Leading global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) continues to expand its Global Forensic and Dispute Services group with the addition of industry veteran Laura Hardin who joins the firm as a Managing Director in Houston. She brings nearly 20 years of experience in business valuation, damages assessments, forensic accounting and consulting services on a variety of engagements, with a particular emphasis in the energy sector.

With an extensive background in international arbitration proceedings, Hardin joins a fast-growing group of global investigations experts who specialize in areas ranging from anti-bribery and corruption to accounting investigations.

“Laura’s Eastern European experience, Russian language skills and international arbitration depth bring valuable skills to the A&M team at a time when multinationals are rapidly expanding their business dealings abroad, particularlyin the oil and gas and metals and mining industries,” said Bryan Ruez, Global Co-Leader of Alvarez & Marsal Global Forensic and Dispute Services. “As international arbitration becomes the global standard for disputes, our clients will benefit from Laura’s deep experience in navigating foreign legal systems, especially in the area of asset recovery, which has become an increasingly challenging process.”

Fluent in Russian, she has testified in Russian courts and has worked extensively on engagements involving entities in Russia and the CIS in particular, as well as Latin America, Europe and Africa and the Middle East. She also has extensive experience in industries including oil and gas, power generation, telecoms and aviation.

Prior to joining A&M, Ms. Hardin served as a vice president with CRA, having previously held senior roles with FTI Consulting, Navigant Consulting and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Throughout her career, she has provided expert guidance on damage quantification for both investment treaty and commercial matters and has submitted evidence in international arbitration cases brought before ICC, ICDR, LCIA, SCC, ICSID and ad hoc tribunals. She has led disputes withseveral billion dollars at stake amidst allegations of expropriation, shareholder disputes, breach of contract controversies and purchase price, on behalf of private entities, sovereign governments and government-owned entities.

Hardin earned an MBA from The George Washington University and a BA in Russian language and literature from Wesleyan University. She is also a certified valuation analyst (CVA) with the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts.  She is a frequent speaker on business valuation topics, damage theory topics and issues relating to businesses in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Privately-held since 1983, A&M is a leading global professional services firm that delivers business performance improvement, turnaround management and advisory services to organizations seeking to transform operations, catapult growth and accelerate results through decisive action.   The firm's senior professionals are experienced operators, world-class consultants and industry veterans who leverage the firm's restructuring heritage to help leaders turn change into a strategic business asset, manage risk and unlock value at every stage.

A&M’s Global Forensic and Dispute Services Group sets the standard for delivering results on critical matters, drawing on its team’s experience in business investigations, litigation consulting, forensic technology, and expert testimony to provide clients with the solutions they seek to achieve their goals.