HKA promotes five to partner in US offices
HKA, a global risk and disputes consulting firm, has promoted five US-based team members to partner: Kim Beech, Seyran Celik, Michael Cuevas, Linda Konrath, and Kandace Zimmerman.
The London-headquartered firm also promoted a further eight partners across its global footprint as part of its May promotions.
“I’d like to congratulate and welcome our newest members to the HKA Global Partner Group,” said Renny Borhan, CEO of HKA. “We understand that people are the heart of our business, which is why we have promoted colleagues based on their performance and behaviours that embody our client-centric approach, whilst embracing our ethos of making HKA a great place to work.”
Kim Beech (Philadelphia) has served as financial controller for HKA’s Americas region since joining the firm in 2019. In that time she has built out the finance team to ten people and supported several acquisitions and lift outs.
Beech has 15 years of experience working as a controller at professional services firms. She previously was controller at accountancy CBIZ and assistant controller at engineering consultancy Pennoni.
Seyran Celik (claims, Miami) has 15 years of civil engineering and consulting experience, with a focus on providing expert services in construction claims and forensic schedule analysis. Celik has advised contractors, owners, engineering firms, and law firms on delay and disruption on complex projects across the globe.
Before joining HKA in 2019, she was a director in FTI Consulting’s construction practice and a consultant at Hill International. Earlier in her career, Celik was a geotechnical engineer at Schnabel Engineering.
Michael Cuevas (forensic technical services, Miami) has more than 25 years of experience in construction, engineering, and forensics. He has served as an expert on complex civil and structural issues in projects across the US, Caribbean, and South America.
Before joining HKA in 2022, Cuevas was a senior associate in the forensics practice of DeSimone Consulting Engineers and a senior project engineer at Envista Forensics. Prior to working in consulting, Cuevas held engineering roles at Alstom Power, Macchi Engineers, and GNCB.
Linda Konrath (advisory, Philadelphia) has more than 20 years of experience in engineering and construction. She has led numerous engagements in contract and procurement advisory, performance audits and process improvement studies, contract and specification development, and claims avoidance and dispute resolution.
She joined HKA in 2017 from Hill International, where she was a senior consultant. Before that, Konrath was a director at Trauner Consulting Services and an engineer at Earth Tech.
Kandace Zimmerman (claims, Seattle) has over 18 years of experience in contract and claims management. She focuses on providing project-level advice and support to identify and resolve potential claims issues, analyze schedule issues, and mitigate and avoid disputes.
Zimmerman has worked on hundreds of US-based projects across commercial, residential, and institutional buildings; roads and bridges; utilities; and industrials.
Prior to joining HKA in 2020, Zimmerman was lead associate in the construction consulting practice of McMillen Jacobs Associates, a construction scheduler at Midmountain Contractors, and an associate at Assess Project Services.
