BrazilAlvarez & Marsal adds Ghazanfar Shah to Disputes & Investigations practice
The Middle East arm of professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal has appointed Ghazanfar Shah as Senior Director in its regional Disputes and Investigations practice.
Shah brings over 17 years of multijurisdictional investigative experience to Alvarez & Marsal’s (A&M) Middle Eastern Disputes and Investigations practice, crossing to the firm’s Dubai office in March after a seven-year stint with Big Four giant Deloitte, where he served as Director – Forensic Investigations, Fraud Prevention & Risk Mitigation.
Prior to his employment with Deloitte in the Emirates, Shah served as a Director and Executive Director for the Washington DC chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), before which he had developed his consulting career during periods of employment with Navigant, an earlier stint with Deloitte, and initially PwC back in 1998.
Shah has led many complex and high-profile FCPA investigations during his career as a forensic investigator (the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of the US concerns accounting transparency and the bribery of foreign officials), with cases spanning the globe and a client base which includes government agencies, sovereign wealth funds, real estate developers and multi-national conglomerates.
A&M Managing Director and head of the firm’s Disputes and Investigations practice in the Middle East, James Daniell, said of the appointment; "Ghazanfar joins A&M as a seasoned professional who creates informed solutions that help clients maximise value. His appointment demonstrates our continued commitment to providing our valued clients with solutions rooted in experience and expertise. We welcome Ghazanfar to the firm and look forward to further expanding our presence, both in the region and globally.”
Ghazanfar’s recruitment marks the continuation of A&M’s expansion in the MENA region, with several key personnel hires in recent months bolstering the firm’s local expertise. Last month, ex-PwC banking and restructuring expert Haroon Ansary was appointed as a Senior Director in the firm’s Turnaround and Restructuring team, while in May Pietro Castronovo joined from Bain & Company as a Senior Director in the Private Equity and Principal Investments practice.
The ongoing pick-ups follow the appointments of the firm’s Middle East Managing Directors and Co-Heads over the past two years, with former Bain and McKinsey management consultant and leading local fintech proponent Saeeda Jaffar added in 2016, joined last year by ex-PwC Partner and restructuring expert Neil Hayward. Disputes & Investigations head Daniell was likewise promoted to Managing Director last year.
