Global firm welcomes partners Rob Walsh, Jonathan Perkinson, Mark Kuzma
Ashurst, global law firm, has expanded Ashurst Risk Advisory (ARA), its legal-led risk consulting division, by developing a new integrated transformation risk offering and by appointing Rob Walsh, Jonathan Perkinson, and Mark Kuzma as partners.
“Their appointments, along with additional ARA partner hires in the pipeline, demonstrate Ashurst's ability to attract top talent from the market and reflect strong client demand for integrated legal, NewLaw and risk advice,” said Jamie Ng, co-head of Ashurst Advance & Consulting, in the firm’s press release.
The transformation risk offering seeks to identify, manage, and mitigate transformation risks while working with clients through the full lifecycle of major transformation programs to protect value in the banking, energy, utilities, and private equity sectors.
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This offering will cover program governance, comprehensive risk assessments, ongoing risk mitigation support, third-party risk and contracting management, oversight of program performance management and the associated course corrections, and assurance to business stakeholders.
ARA, established in 2020, has appointed 21 partners worldwide – 18 in Australia, two in the U.K., and one in the Middle East – and has reported revenue growth of nearly 50% globally year on year, according to Ashurst’s press release.
“In the last financial year, Ashurst's Risk Advisory business was one of the firm's fastest-growing practices, delivering outstanding growth of 47% last financial year and demonstrating the increasing demand for integrated solutions from clients navigating complex global regulatory and commercial challenges,” said Philip Hardy, ARA Australia’s head, in the firm’s press release.
New partners
Walsh, who joins from EY, has a 30-year career in the risk advisory area, including two decades as a partner. He has advised boards and senior executives overseeing large and complex regulatory enforcement programs.
He has assisted with designing and implementing business and customer remediation programs subject to market and regulatory scrutiny. He has led multidisciplinary, cross-border teams across Hong Kong, Singapore, the U.K., and the U.S.
Perkinson will lead ARA’s scams and fraud practice. At Deloitte, he worked as a partner for 10 years and established its scams risk advisory practice. He has more than two decades of professional services experience.
His experience covers regulatory risk, remediation, scams, claims, and complaints. He has worked with banks and payment providers in Australia and New Zealand on their strategies, policies, processes, and systems to address scams and to meet regulatory obligations.
Kuzma will lead ARA’s new transformation risk offering. He also joins from Deloitte, where he was a partner for 12 years. He is a consultant with more than 25 years of experience across public, listed, and private entities.
His work has included advising clients on planning and implementing business transformations, leading transformations for large organisations, and managing risks for government infrastructure projects.
“All three partners are highly respected risk professionals with proven track records for delivering innovative and integrated solutions to complex challenges,” Ng said in Ashurst’s press release. “Their expertise will be sought after by Australian businesses that face rapidly changing legal and regulatory environments and need help to operationalise those requirements.”
“The expansion of Ashurst Risk Advisory with these strategic hires and the introduction of our Transformation Risk offering mark a significant milestone in our growth journey,” Hardy said in Ashurst’s press release.
These appointments follow the firm’s announcement about four Australian partner hires and about its new infrastructure, places, and capital projects advisory offering.