Ankura adds three professionals from BRG, launches CFO practice

Business consulting firm Ankura has welcomed three financial transformation experts from rival consultancy Berkeley Research Group (BRG) to lead a newly formed “office of the CFO” practice. The new senior managing directors – Elliot Fuhr, Joe D’Ascoli, and Dave Owen – bring a combined 60 years of experience to Ankura.

“The addition of a CFO advisory practice will add to our emphasis on problem-solving with respect to complex, existential issues that require end-to-end strategies, solutions, and execution unique to Ankura's capabilities," said Kevin Lavin, CEO of Ankura.

Elliot Fuhr has more than 30 years of advisory experience and has led finance-centered business transformations in a wide range of industries. He has partnered with boards and CFOs to increase efficiency and effectiveness, minimize risk, and execute transactions, and has served in numerous interim management positions.

Fuhr spent the last four years as a managing director at BRG, where he drove finance-led business transformations through the lens of a CFO. Before that, he spent fourteen years at FTI Consulting, where he was a senior managing director and led office of the CFO initiatives. Fuhr was also previously a partner in PwC’s financial advisory services practice, and was a management consultant at AlixPartners and Deloitte.

"The ability to combine multidisciplinary skillsets and expertise is necessary to address the far-ranging issues that impact companies. We see the ability to integrate and collaborate with complementary advisory and professional services at Ankura as differentiating ourselves in the market," said Fuhr.

Joe D’Ascoli has 15 years of advisory experience focusing on finance transformation engagements. He specializes in financial strategy, forecasting, and analytics, and has advised clients on turnarounds, growth plans, IPOs, and M&A transactions. He started his career in 2006 as a consultant in FTI’s corporate restructuring practice, and became a managing director in the office of CFO solutions in 2012. D’Ascoli went on to join BRG as a managing director in 2016.

Dave Owen has nearly 20 years of experience, with over a decade of experience in management consulting focusing on strategy and operational improvements. Owen was previously a managing director in BRG’s corporate finance and CFO solutions groups, and a managing director in FTI’s office of the CFO practice. Before that, he was a manager in Deloitte’s strategy and operations practice, working on supply chain management projects for a range of industry clients. Owens was also previously a managing director at E-Cube Strategy Consultants, where he worked on energy and green business consulting engagements, and a senior consultant at Roland Berger.

Before entering the consulting arena, Owens held supply chain and business development roles at industrial firms CNH and Iveco.

Founded in 2015, Ankura focuses on corporate performance and risk management, providing consulting services across compliance, investigations, forensics, technology, turnaround and restructuring, and corporate strategy. The Washington, DC-based firm has over 1,500 employees across more than 30 global offices.

The company earlier this year added the 22-person team of Water Street Partners, a Washington, DC-based joint venture and alliance advisory firm.