FTI Consulting, Inc. announced the appointment of Simon Lewis as a Vice Chairman in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region and Global Head of Financial Services in the firm’s Strategic Communications segment. Mr. Lewis will assume the new roles on 6 January 2020.
Mr. Lewis will join FTI Consulting from the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), the trade body that represents the pan-European capital markets industry, where he served as Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) for nine years. In his new role as a Vice Chairman in the EMEA region, Mr. Lewis will help develop FTI Consulting’s client relationships across the region and support the firm’s strategic initiatives. In his role as Global Head of Financial Services in Strategic Communications, Mr. Lewis will work closely with senior leaders throughout the firm to maximise business success in this important sector – ensuring best-in-class client service, coordinating cross-border business development opportunities and enabling further investments in talent.
Kevin Hewitt, Chairman of the EMEA region at FTI Consulting, commented, “Simon will be an excellent addition to our regional team, which has supported the firm’s significant growth in EMEA. I look forward to working with Simon to further develop our client relationships and support the firm’s continued growth across the EMEA region.”
Mark McCall, Global Segment Leader of the Strategic Communications segment at FTI Consulting, added, “Amid the backdrop of continued commercial uncertainty, Simon’s diverse experience will further strengthen our ability to help financial services clients advance and protect their reputations, engage with stakeholders, manage change and mitigate risk.”
Mr. Lewis’ distinguished career has spanned both the private and public sectors. As the founding CEO of AFME, the organisation has developed into a powerful voice for banks operating in Europe’s wholesale financial markets, serving as a bridge between its members and policymakers in the UK and the EU27 on critical issues such as Capital Markets Union, Banking Union, the implementation of MiFID II and Brexit. Previously, Mr. Lewis was Director of Communications and the UK Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman at 10 Downing Street. In 1998, Mr. Lewis was appointed as the first Communications Secretary to the Queen. He has held a number of senior corporate roles, including Director of Corporate Affairs at Vodafone, Centrica and NatWest.
Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Lewis said, “I am delighted to be joining FTI Consulting at such an exciting stage in its development. At a time of political and economic flux, there is a greater demand than ever from clients for a combination of public and private sector experience. I look forward to working with the excellent team of professionals at FTI Consulting to continue to build the business in EMEA and globally.”
Mr. Lewis has a degree from Oxford University in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He also holds an M.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley as a Fulbright Scholar. He is a Visiting Professor at the Cardiff School of Journalism and at The London Institute of Banking and Finance. Mr. Lewis is a board member of TheCityUK and a member of the Chatham House North American Advisory Council. He was awarded an OBE in 2015 and appointed an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (“CIPR”) in 2016.