News
McLarty Associates Joins Ankura to Help Clients Navigate the Intersection of Government, Business, and Society
November 17, 2021
Combination extends Ankura’s reach to every major financial and regulatory center worldwide, resulting in a new global presence and offering that redefines the consulting industry
New York – November 17, 2021 – Ankura, an independent global expert services and advisory firm, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement for McLarty Associates, the world’s leading commercial diplomacy firm, to become a part of Ankura. Together, the two firms will form a premier, next-generation multidisciplinary consulting firm to protect, create and recover value for clients facing the full spectrum of commercial, financial, legal, governmental, cross-border, and domestic business affairs. The addition of McLarty Associates truly differentiates Ankura’s ability to deliver comprehensive strategies and solutions, handle disputes, navigate distress, manage risk, address financial and operational challenges, and execute programs that resolve policy, regulatory, government, and diplomatic issues anywhere in the world.
“There has been a fundamental shift in the global business environment that our clients confront every day. CEOs and their leadership teams face unceasing challenges from increasing global complexity. Ankura’s vision has been to develop the world’s leading team of experts that collaborate seamlessly to deliver results-focused solutions for clients through transformational times. McLarty Associates and its unrivaled commercial diplomacy capabilities make Ankura the first consulting firm that can truly address these challenges comprehensively,” said Kevin Lavin, Chief Executive Officer of Ankura. “My colleagues and I are incredibly proud and excited to welcome the McLarty Associates team into the Ankura family. Our collaborative culture and complementary client services will enable us to deliver powerful results for clients around the world.”
Based in Washington, D.C., McLarty Associates is an elite commercial diplomacy firm. Since its founding in 1998, McLarty Associates has helped the world’s leading businesses, non-profits, and universities, navigate their most complex business and policy challenges in over 150 countries. McLarty Associates’ global team includes nearly 100 seasoned specialists who are former ambassadors, trade negotiators, cabinet officials, journalists, and intelligence officers.
“We are thrilled to be joining Ankura at a moment where our clients are facing unprecedented disruption and change,” said Thomas “Mack” McLarty, Chairman of McLarty Associates. “Since our founding in 1998, we have built a world-class team with unique skills, knowledge, and expertise, earning us a reputation for delivering concrete results for clients at critical moments of inflection. In joining Ankura, leveraging their platform, solutions, services, and their culture of collaboration, we can help our clients understand, build, execute, and win globally with a precision that is unmatched in the marketplace.”
“Adding McLarty Associates to the Ankura family gives us a unique edge over our competitors by allowing us to provide actionable insights on what governments and society are demanding from businesses and organizations everywhere. Together, we will deliver deeply informed strategies, programs, and execution that are properly aligned with all stakeholders,” said Tom Crawford, Chief Development Officer at Ankura. “We’re excited to welcome McLarty Associates to the team and to change the model for engagement anywhere in the world, on any issue confronting businesses that seek to protect, create or recover value.”
“Over the past decade, we’ve seen borders thicken, countries become increasingly protective of supply chains and workers and governments intervene strongly in their economies. The pandemic has only accelerated these trends. Moving forward, clients must successfully navigate a world with increasingly divided politics, a global focus on environmental sustainability, and the need for greater diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Nelson W. Cunningham, President and Co-Founder of McLarty Associates. “Joining Ankura gives us an even greater capability to help our clients address these challenges, build competitive advantage, and succeed in this increasingly complex environment.”
The transaction is expected to close in early January 2022, subject to customary closing conditions. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Upon closing the transaction, McLarty Associates’ experts, advisors, and leadership will be integrated into Ankura’s global team of professionals and will operate under the name McLarty Associates, an Ankura Company. Ankura will remain headquartered in New York.
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP served as legal advisor to Ankura. Holland & Knight, LLP served as legal advisor to McLarty Associates.
About Ankura
Ankura Consulting Group, LLC is an independent global expert services and advisory firm that delivers services and end-to-end solutions to help clients at critical inflection points related to change, risk, disputes, finance, performance, distress, and transformation. The Ankura team consists of more than 1,500 professionals serving 3000+ clients across 55 countries who are leaders in their respective fields and areas of expertise. Collaborative lateral thinking, hard-earned experience, expertise, and multidisciplinary capabilities drive results and Ankura is unrivaled in its ability to assist clients to Protect, Create and Recover Value. For more information, please visit, www.ankura.com.
About McLarty Associates
McLarty Associates is the global strategy firm led by former Clinton White House Chief of Staff Thomas F. “Mack” McLarty, III, former Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte, and President and Co-Founder Nelson W. Cunningham. Since 1998, MA has built a team of nearly 100 seasoned international specialists to help corporate and non-profit clients manage policy and government issues around the world. With offices in Washington, Beijing, Brussels, Singapore, and Delhi, our people can be found in over twenty countries. For more information, please visit, www.maglobal.com.
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