CRA adds two VPs to build new risk, investigations & analytics practice
Charles River Associates (CRA) has added two vice presidents to establish a new risk, investigations & analytics practice. Robert Brunner and Peter Nolan both join CRA from FTI Consulting, where they were senior managing directors. Brunner (based in LA) and Nolan (based in NYC) will serve as co-leaders of the new practice.
Robert Brunner brings over 30 years of consulting experience to the role, and is recognized as one of the nation’s foremost experts in the collection and analysis of data related to financial, accounting, and regulatory investigations, litigation, and bankruptcies. He has deep expertise across complex, data-intensive cases, including class action suits and regulatory investigations.
Brunner has testified in numerous large-scale litigation matters, serving clients across a wide range of industries and sectors and advising CEOs, board directors, audit committees, and general counsels.
Before joining CRA, Brunner spent more than 15 years at rival firm FTI Consulting, where he was a senior managing director, and founded and led the global data & analytics practice and residential mortgage backed securities litigation practice.
Prior to that, he was the national partner-in-charge of KPMG’s class action services practice and complex data services and analysis practice. Brunner started his consulting career at Arthur Andersen, where he spent 15 years and rose to the level of partner, leading the economic & financial consulting practice in the Pacific Northwest.
Peter Nolan brings more than 15 years of experience in investigations and business intelligence, with expertise across cybersecurity, anti-money laundering, due diligence, fraud, and internal investigations. Nolan has advised clients across multiple geographies and industries, with particular expertise in financial services in China.
Before joining CRA, Nolan was a senior managing director at FTI Consulting, where he led the global risk & investigations practice and was a member of the forensic litigation & consulting leadership team. From 2008 to 2011, Nolan was VP of corporate investigations at Control Risks Group, where he also was North America practice leader for business intelligence, serving multinational clients in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
“We are committed to being the firm of choice for our clients as they address their most important litigation, regulatory, and strategic challenges,” Paul Maleh, CRA's president and CEO, said. “Rob and Peter are proven leaders with deep expertise advising clients in global investigations and using analytics to resolve complex business issues. We are excited to expand our service offering, and have them lead and grow CRA’s Risk, Investigations & Analytics Practice.”
The practice’s multidisciplinary consulting team will help clients manage legal, reputational, and commercial risk with targeted proactive and reactive solutions. The practice’s advanced capabilities in analyzing large and complex datasets – including public records, social media, and human intelligence – will allow CRA to better identify and examine enterprise-wide risk.
“CRA provides a unique opportunity to build a multidisciplinary team of experts and develop a fully integrated offering,” Brunner and Nolan said. “We are thrilled to be part of a culture that empowers and relies on the expertise of its consultants, and has unlimited potential for growth.”