A&M and FTI make senior level promotions in Middle East

Global consulting firms Alvarez & Marsal and FTI Consulting have appointed new senior leaders in the Middle East; Matthew Palmer as a Managing Director at A&M and Steve Harris as a Senior Managing Director with FTI in Dubai.

A member of Alvarez & Marsal’s Strategy & Performance Improvement practice based in Dubai, Palmer joined A&M from a directorial role at London real estate developers Palmer Shaw in 2017, and was made a Senior Director last year. Prior, Palmer spent six years rising to Principal at Delta Partners, based in the UAE, and earlier in his career served for three years as a strategy consultant within Accenture’s Communications & High-Tech practice in the UK.

During the course of his 15 year career, Palmer has gained a broad range of cross-industry experience spanning the real estate, telecommunication and financial services sectors, the latter with a particular focus on digital-only banking. At A&M, Palmer provides clients with corporate strategy evaluation, development and execution, with noted experience in new business launches and later-stage performance improvement.

“The addition of a Senior Director of Matthew’s caliber strengthens our team and addresses growing client needs across several sectors,” said A&M Middle East co-leader Saeeda Jaffar at the time of Palmer's previous promotion. “Matthew’s knowledge of real estate and telecoms, both core sectors in the region, will undoubtedly add value to clients and provide us with further growth opportunities.”

Across town at FTI Consulting, forensic accountancy expert Steve Harris has been elevated to Senior Managing Director in the firm’s Economic Consulting segment, having previously been made a Managing Director in 2016. Harris has been with FTI locally since 2013, founding the firm’s Expert Witness practice in the UAE after joining FTI in the UK in 2009. Prior, Harris spent five years as a forensic accountant with professional services network BDO in London.

Harris has during his career focused on identifying and quantifying economic loss as to commercial disputes across a range of industries and jurisdictions, developing deep sector expertise in among other areas the identification and valuation of lost profits, cost verification, the valuation of businesses and shareholdings, and solving complex accounting issues. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Harris was among 40 new Senior Managing Director promotions at FTI worldwide, including five in Asia. “Many congratulations to our new Senior Managing Directors,” said FTI President and CEO. “They collectively reflect the depth of talent that we are fortunate to have at FTI Consulting, as well as our commitment to attracting and retaining the best professionals. I am confident their promotion will further enhance the incredibly bright future in front of our firm.”