Ashurst launches Transformation Risk offering with Big Four partner recruits

24 October 2024 Consultancy.com.au

Ashurst has further boosted its Risk Advisory division in Australia with the appointment of three new partners: former Deloitte duo Jonathan Perkinson and Mark Kuzma, and Rob Walsh from EY.

The trio, who bring more than six decades worth of combined Big Four experience, have been tasked with leading a new Transformation Risk offering, which sits within the broader Risk Advisory division (launched in 2020).

Since then, the practice has grown to 21 partners globally – with eighteen of those based in Australia – many who also boast a background at the Big Four both locally and abroad, including a quartet of recent infrastructure recruits.

Ashurst says its integrated transformation risk offering will provide program governance and performance management, comprehensive risk assessments and ongoing mitigation support, and assurance to business stakeholders throughout the complete life-cycle of major transformation programs, with a particular focus on the banking, energy, utilities, and private equity sectors.

“The introduction of our transformation risk offering marks a significant milestone in our growth journey,” stated practice leader Philip Hardy. “In the past financial year, Ashurst's Risk Advisory business was one of the firm’s fastest-growing practices, delivering outstanding growth of 47% and demonstrating the increasing demand for integrated solutions from clients.”

Heading up the transformation risk offering is Mark Kuzma, who has spent the past 25 years at Deloitte(a dozen of those alongside Hardy in Melbourne) since joining as a cadet in 1999, later serving as the firm’s lead assurance & advisory partner for the Victorian government. In this capacity, he has led major transformations for critical IT government infrastructure projects.

Jonathan Perkinson likewise joins Ashurst as a partner from Deloitte, but in the global law firm’s Sydney office, which is set to relocate to new Martin Place digs mid-next year. An expert in financial services regulation and fraud compliance, Perkinson previously spent more than two decades at Deloitte, relocating to Australia in 2014 after spending most of the previous ten years in the US.

“I’ve found the marriage of legal and risk advice to be a powerful – and necessary – combination for organisations seeking to manage complex regulatory and compliance obligations,” Perkinson stated in a post to LinkedIn. “Ashurst Risk Advisory supports the operationalisation of legal advice and regulatory obligations to achieve compliance and safeguard against risks.”

Rob Walsh also crosses to Ashurst’s Sydney office, after spending the past two decades as a partner at Ernst & Young. A specialist in dispute resolutions and investigations, Walsh’s thirty-year career has seen him oversee some of Australia’s largest and most complex regulatory enforcement programs, while also leading multidisciplinary, cross-border teams covering Hong Kong, Singapore, the US and UK.

Ashurst leader Jamie Ng said the latest appointments, along with those still in the pipeline, demonstrated the firm’s ability to attract top talent: “All three are highly respected risk professionals with proven track records for delivering innovative solutions. Their expertise will be sought after by Australian businesses that face rapidly changing legal and regulatory environments.”

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