Professional services firm FTI Consulting has recruited Tommy Wakefield-Smith and Sam Forrest to its construction and economics practices in Australia.
To be based out of Brisbane as a senior managing director, Tommy Wakefield-Smith will provide expert forensic analysis services to legal teams and industry clients both locally and internationally.
Recognised by Who’s Who Legal (like many of his new colleagues) as a highly regarded construction expert witness, Wakefield-Smith brings over two decades of engineering and construction experience to his new role, amassed across the Middle East, South Africa, UK and Australia. He joins FTI Consulting after spending the past five years heading his own practice, Synel Consulting, before which he held senior roles at advisories TBH and HKA.
“In today’s increasingly complex construction environment, our clients turn to us for advice across all phases of a project life cycle,” said FTI’s Australian construction solutions head Stephen Rae. “Tommy brings a wealth of expertise. In addition to being a testifying delay and disruption expert, his experience in project management, planning, and risk management will help our clients looking to achieve the best possible solutions to their operational challenges.”
In citing his significant expertise, the firm noted Wakefield-Smith’s various roles for a number of major international construction projects, including as a principal programme planner for Bechtel on the £16 billion London Crossrail project and as an expert witness in proceedings related to a $3 billion airport terminal in the UAE and a $10 billion power station in South Africa. He has also worked on major cases in the Australian mining sector.
“With 7,800 employees located in 31 countries FTI Consulting is global business advisory known as a trusted advisor to clients, courts and tribunals who are involved in major projects and tackling the most significant disputes in the world,” Wakefield-Smith said of joining the firm. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues as we develop and implement holistic solutions to solve our clients’ most pressing business challenges.”
Wakefield-Smith’s appointment follows the recent addition of Sam Forrest as managing director in FTI Consulting’s economics & financial consulting team out of Sydney, where he will advise energy sector clients on their ongoing transition efforts. Forrest joins after spending the past year as a director at PwC in its energy transition practice, before which he spent a decade between HoustonKemp and NERA Economic Consulting in Sydney and London.
Across the course of his career, which kicked off at WorleyParsons following a mechanical engineering degree with UNSW, Forrest has gained experience advising businesses, regulatory bodies, governments and investors across the electricity & gas supply chain on economic modeling of energy infrastructure, policy and market design changes, strategy, commercial disputes, and merger clearances and due diligence for major energy industry transactions.
Sourced from Consultancy.com.au