Mike Harmon

Lecturer in Management
Academic Area:
Mike Harmon

Bio

Harmon is the managing partner of Gaviota Advisors, LLC, in Manhattan Beach, CA, where he advises and invests in small- to medium-sized companies. Prior to that, he spent 21 years as an investment professional in the special situations and global principal groups at Oaktree Capital Management in Los Angeles. There he executed private equity and special situations transactions involving over 50 companies. Harmon has also held positions with CS First Boston, Price Waterhouse, and Society Corporation. Over the course of his career, Harmon has served as a member of the board of directors for 20 organizations in a broad range of industries and causes. He currently serves as a board member for KCRW Radio, a nonprofit media organization based in Santa Monica. He has also served as a guest lecturer at Stanford GSB, Stanford Law School, Harvard Business School, and Harvard Law School in the areas of corporate restructuring, private equity, and negotiation. He holds an MBA, with distinction, from Harvard Business School and a BA, with distinction, in economics from McGill University.

Academic Degrees

  • MBA with Distinction, Harvard Business School, 1997
  • BA in Economics with Distinction, McGill University, 1991

Academic Appointments

  • Lecturer, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2021
  • Guest Lecturer, Harvard Business School, 2018–present

Service to the Profession

    • Board Member, KCRW Radio, 2018–present
    • Board Member, Surfrider Foundation, 2010–2015

    Professional Experience

    • Managing Partner, Gaviota Advisors, LLC, 2018–present
    • Managing Director, Oaktree Capital Management, 1996–2018
    • Senior Consultant, Price Waterhouse, 1992–95
    • Analyst, Society Corporation, 1991–92

    Journal Articles

    Edward I. Altman, Mike Harmon
    The Journal of Portfolio Management
    November 2021
    Mike Harmon, Claudia Robles-Garcia
    AIRA Journal
    June 2021 Vol. 34 Issue 2 Pages 6–10

    Other Publications

    Mike Harmon
    Harvard Business Review
    June 9, 2020
    Mike Harmon, Victoria Ivashina
    VoxEU.org
    April 29, 2020
    Mike Harmon, Victoria Ivashina
    Harvard Business Review
    April 9, 2020
    Victoria Ivashina, Mike Harmon
    Harvard Business School Case
    June 2019 Vol. 219-018
    Guhan Subramanian, Mike Harmon
    Harvard Business School Case
    February 2019 Vol. 911-022
    Kristin Mugford, Mike Harmon
    Harvard Business School Case
    February 2019 Vol. 219-097

    Books

    Mike Harmon
    Columbia Business School Publishing
    December 2024

    Teaching Statement

    Mike Harmon lectures on financial restructuring, bankruptcy, private equity, distressed investing, and negotiations. He currently teaches FINANCE 333: Financial Restructuring.

    Cases

    Mike Harmon, Claudia Robles-Garcia
    2020

    Insights by Stanford Business

    December 03, 2020
    A decade of binge borrowing has turned many corporations into the walking dead, Stanford finance experts say.