Shashank Karnad joins FTI Consulting in its Mumbai office
Global business advisory firm FTI Consulting’s India practice has appointed Shashank Karnad as a Senior Managing Director in its Risk Advisory & Investigations department. According to senior executives at the firm, the move reflects FTI’s growing profile across the Indian market.
Karnad joins the firm’s Mumbai operation, in a department that is nestled within FTI’s broader Forensic & Litigation Consulting vertical. In his new role, he will support FTI’s growing client base with fraud investigations, dispute advisory services, litgation support, as well as anti-bribery and corruption investigations.
The new role is the latest in a string of senior positions that Karnad has held throughout his professional career, which has spanned nearly two decades in the Indian market. With a degree in Commerce and a Chartered Accountancy, Karnad began his career as an Articled Clerk at a Mumbai-based accounting firm, before being appointed Business Analyst at Dun & Bradstreet.
He then spent brief spells at Unisys and Techspan as a Project Leader, before joining Big Four accounting and advisory firm KPMG in 2001. Karnad worked at KPMG for 18 years, making his way up the ranks through a number of positions, starting with Assistant Manager in the Internal Audit & Risk Consulting division.
Karnad’s first foray into forensic and risk consulting came in 2005, when he was appointed Associate Director in KPMG’s Forensic & Risk Consulting wing, where he later became Director, and eventually ascended to Partner and Chief Operating Officer. Most recently, he was a Managing Director at Protiviti’s member firm in India, a role that he will now vacate to join US-headquartered FTI.
The new appointment is the latest in a flurry of expansion activity for FTI in India since last year. The firm first strengthened its Strategic Communications Consulting vertical with a senior appointment early last year, followed by the appointment of a new Managing Director in the India Technology practice late the same year. In April this year, the firm’s technology practice in India was given a further boost through the launch of Relativity services.
Commenting on Karnad’s appointment, Co-Lead of Asia at FTI Consulting Jon Rowell said, “The growth of our India practices over the past three years is a testament to the trust our clients place in us. Shashank’s diverse expertise in forensic accounting, dispute advisory services, anti-bribery and corruption, fraud risk assessments and investigations will be of significant benefit to our clients in India as they seek to protect their reputation and enterprise value. We look forward to working with Shashank as we help our clients address their most complex issues.”
Karnad himself added, “I am delighted to join FTI Consulting at an exciting time for the firm in India. We have an immensely talented team of seasoned professionals who operate from our Delhi and Mumbai offices. In recent months, FTI Consulting has added new technology, financial services, analytics, forensic accounting and valuations expertise to the India business, creating a holistic platform that can leverage FTI Consulting’s global network to add value for clients.”