A judicial administrator (administrateur judiciaire) is a court-appointed officer in French insolvency proceedings who assists, monitors or replaces the management of a company placed in judicial reorganisation (redressement judiciaire). Their mandate varies according to the severity of the situation: assistance (management retains authority under supervision), monitoring (administrator has co-decision rights), or full substitution (administrator assumes all management powers). In Distressed M&A, the judicial administrator plays a central role: they may initiate and manage a disposal plan process, select acquirers and present offers to the commercial court.

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Example: a French manufacturer with CHF 18.0 million revenue enters judicial reorganisation. The court appoints a judicial administrator who, within 6 months, conducts an Independent Business Review, identifies three potential acquirers, opens a controlled disposal process and recommends a CHF 4.5 million offer that preserves 120 jobs — leading to the court approving the disposal plan and closing the reorganisation procedure.

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Hectelion intervenes in Distressed M&A processes involving judicial administrators, providing rapid financial due diligence and valuation under court-supervised timelines.