BrazilNick Athanasi returns to FTI to lead MENA Technology division
Forensics veteran Nick Athanasi has joined FTI Consulting’s to lead the firm’s regional Technology practice, having crossed from a similar role with a Big Four firm.
Athanasi rejoins the global management consulting firm as a Senior Managing Director in Dubai after heading Deloitte Middle East’s forensics technology practice as a partner over the past two and a half years, having previously served in FTI’s London office during his more than three decades in technology and financial services consulting.
“Nick is one of the foremost experts in digital forensic technology, and during his previous tenure at FTI Consulting, he acted as one of the founding members of our Technology segment in the UK,” said Karen Briggs, FTI’s head of Forensic & Litigation Consulting for the EMEA. “In addition to his deep experience in regulatory and data-related matters, Nick also has an eye for innovation and building holistic solutions for clients. We are fortunate to have him back on our team.”
Kicking off his career with Marsh & McLennan in 1987, Athanasi later co-founded and directed litigation support specialist G3 Consulting prior to its acquisition by FTI in 2006, where he would continue on as a managing director for a further eight years. From there, he joined Deloitte in the UK before transferring to the firm’s Middle East office in late 2018 – incidentally alongside Muzzi Ebrahim, who this month returned to lead its Financial Crime & Analytics practice.
“FTI Technology has a well-established business in Africa, India and the Middle East, and I’ll be working on expanding our offerings and talent in these regions,” Athanasi said of his appointment, revealing plans for a local talent programme. “I want to make sure we have a strong local presence and agility – with expertise in digital forensics, e-discovery, information governance, data & analytics and business and technology advisory – throughout all of our key markets.”
Having been working in forensic technology since the earliest days of e-discovery and digital investigations, Athanasi also shared his thoughts on future industry trends, pointing to the untapped potential of advanced technologies to proactively detect and investigate issues before they escalate into a crisis. “We’re getting closer and closer to solutions that can accurately flag financial crimes, suspicious activity and items of interest in an investigation in real-time.”
Anthanasi is FTI’s second high-profile recruit in the Middle East in recent months, following the appointment of 15-year KPMG veteran and former Lower Gulf head of advisory Vikas Papriwal toward the end of last year. FTI’s regional senior leadership team was also swelled by the earlier purchase of Dubai-based TMT consulting specialist Delta Partners, while Stephen Haw joined FTI’s Abu Dhabi office as a senior managing director in recent months.
