FTI Consulting has expanded the firm’s Forensic & Litigation Consulting segment with the launch of a practice in South Africa and the appointment of five senior professionals.

The Forensic & Litigation Consulting practice will expand FTI Consulting’s service offerings in the South African market, where the firm has been active since 2005 through its Strategic Communications practice and since 2015 with its Economic & Finance Consulting practice.

The new team includes Senior Managing Directors Petrus Marais, Johan van der Walt and Calvin Isaacs, along with Senior Directors Helena Potgieter and Kajen Subramoney. 

Their appointments reflect growing demand for local specialist knowledge in complex cases of fraud, financial disputes and corruption.

Marais previously served as the regional leader of KPMG Forensic in EMEA and the Chairman of KPMG Forensic for South Africa and Africa. 

He established KPMG’s South Africa Forensic Division in 1993, and had been the Global Leader of KPMG Forensic since 2011.

Marais has experience with a range of major clients from government departments to financial institutions and investment houses in the area of fraud investigation and fraud risk management. 

Van der Walt was previously the Head of Dispute Advisory Services at KPMG Forensic South Africa, handling criminal and civil investigations and matters in the area of litigation support services in Africa and other jurisdictions across the world. 

He has also worked for the Commercial Crime Unit of the South African Police Service, followed by consultancy work with the then-Office for Serious Economic Offences. 

Isaacs is an independent forensic investigator specialising in combatting healthcare fraud. 

He joins from MMI Health, the largest administrator of medical aid across Southern Africa. 

He led the implementation of a fraud, waste and abuse system to prevent and detect fraudulent claims across the healthcare industry. 

Potgieter joins FTI Consulting after leading KPMG Forensic’s Africa Telecoms group, where she had overall responsibility for coordinating the firm’s efforts across the sector. 

Potgieter has a wealth of experience in fraud, corruption and transaction reviews and valuations. 

Subramoney previously was an Associate Director with KPMG Forensic, where for more than 15 years he specialised in advising clients on fraud and misconduct cases and the use of technology in such investigations. 

He is particularly skilled in data analysis and visualisation, cyber investigations, digital evidence recovery and electronic discovery. 

Van der Walt, Potgieter and Subramoney will be based in Johannesburg, whereas Isaacs will be based in Cape Town.

Kevin Hewitt, Chairman of FTI Consulting’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region, said: “Companies doing business in Africa require both the local expertise and the support of a global team to help them effectively navigate this challenging and complex regulatory, financial and legal environment.” “Petrus, Johan, Calvin, Helena and Kajen are recognized experts who will provide that local insight for clients based in Africa as well as those looking to do business in South Africa and throughout the continent,” he added.