Patrick W.
MBA Admissions Coach | Wharton Alum | Alumni Admissions Interviewer
Studied at The Wharton School (UPenn)
Hiring Manager at Wright Capital Partners AG
Not currently taking new clients
Patrick’s MBA Qualifications
Welcome to my profile! With an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School and an MA from The Lauder Institute, I bring a wealth of experience in both the academic and professional realms. During my time in Germany, I was actively involved in interviewing and evaluating applications for Wharton, providing me with unique insights into the admissions process. My extensive career in corporate finance, including leadership roles at BAWAG PSK and Cerberus Capital Management, has honed my strategic thinking and analytical skills. I've successfully coached 5 individuals, helping them craft compelling applications and navigate the competitive MBA admissions landscape. Let's work together to make your MBA aspirations a reality!
Patrick can help with:
Recommendations
Cover Letters
Essays
Application Strategy
Resume
Interviews
Editing
Networking Strategy
Testing & Assessments
School Selection
About Patrick
Senior Finance Executive & Restructuring Specialist: With over 25 years of extensive global experience, I specialize in guiding finance professionals and businesses through complex financial landscapes. My expertise spans M&A, distressed debt, private credit, corporate restructuring, and hands-on CFO leadership across European and US markets. I offer direct, actionable insights for high-stakes financial careers and special situations. My career includes a pivotal 12-year tenure at Cerberus Capital Management and its portfolio company, BAWAG PSK (Europe). During this time, I held diverse senior roles, including in special situations lending, distressed debt investment, and serving as Head of Workout and Head of Commercial Banking. I subsequently founded a hedge fund in Switzerland and served as CFO for a German PE-backed property management business, gaining valuable entrepreneurial and operational leadership experience. I hold an MBA (Finance) from the Wharton School and an MA (International Studies) from the Lauder Institute, complemented by a BA in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Work Experience
Founder and CIO
Wright Capital Partners AG
January 2018 - Present
Hiring Manager
Cheif Financial Officer
deutsche Hausverwaltung Plus GmbH
March 2023 - September 2025
Hiring Manager
-Spearheaded management team efficiency initiatives, resulting in annual profit improvement of €1M -Oversaw finance, controlling and accounting -Enhanced financial reporting infrastructure, reducing manual processes and improving data accuracy -Generated annual budgets for 17 operating subsidiaries including 7,000 PM contracts, 110,000 units and 700 employees -Led the restructuring of 5 companies with €17M acquisition value
Division Head - Austrian Corporates
BAWAG
October 2015 - May 2017
Hiring Manager
-Directed Austrian corporate lending (€7B balance sheet) including public sector, real estate and corporates -Reduced costs by 44% by eliminating 26 out of 81 FTEs in a two-step efficiency program saving the bank €3M -Restructured the leadership team by focusing on functional areas such as credit analysis and payments processing -Spearheaded new initiatives including an originate to sell municipal loan program as well as shifting smaller customers to BAWAG P.S.K. retail -€400M in new lending in 2016 and 2017 focusing on higher return and low risk opportunities -Assisted management in acquisition of Start Bausparkasse and Immobank as well as the integration into the Austrian corporate business -Member of BAWAG P.S.K. credit and enterprise risk committees and supervisory board of Allianz Vorsorgekasse
Division Head – Corporate Debt Restructuring and Portfolio Strategies
BAWAG
May 2014 - September 2015
Hiring Manager
-Oversaw distressed, stressed and non-core corporate and real estate portfolios -Managed 18 direct reports (including workout, bankruptcy, and credit analysis) -Reduced €350M distressed debt portfolio by 65% in 12 months (NPL ratio from 3.8% to 1.9%) -Sold, restructured or refinanced 7 of top 10 corporate workout cases (€130M) with a positive P/L -Led efforts to restructure, refinance or sell €2.5B in non-core real estate, CEE and structured credit
Senior Vice President – International Corporates Group
BAWAG
September 2008 - April 2014
Interviewer
-Completed 47 transactions with a total investment volume of €3.2B primarily in the USA and Western Europe including leverage loans, mid-market debt, real estate financings, distressed debt and structured portfolio financings including CLOs and warehouse facilities -Responsibilities included sourcing investment opportunities, legal and financial due diligence, preparation of investment memos, presentation to credit committee, negotiating legal documents, transaction execution and post-close monitoring -Assisted CIO and bank board members on special projects including restructuring and workout of large loans, a proposed bank merger and expansion into new businesses
Vice President
Cerberus Capital Management
May 2005 - August 2008
Interviewer
-Founding team member and instrumental in building a special situations lending and distressed debt business -Developed a European network of 750 corporate officers, insolvency administrators, private equity professionals, investment and commercial bankers, consultants, accountants and other advisors -Analyzed 125 investment opportunities including corporate, real estate and distressed debt transactions -Select transactions include €600M debt for German outdoor advertising company, €200M investment in distressed automotive group, €200M private equity transaction and €135M acquisition of NPL portfolio
Senior Associate
RBC Capital Markets
November 1998 - April 2001
Interviewer
Executed 25 municipal bond transactions totaling more than $1.5B, including real estate bonds, lease-backed debt, education finance, and interim financings
Bond Trader
Basler Kantonalbank
August 1997 - August 1998
Managed a $30M bond portfolio and generated $1.5M in trading profits
Education
The Wharton School (UPenn)
Master of Business Administration - MBA, Finance, General
2001 - 2003
Accounting, Corporate Finance and +2 skills
The Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies (UPenn)
Master's degree, International/Global Studies
2001 - 2003
International Studies and German
University of California, Santa Barbara
Bachelor Of Arts Major In Business Economics Minor In Philosophy, Business Economics
1993 - 1997
3.5 GPA Major in Business Economics and a Minor in Philosophy Took honours courses in the Economics Department