, saying it taught her discipline, purpose and tenacity. She shares her experience openly because she hopes it can help others who may be facing similar circumstances.

 

Looking Ahead

Outside of work, Ricole is known for her curiosity and her interest in exploring new cultures and cities. Those interests mirror the way she approaches her professional life. She is always looking ahead, scanning the horizon for opportunities and how to position clients for long term stability.

As she continues to build her brand with Kroll and strengthen relationships across the UK and European restructuring markets, Ricole remains focused on bringing clarity, coordination and a global perspective to every engagement. Her career has been shaped by resilience, adaptability and a willingness to take on new challenges, which she drives forward with clients and colleagues across the region.