FTI Consulting establishes economic consulting team in SA

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The economic consulting team in South Africa will focus on offering domestic and international dispute resolution services and advice in connection with economic regulation.

The South African team will be led by John Lisle, a managing director who specialises in the assessment of damages in complex commercial disputes, the application of financial and economic analysis related to regulated prices and in providing advice in the context of investigations by competition authorities. Lisle joined FTI Consulting in 2011 and relocated to South Africa in early 2015 in preparation for the launch of the firm's economic consulting service offering in the region.

Lisle has been providing advice to clients on issues connected with disputes and regulation for more than 25 years and has worked across a range of industries, including energy, mining, transportation, infrastructure and telecommunications. During this time, he has worked extensively across the EMEA region, including spending a significant amount of time working with clients in South Africa.

Expanding economies

"As a global leader in the provision of accounting and economic expert witness services, FTI Consulting aims to have a presence in major markets, including Africa, whose economies are expanding rapidly and are increasingly identified as a destination for investment," says Chris Osborne, co-chairman of FTI Consulting's EMEA region.

"Simultaneously, the growing maturity of these markets is being accompanied by increasingly sophisticated approaches to economic regulation. Our clients, both locally and globally, wanted us there and we are responding. We look forward to growing with Africa," Osborne says.

Lisle will divide his time between FTI Consulting's two offices in South Africa, which are located in Johannesburg and Cape Town. "On both a professional and a personal level I am delighted to lead the expansion of our economic consulting service offering into South Africa," says Lisle. "The local and regional markets are developing at great pace and we are able to provide the highest quality advice based on our global expertise and experience. We are looking forward to developing long-lasting relationships with clients, both large and small, in the years to come."

The new service offering marks an addition to FTI Consulting's existing capabilities in South Africa. The firm currently offers specialist strategic communications services in South Africa, providing clients with the full spectrum of financial and corporate communications, investor relations, reputation management and public affairs advice.