Ankura Bolsters Capabilities in Australia with the Launch of its Disputes & Economics Practice

Disputes & Economics practice in Australia marks the beginning of Ankura's expansion plans in the region as the Firm continues to strategically grow its global presence

MELBOURNE,March 22,2023 --Ankura Consulting,LLC ("Ankura"),a leading global expert services and advisory firm,today announced the launch of its Disputes & Economics practice in Australia,with this enhanced offering in the region following Ankura's recent office opening in Melbourne. The move further reinforces the Firm's commitment to provide clients access to independent expert and advisory services with local,highly experienced,and best-in-class teams.

Following the recent opening of its Shanghai and Riyadh offices in 2022,the Disputes & Economics practice launch in Australia marks the latest step in Ankura's ongoing international expansion. The Australian Disputes & Economics practice will leverage Ankura's global experience and team of professionals to provide clients with rigorous and compelling analysis,opinions,and solutions when complex disputes or regulatory scrutiny threaten the financial and operational progress of their organization. The launch of the new practice bolsters the Firm's growing presence in the region where Ankura supports a range of clients across the country and has established offices in Melbourne,Sydney,and Perth.

The practice will be led by Senior Managing Director,Christine Oliver,who will be based in the Ankura Sydney office,and is joined by Greg Meredith,Senior Managing Director,to be based in the Melbourne office. Together,they bring more than 45 years of combined experience in professional services and have been respectively relied on as experts in several legal proceedings by courts in Australia. At Ankura,they will support clients domestically,addressing the demand in the Australian market,as well as international disputes.

Speaking on the Disputes & Economics practice and recent Melbourne office launch,Simon Michaels,Chairman for EMEA and APAC at Ankura,commented: "APAC is a key market for Ankura in our ongoing global expansion strategy. Bolstering our globally recognized practice complements the existing high-quality multi-disciplinary team providing expert and advisory services in Australia and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing our clients with local,best-in-class services.

Mary Beth Edwards,Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Disputes & Economics,added:"I am excited to see our Disputes & Economics practice expanding into such a dynamic market and I look forward to welcoming the new team. Our growing practice enables us to support clients locally,delivering integrated multi-disciplinary solutions to help solve their most complex challenges. I look forward to working with Christine and Greg to continue building our world-class disputes and economics practice in Australia."

Christine Oliver and Greg Meredith join Ankura from a major consultancy where they were directly involved in driving the disputes practice and wider managerial responsibilities. Previously,as a partner and the dispute advisory leader,Christine worked with ASX-listed companies and leading organizations. Her work included counseling legal teams and insurers in defending against some of the highest profile and high-risk litigation,particularly securities class actions and directors duties claims. Greg developed the forensic accounting practice at an independent specialist consulting firm and specialized in business valuation and disputes. He is regularly summoned to prepare expert reports and to give expert evidence and has been appointed as a special referee by the Supreme Court of Victoria.

"I am delighted to be joining Ankura's global Disputes & Economics team which has delivered leading analysis and expert evidence in some of the world's most complex cases. I look forward to joining a team of highly experienced colleagues and leading an equally advanced local team in the year to come," said Christine Oliver,Senior Managing Director for Ankura's Disputes & Economics practice in Australia.

"It's a unique opportunity to be able to expand Ankura's Disputes & Economics practice here in Melbourne – and I'm excited for the future of this practice." said Greg Meredith,Senior Managing Director for Ankura's Australian Dispute & Economics practice.

About Ankura

Ankura Consulting Group,LLC is an independent global expert services and advisory firm that delivers services and end-to-end solutions to help clients at critical inflection points related to conflict,crisis,performance,risk,strategy,and transformation. The Ankura team consists of more than 1,800 professionals serving 3,000+ clients across 55 countries who are leaders in their respective fields and areas of expertise. Collaborative Lateral Thinking That Deliversᵀᴹ,hard-earned experience,expertise,and multidisciplinary capabilities drive results and Ankura is unrivalled in its ability to assist clients to Protect,Create,and Recover Valueᵀᴹ. For more information,please visit,ankura.com.