FTI Consulting, Inc. announced the expansion of the firm’s Retail & Consumer Products practice with the addition of three Senior Managing Directors in the United States and Australia.
J.D. Wichser, who will be based in Chicago, joins from Alvarez & Marsal and will lead FTI Consulting’s U.S. Retail & Consumer Products practice. Khaled Haram joins from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and will be based in New York. Kate Warwick, who will be based in Melbourne, Australia, also joins from PwC, where she led the Retail & Consumer focus of that firm’s Australian Deals team nationally. At FTI Consulting, Warwick will lead the firm’s Australian Retail & Consumer Products practice.
“FTI Consulting has had a longstanding commitment to retail and consumer products, and consistent with our commitment to aggressively support our best positions and propositions where we have a right to win, I am thrilled that we have added these talented individuals to our team,” said Steven H. Gunby, President and Chief Executive Officer of FTI Consulting. “J.D., Khaled and Kate bring decades of expertise from across the diverse landscape of retail and consumer-oriented companies, enhancing our strength in the industry and positioning us to assist retailers globally with their complex go-to-market opportunities.”
Wichser, whose clients have included multibillion-dollar global retailers and consumer-focused businesses, has more than 30 years of experience in both consulting and in the industry as an executive at a leading international big-box retailer. He focuses on retail performance improvement, including supply chain operations, merchandising processes, store operations, field performance and productivity management, e-commerce, IT due diligence and SG&A strategy. He partners with and assists retailers in identifying, evaluating and implementing programs to improve SG&A effectiveness and reduce costs across their operations. As a former retail operator, he provides clients with a broad perspective on approach and problem-solving.
Haram brings more than 25 years of experience, focusing on delivering solutions across the deal continuum, including operational and SG&A due diligence for carve-out transactions, post-merger integration, operating and profitability improvement initiatives and synergy realization projects. He has worked on more than 60 retail and consumer products transactions in the past four years, with values ranging between $200 million and $4 billion. Haram previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer of a mid-market, publicly traded company in the LED lighting industry, as Chief Financial Officer of a $1.3 billion distributor of media and entertainment products and as an executive at one of the world’s leading manufacturers of prestige beauty, skincare, fragrance and hair-care products.
Warwick has more than 20 years of experience in the areas of restructuring and turnaround management, corporate finance and performance improvement. She specializes in advising and working with boards, shareholders, senior management and other stakeholders to maximize value and manage and mitigate risk. Ms. Warwick’s retail and consumer clients include specialty, apparel, footwear, electronics, furniture and food and beverage companies. She has worked with some of Australia’s largest retailers with onshore and offshore operations, as well as with UK operators on complex restructurings and business transformations, supporting these businesses as they transform their business practices, regenerate revenue streams, reduce costs and unlock cash across their operations.
“Retailers are facing increased industry disruption, competitive challenges and economic threats around the globe,” said Carlyn Taylor, Global Co-Leader of the Corporate Finance & Restructuring segment at FTI Consulting and the firm’s Industry Initiative leader. “Adding the talents of J.D., Khaled and Kate, in combination with our restructuring heritage and deep enterprise cost reduction and productivity improvement focus, will help our retail and consumer-focused clients immediately unlock transformational value creation opportunities in the current environment and beyond.”
Wichser, Haram and Warwick are the latest senior hires for the Retail & Consumer Products practice, which recently added Tim Schleeter as a Managing Director in Chicago. Mr. Schleeter has more than 15 years of experience working with global retailers and consumer products companies, acting as a strategic advisor and consultant as well as serving in interim management positions.