Introduction
As we move towards spring this March, the consulting and technology sectors continue to evolve, with new industry rankings and major acquisitions shaping the landscape. The latest Financial Times and Statista rankings highlight the most recommended management consulting firms in the UK, while IBM’s acquisition of HashiCorp marks a significant move in cloud automation and AI-driven IT solutions. The following promotions and hires in the market reflect an ever-adapting consulting landscape across the board.
Key People Moves
FTI has appointed Zarif Munir as Senior Managing Director and Head of Southeast Asia Business Transformation, expanding its Asia Business Transformation practice. Munir brings 30 years of experience in transactions and turnarounds, with a focus on industrials. His client work spans Southeast Asia, North Africa, Europe, and Latin America, specialising in turnarounds and large-scale transformations.
EY France has welcomed Alexandre Lemoine as a Partner in their Valuations practice. He joins from Alvarez & Marsal, where he was a Senior Director in Valuation and Business Modelling. With 14 years of experience, Lemoine will now be part of the Business Modelling team within the Strategy & Transactions practice.
Christopher Lowe has joined AlixPartners as Head of Capital Advisory, Partner & Managing Director, from EY. He will lead the Capital Advisory group, advising clients on debt financing and capital markets across industries. Lowe brings expertise in optimising client outcomes through deep market knowledge and deal experience. He is also the Non-Executive Chair of Prince’s Mead School Trust and mentors several individuals.
Mark Crawford has joined RSM UK’s Business Transformation team, bringing over 26 years of experience in operations consulting. He will focus on growing the firm’s manufacturing client base and strengthening its procurement, supply chain, and business transformation capabilities across the sector.
Wells Fargo has appointed Manish Shah as Managing Director, Cybersecurity. With over 20 years of experience in technology leadership and cybersecurity, Shah previously led global enterprise infrastructure, cloud, and security engineering teams. She managed a $450 million budget and a team of 1,500, driving cloud platform migrations and establishing a 24x7x365 Cybersecurity Fusion Center. Her expertise includes IAM, PAM, SIEM, Cloud Security, and regulatory compliance.
Alvarez & Marsal has welcomed Andrew Harris as Managing Director, who will Co-Lead the Commercial Excellence service line. With over 25 years of experience in commercial strategy and execution advisory, Andrew brings a unique ability to help clients achieve profitable growth.
RSM UK has appointed Mark Crawford as a Director in its Business Transformation team, bringing over two decades of experience in operations consulting.
Crawford arrives from EY, where he spent six years expanding the firm’s industrial products sector. Prior to that, he spent 20 years at PwC. His expertise spans the manufacturing and industrial products sectors, including automotive, aerospace, and defense, with a focus on strategic growth, value creation, cost reduction, and optimizing value chain processes like procurement and supply chain.
Roland Berger has welcomed three new Senior Partners to its Energy and Utilities sector: Juan Trebino, Mark Uffhausen, and Chris Millican.
– Juan Trebino brings extensive experience in the global energy transition, manufacturing, and business services industries. With a background spanning general management, strategy, finance, operations, marketing, and business development across the US, Latin America, Europe, and Asia, Trebino has a proven track record in business building and leading complex transformation efforts.
– Mark Uffhausen has over 25 years of experience in strategy consulting, specializing in the Energy, Utilities, and Mining sectors. Uffhausen has worked with clients across North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East, focusing on enhancing operational and financial performance
– Chris Millican brings two decades of experience advising energy companies on growth and cost-focused transformations. Millican has led large M&A transactions delivering significant synergies and has helped clients build new businesses in renewables and digital ventures.
EFESO Management Consultants has appointed Jamie Loder as a Partner in its Private Equity practice.
Loder brings over 20 years of experience in consulting, private equity, and industry, most recently leading SGS Maine Pointe’s Private Equity business in EMEA. He has also held leadership roles at 4C Associates, GardaWorld, and Dixon Wilson. At EFESO, he will support private equity funds with due diligence, integration, and value creation.
Ceren Canal Aruoba has joined Berkeley Research Group (BRG) as Managing Director and Co-Lead of its new Consumer Protection, Product Liability, and Environment practice in Washington, DC. With 20 years of experience in business litigation, Canal Aruoba specialises in consumer protection, product liability, and antitrust disputes. She previously spent a decade at Cornerstone Research and over eight years at Bates White Economic Consulting. At BRG, she will lead the practice alongside Kristina Shampanier and Gina Waterfield, focusing on consumer protection and product liability matters across industries.
Beazley Security has welcomed Dr Mohibi Hussain to its team. With over 23 years of experience in technology and security strategy, he has a background in electronics engineering and computer networking and holds an MSc in Technology Policy and Management from MIT and a PhD in Cybersecurity from the University of Cambridge. Hussain has held leadership roles, including Director of Security Consulting at Avanade, Interim CISO at ASOS, and senior positions at IBM, bringing extensive expertise in cybersecurity and technology leadership.
HKA expands digital forensics team with Andy Antunez and Richard Peters as partners in its digital forensics and data solutions practice in Texas.
– Antunez, has over 20 years of experience in digital forensics, security, and IT. He has led investigations involving data manipulation, fraud, insider risk, and forensic collections. He previously spent 14 years at Alvarez & Marsal as a senior director and also held positions at Grant Thornton and EY.
– Peters, brings over 25 years of experience in cybersecurity, digital forensics, and cryptoasset tracing. He specializes in penetration testing and blockchain investigations. He was previously a managing director at BRG and a principal at UHY Consulting.
Both hires strengthen HKA’s expertise in digital investigations, cybersecurity, and blockchain forensics, supporting law firms, corporations, and government agencies.
ZCG Consulting has welcomed Jon Poehnelt and Tianyang (Tyler) Xu as senior consultants and Kevin Craig as a consultant in its supply chain and logistics practice.
– Poehnelt, was previously Chief Commercial Officer at Steam Logistics and spent a decade at UPS Supply Chain Solutions as Director of Business Development. He holds a degree in business management and economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a licensed US customs broker.
– Xu, was a Senior Vice President at AlixPartners, specialising in liquidity management and operational finance. He also worked at PwC in financial markets analysis. He holds a master’s in accounting and a bachelor’s in finance and accounting from Lehigh University.
– Craig, was Director of Logistics at Twin-Star International, leading distribution and automation improvements. He previously worked as a civil engineer at Kimley-Horn and England-Thims & Miller. He holds an MBA and a degree in civil engineering from the University of Florida.
Baringa has welcomed Greg Gambal as a partner in its financial services practice, where he will lead expansion efforts in the Southern US.
Gambal has over 30 years of experience in consulting, financial services, and technology, with expertise in business and digital transformation across banking, lending, and operations. He was previously a managing director at EY, leading its banking advisory practice.
People Promotions
AlixPartners has announced several leadership appointments in its Turnaround & Restructuring Services (TRS) practice.
–Eric Koza has been appointed Global Co-Leader of TRS, succeeding Joff Mitchell, who moves to the role of Global Vice Chair. Based in New York, Koza brings 25 years of experience, including 12 years at AlixPartners. He specialises in restructuring, operations management, and executing transactions across industries. Koza will lead a team of 500 professionals alongside Co-Leader Jim Mesterharm, advising distressed companies and their creditors. He previously served as Co-Leader of TRS Americas and has held senior roles at Zolfo Cooper US and Verax Capital Partners.
John Castellano and Dave Orlofsky have been appointed Co-Leaders of TRS Americas.
-Castellano has been with AlixPartners for nearly 27 years and is recognised for his work in guiding high-profile reorganisations, particularly in financial and operational restructuring. He has advised clients in sectors such as retail, healthcare, and energy, and is known for leading successful turnarounds in complex situations.
– Orlofsky, with over 25 years of experience, joined AlixPartners following the Zolfo Cooper US acquisition. He has led numerous high-profile engagements globally, specialising in advising companies through financial distress, operational restructurings, and strategic transformations. His expertise spans industries including real estate, manufacturing, and financial services.
Market Intelligence
The Financial Times, in collaboration with Statista, has published its eighth annual ranking of the most recommended UK management consulting firms. The listing assesses 170 consultancies and 11 consulting networks, awarding gold, silver, and bronze ratings across 16 sectors and 15 specialist areas based on client and peer recommendations.
This year’s survey gathered insights from consultants and their clients, resulting in 802 ratings across 31 industries and consulting services. When asked about future trends, 67 per cent of consultants identified artificial intelligence as the main growth area for the next three years, while 60 per cent cited the UK’s economic downturn as the biggest challenge. The full UK’s Leading Management Consultants special report will be published in print and online on 27 February.
IBM has finalised its acquisition of HashiCorp, a multi-cloud infrastructure automation company, in a $6.4 billion deal. This move enhances IBM’s hybrid cloud and AI capabilities, helping enterprises streamline infrastructure management and security. With nearly 75% of enterprises using hybrid cloud and generative AI expected to drive the creation of 1 billion cloud-native applications by 2028, automation is becoming increasingly essential. HashiCorp’s products, including Terraform for infrastructure provisioning and Vault for security management, will integrate with IBM’s automation software, enhancing interoperability across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
Rob Thomas, Senior Vice President of IBM Software, emphasised IBM’s commitment to investing in and expanding HashiCorp’s technology. HashiCorp’s CEO, Dave McJannet, highlighted the opportunity to scale through IBM’s global reach, while Co-founder and CTO Armon Dadgar noted the alignment between the two companies in supporting hybrid infrastructure. The acquisition reflects IBM’s continued investment in AI-driven IT automation, optimising infrastructure costs while enhancing security and efficiency.
EY-Parthenon has expanded significantly with the addition of EY’s Strategy and Transactions team, bringing its headcount to over 25,000 people across 150 countries. Originally established in 2014 after EY acquired The Parthenon Group, the firm has grown from 350 employees to more than 9,000 this year. This expansion nearly triples its size. The move enables EY-Parthenon to expand its services beyond traditional strategy, including financial advisory, performance improvement, and business transformation. These additions allow the firm to address evolving client demands amidst geopolitical uncertainty and tech-driven transformations.
Andrea Guerzoni, EY-Parthenon’s Global Vice Chair, noted that the expansion would better align with clients’ need for real-world solutions. The firm also aims to provide comprehensive support across transformation journeys through its functional expertise and AI technology.
EY-Parthenon has also refreshed its brand identity as part of this transition and will invest $250 million in AI tools, collaborating with partners like Microsoft and OpenAI.
Publicis Groupe, the Paris-based marketing and communications firm, is set to acquire Moov AI, a Montreal-based artificial intelligence consultancy.
Moov AI specialises in AI strategy, solutions, training, and business intelligence. With a team of over 60 experts, including data scientists, developers, and strategic advisors, it supports clients in areas such as logistics, marketing operations, and consumer services. The firm has worked with more than 100 clients across Canada.
After the acquisition, Moov AI will become part of Publicis Groupe Canada, reporting to Duncan Bruce, its president and CEO. Publicis stated that Moov AI’s expertise will enhance its CoreAI offering, a generative AI tool launched in 2023.
Publicis Groupe, which employs over 100,000 people globally, also owns several subsidiary brands, including digital consultancy Publicis Sapient.