ALVAREZ & MARSAL HIRES INDUSTRY VETERAN DAVID HICKS TO CO-LEAD GLOBAL DISPUTES AND INVESTIGATIONS
NEW YORK, September 16, 2025 – Alvarez & Marsal, leading global professional services firm, has today announced a major new hire, appointing David Hicks as Global Co-Leader of Disputes and Investigations and as Financial Crime Practice Leader. Mr. Hicks will be based in Dubai until 28 February 2026 and will relocate to London in March of 2026.
Phil Beckett will remain Practice Leader of Disputes and Investigations UK. Mr. Beckett has served as a Managing Director with A&M since 2015 and brings 20+ years of experience in forensic technology, advising clients on forensic investigations of digital evidence, the interrogation of complex data sets, information governance, cyber risk, and the disclosure of electronic documents.
Mr. Hicks joins from the Big 4 firm KPMG. As well as being a Partner at KPMG UK, he was Global Financial Crime Transformation Lead and Global Forensic Leader for KPMG International, overseeing a team of 4,000.
Mr. Hicks brings more than 30 years of experience advising firms on financial crime and contentious regulatory matters, including around fraud, bribery, corruption, money laundering, terrorist financing, and sanctions investigations. He has particular expertise in the Financial Services sector, having advised leading global banks, asset managers, and insurers over many years.
The arrival of Mr. Hicks marks a crucial moment in the evolution of A&M’s Disputes and Investigations (DI) practice, which has seen consistent growth recently with the arrivals of:
- Competition economics expert Nils von Hinten-Reed in EMEA;
- Construction dispute specialist Andrew Drennan in London;
- Financial crime specialists Carrie Valente and Richard Grint in Miami and Copenhagen/London;
- Dispute expert Leonardo Florencio in São Paulo;
- Broker-dealer specialists Anthony Italiano, Christopher Chatfield, and Anthony Primiano in New York and Morristown;
- Shareholder activism and contested M&A specialist Jay Frankl in Washington, DC; and
- National security, trade, and technology specialists Randall Cook and Vincent Mekles in New York.
With the arrival of Mr. Hicks to serve alongside Jerry Dent as Global Co-Leader of DI, A&M is further highlighting its commitment to Anti-Financial Crime services, in the face of surging client demand. Developing the Financial Crime Forensic practice will remain a key strategic priority, including through the hiring of key industry, regulatory, and advisory experts globally and the deployment of technology, including AI, to best serve our clients.
Jerry Dent, Managing Director and Global Co-Leader of DI:
“We are proud to be home to the best talent and the addition of David to our team is further testament to our commitment to attracting best-in-class practitioners. This is an exciting time as we build out a truly global Disputes and Investigations practice, and David’s expertise and experience will be critical in accelerating our ambitious expansion plans.”
David Hicks, Global Co-Leader of DI and Financial Crime Practice Leader:
“A&M is uniquely positioned to serve clients efficiently, with no audit conflicts nor the administrative complexities of a federated operating model.
We plan to significantly disrupt the global forensic consulting market and have set ambitious growth targets over the next 3-5 years which are driven by substantial investments in the best people, products, and technology.
I am thrilled to be working alongside Jerry and the team and am excited about the opportunity to shape the future of Disputes and Investigations at A&M.”
ENDS
About Alvarez & Marsal
Founded in 1983, Alvarez & Marsal is a leading global professional services firm. Renowned for its leadership, action and results, Alvarez & Marsal provides advisory, business performance improvement and turnaround management services, delivering practical solutions to address clients' unique challenges. With a world-wide network of experienced operators, world-class consultants, former regulators and industry authorities, Alvarez & Marsal helps corporates, boards, private equity firms, law firms and government agencies drive transformation, mitigate risk and unlock value at every stage of growth.
To learn more, visit: AlvarezandMarsal.com.
