FTI adds Kevin West to its Forensic & Litigation Consulting practice
Six months after establishing a forensic and litigation consulting unit in South Africa, FTI Consulting have bolstered the arm with a senior expert in the field. Kevin West joins FTI’s Johannesburg office as a Senior Managing Director and brings more than 30 years of experience in forensics and litigation to the firm.
In April this year FTI Consulting, a US headquartered global consulting firm with 4,600 employees in 29 countries, expanded its offerings in South Africa with a Forensic & Litigation Consulting practice. The move reflected according to Kevin Hewitt, the firm’s Chairman for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (‘EMEA’) region, “growing demand for local specialist knowledge in complex cases of fraud, financial disputes and corruption”, and FTI’s commitment to South Africa and the wider African continent, an area he described as “a region of increasing strategic and commercial importance."
To staff the South African Forensic & Litigation Consulting practice, FTI Consulting brought a quintet of senior professionals on board, four of whom joined from rival KPMG. Petrus Marais, the most high profile signing, led KPMG’s global Forensic department since 2011 from its South Africa base, and previously served as the regional leader of KPMG Forensic in EMEA and the Chairman of KPMG Forensic for South Africa and Africa. With him joined Johan van der Walt, previously the Head of Dispute Advisory Services at KPMG Forensic; Helena Potgieter, who led KPMG Forensic’s Africa Telecoms wing; and Kajen Subramoney, who held the role of Associate Director at the Big Four firm.
The fifth senior member was Calvin Isaacs, who joined from MMI Health, the largest administrator of medical aid across Southern Africa. Isaacs however also has a background at KPMG – from 2006 to 2012 he headed the firm’s Western and Eastern Cape forensic practices.
Kevin West
The latest addition to the team is Kevin West. He joins FTI Consulting from FirstRand Group, where he led the bank’s Financial Crime Risk business and oversaw compliance with all anti-money laundering/combatting and financing of terrorism regulations. Prior to this role, he was Head of Financial Crime at Barclays Africa Group, where he managed the bank’s activities against money laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions, bribery and corruption.
West, who is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and the Institute of Commercial Forensic Practitioners, will help lead the firm’s work in advising on and resolving highly complex and multi-jurisdictional regulatory enforcement and compliance challenges.
Commenting on the appointment, Marais said, “Kevin’s appointment is extremely good news for FTI Consulting and its clients. He has a wealth of experience and a perspective I know will contribute greatly to the growth of our Forensic & Litigation Consulting practice in the region.”
Hewitt added, “The current business environment in Africa requires organisations to not only defend their current risk activities, but also better understand where others might arise in the future. Kevin’s technical expertise, together with his commercial and industry awareness, will help us support our clients and enable them to navigate this difficult and rapidly evolving landscape. I am delighted to welcome him to the firm.”
FTI Consulting has two offices in South Africa, in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The company operates globally with five expertise areas: economic and financial consulting, forensic and litigation consulting, corporate finance, strategic communications, and technology.
