AlixPartners SVP Michelle Meyer's professional journey began on a different kind of stage—after starting in a local theater production of “Annie” at age 8, an open casting call led her to another iconic role: the American Girl Doll Samantha in American Girl’s musical theater company. This formative experience in the spotlight laid the foundation for her future success. “Being on stage professionally through my childhood got me familiar with uncertainty,” she says. “Which is good because in consulting, the only thing that’s constant is change."
Knowing that acting wasn’t what she ultimately wanted to pursue, Michelle followed in her tax professional parents’ footsteps and embarked on a career in finance. But she never lost her love of music, joining an a cappella group while studying accounting and finance at Boston College (“It was during the Glee era,” she laughs) and, a few years post-grad, joining a Chicago-based band made up of fellow musicians with professional careers.
Finding her rhythm at AlixPartners
After college, Michelle worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers and GE Capital before securing her MBA at Kellogg. Her experience helping GE sell its financial services arm in the wake of the 2009 financial crisis gave her a taste for restructuring work, which is where she focuses now at AlixPartners. “It was kind of like being on the Titanic, if you will, and not knowing what lifeboat you were going to get on,” she says of her GE days. She quickly discovered she excelled in that environment: “I found that I was really calm; I liked the challenge and how intense it was.”
Now in her seventh year at AlixPartners, Michelle thrives in the dynamic nature of restructuring work, comparing it to performing: “One of my favorite things about music is that you get to be a part of something that's so much bigger than you. And in many ways, that parallels the structure of an AlixPartners engagement.”
Building community through music
Performing has created unique networking and connecting opportunities—a client in Seattle noticed her voice was raspy, and when Michelle explained it was from singing, she discovered he was a musician as well. “It's cool that it'll come up and I'll say, ‘Oh, you sing? I sing too. That's so crazy!’” she says. “Music is a defining common experience.”
Michelle’s musical talents have fostered unexpected connections at AlixPartners, starting with the Battle of the Bands event that was part of the 2019 Global All Firm meeting in Las Vegas.
“AlixPartners matched me with six other musicians from London, Chicago, Boston, and Southfield,” Michelle shares. Through video calls, they decided on songs to practice individually before arriving in Vegas to meet for the first time. “And then we had a short practice. AlixPartners rented a rehearsal room and drums—it was the real deal. We got to perform at OMNIA in Las Vegas, which was so surreal. The day before was Calvin Harris, then it was us doing a Journey cover!”
Michelle says it was an incredible bonding experience. “It was very cool that we all came together and played so well, even though we’d never met,” she says. “We had the same passion and we instantly got along.” And she’s still in touch with her fellow Battle of the Bands musicians. “Whenever we see each other now it’s a mini family reunion.”
Outside of work, Michelle’s been playing with her local band, Littlebirds, for the past eight years. Her AlixPartners colleagues have been incredibly supportive—even beyond attending her shows. A group once showed up to a gig with custom “Littlebirds” t-shirts, she recalls with a smile, and she appreciates that colleagues understand if she needs to hop on an earlier flight to make a show. In return, she makes sure they know they can count on her. “This job is demanding, because when a client’s in a crisis, you have to be there,” she says. “I've been able to juggle it and do the job and do the band thing, and I've never missed a show. I've never missed a deadline.”
Michelle's musical pursuits have also opened doors within the restructuring industry. She's been invited to perform at industry events, such as this year’s Turnaround Management Association (TMA) annual conference where she sang with the DebtBeats, a rock-and-roll band made up entirely of restructuring professionals.
Michelle is grateful for AlixPartners' support. “I never would've expected, when I went through interviews, that the firm would create these opportunities and support me in this way,” she says. “I feel very seen and very respected.”
She’s looking forward to her band’s big annual Christmas show in Chicago, where there is one thing she can count on for certain: “There'll be a handful of AlixPartners people in the front row cheering.”