Dana White joins Ankura as head of global strategic advisory
Dana White has joined management consultancy Ankura as head of its global strategic advisory practice. She is based in the firm's Washington, DC headquarters.
Ankura's “global advisory” practice provides international public affairs-related services – helping companies engage with governments and NGOs and manage risk across global operations.
The practice has offerings in global strategy, public and regulatory affairs, crisis management, campaign management and execution, and stakeholder engagement.
Ankura significantly expanded the practice in 2021 with the acquisition of McLarty Associates, a DC-based international affairs consultancy with nearly 100 employees. The deal added advisory capabilities in market entry, political risk management, government relations, public-private partnerships, and regulatory change.
White – who has nearly 25 years of experience in public relations, political consulting, and business consulting – will focus on further expanding the practice’s services.
She joins Ankura from Hyundai North America, where she spent the last two-and-a-half years as chief communications officer. Before that, White was chief spokesperson for the Pentagon under secretary of defense Jim Mattis.
White was also previously director of policy and strategic communications for the Renault-Nissan Alliance, an editorial writer and culture page editor for the Wall Street Journal, Taiwan country director in the office of the secretary of defense, and a publicist at Fox News. White began her career as a deputy press secretary on the US House Republican Conference.
She has a bachelor’s degree in East Asian languages and civilizations from the University of Chicago.
“I am excited to welcome Dana to our leadership team. Her experience as a trusted advisor to top U.S. government officials and C-suite executives makes her uniquely qualified to lead and expand our global strategic advisory group,” said Kevin Lavin, CEO of Ankura Consulting.
“I am thrilled to join Ankura and work with Kevin Lavin, CEO, and a team of highly qualified experts to bring cross-functional solutions that help clients identify, navigate, and mitigate risks to their reputation and operations,” White said. “With the strong support of our geopolitical experts at McLarty Associates and the other members of our Global Strategic Advisory team, I am confident that we will bring the foresight, insight, and solutions clients need to stay agile and nimble in an ever-changing global environment.”
Ankura has more than 1,800 people providing consulting in change, risk, disputes, finance, performance, and transformation. The firm has 35+ offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.