EY expands forensic tech lab
EY, the accountancy and advisory firm, has expanded its forensic technology lab, based in Manchester with six hires and three promotions.
The growth of the facility, which opened in 2014, comes amid high demand for its services and the launch of a new product,
The lab, which is now staffed by more than 20 people, specialises in collecting, managing and analysing data for legal disputes and regulatory investigations, a process known as eDiscovery.
The strengthened Forensic Technology and Discovery Services (FTDS) team will support the EY lab’s core operations, as well as helping to grow its latest offering to clients; mobile eDiscovery rigs.
The rigs are deployed from Manchester to client companies around the world to enable them to analyse data, which, for legal reasons, cannot physically leave or be transmitted from their sites to third party suppliers in order to be analysed.
The lab has already deployed rigs to clients based in countries such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and the team expects further demand.
The new recruits to the Manchester FTDS team include recent graduates Jade Farrell, Tom Sothcott and Matt Baines, who join as associates.
Another new arrival is associate Ashish Kumar Kungulwar, who joins the lab from EY India’s Hyderabad FTDS practice and experienced executive Pawan Venkat also makes the move from Hyderabad from a rival Big Four practice.
Lucy Myers becomes the second industry placement student to join the team from the University of Central Lancashire, with which the EY Lab has a strategic partnership, following Maciej Hupalo, who has now returned to the University for his final year.
Chris Marks, who leads the Manchester-based FTDS team, has been promoted to the position of director, while Chris Henderson and Mark Tanner have been promoted to assistant manager and executive respectively.
Marks said: “We’re building an outstanding team here in Manchester, which is working on cutting edge national and international eDiscovery projects. The North West’s exceptional education institutions and thriving technology sector underpin a strong talent pool, and are helping us to bring in people with the right skills.
“Not only will the enlarged team help to address the complex eDiscovery needs of our clients, but they will also be central to the development and deployment of our cutting edge eDiscovery rigs. We’re seeing huge appetite from our clients for these and we expect demand to continue to grow over the coming years.”
