GMR Aviation Consulting has joined HKA. The move comes as HKA looks to add a new area of capabilities to its offering for a busy 2023.
Amanda Clack, Regional CEO, EMEA at HKA, commented, “Adding the combination of the HKA brand capabilities in Forensic Technical Services, with GMRA’s in-depth expertise in aviation consulting, is an exciting start to 2023. At HKA we always want to continue to provide leading consultancy advice in risk mitigation for our clients across the globe, and this team provides a welcome addition to our specialist capabilities in this area.”
HKA is a global consultancy specialising in risk mitigation, dispute resolution, expert witness and litigation support services. In recent months, it has been committing to a succession of deals to expand its capacity and service offering – including the purchase of US forensics firm TMF.
Further building on that, the acquisition of GMR Aviation (GMRA) expands HKA’s technical expert capabilities in the aviation and space sectors, while complementing its existing commercial damages practice – which already provides services to the aviationdisputes market. Based primarily in the UK, GMRA’s core clients include some of the world’s largest global aeronautical companies, as well as medium- and small-sized businesses and entrepreneurial boutiques.
The deal sees a team of respected and talented experts join HKA, along with a wider multi-disciplined team of over 40 aviation professionals, arriving with HKA as Independent Consulting Experts. Among the experts arriving at HKA from GMRA are Simon Dean McCarroll, who joins HKA as Technical Director; Ross Priday who also becomes a Technical Director; and GMRA CEO Lloyd Watson, who joins HKA as Technical Director, Aviation and Space Technical Division Lead.
Watson commented, ““We are incredibly proud to be joining HKA, the leading global consultancy in risk mitigation and dispute resolution. We have worked hard to provide an exceptional service to our clients and the HKA brand now enhances our capabilities and provides the opportunity to expand our customer base from regional to truly global.”
With economic realities biting at the start of 2023, many businesses are weighing up how to safeguard their bottom lines. Many are adopting cost cutting plans, or looking to deploy technology to push productivity up. At the same time, others are looking to follow the example of firms like HKA, pivoting their businesses to win new work from markets they had previously not accessed – something mergers and acquisitions can play an important role in. While the fourth quarter of 2022 saw a 56% contraction in deal volumes, then, the following year will likely see the M&A market recover a good deal of steam.
