BrazilKevin Wong new Middle East cybersecurity leader of FTI Consulting
FTI Consulting has appointed a new head of cybersecurity in the Middle East: Kevin Wong.
Based out of Dubai, Kevin Wong joins FTI Consulting as a managing director after five years with Kroll, promoted at the consultancy to senior vice president in 2019. He is one of three former law enforcement agents and cyber experts newly recruited to global senior management positions at the firm.
“The world continues to witness an increase in frequency and sophistication regarding ransomware attacks and other cyber threats in 2021, highlighting the ongoing importance of cybersecurity readiness and response,” said Anthony Ferrante, FTI’s Global Head of Cybersecurity. “The additions enhance our ability to serve clients wherever they conduct business and further our commitment to help build a safer future around the world.”
A bachelor of science graduate in molecular biology with the Queen Mary University of London, Wong has taken a somewhat unusual path into the consulting realm, first joining the London Metropolitan Police Force as a constable in Southwark in 2004. From there he rose up to detective rank, before ultimately joining the local e-cime division and then UK’s national cyber-crime unit as an investigator and senior officer until 2015.
For the past five and a half years, Wong has been with professional services firm and risk and governance specialist Kroll (bought out by competitor Duff & Phelps in 2018, but in the process of re-branding to the former), rising from EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) director to senior vice president, where he led the firm’s Middle East cyber practice in “incident response, proactive security testing, and litigation support matters.”
Specifically, says FTI Consulting, Wong has “led a proactive security engagement on a large educational institution in the UAE, covering internal/external penetration testing, security configuration reviews, and social media management.” He also led the investigation of numerous “data breach incidents” including ransomware attacks, and CEO spear phishing and email frauds in the technology, shipping, insurance and manufacturing industries.
The other former law enforcement officials recruited to senior positions within FTI Consulting are: ex-US Secret Service agent Matt Chevraux in Washington; Mason Drew in Singapore, who was previously a Supervisory Special Agent and the deputy head of the FBI’s office in Beijing; and Wajdi Kharrat (ex-EY and Protiviti), appointed a managing director in the firm’s Paris office.
