CYBER SECURITY AND risk management firm Kroll has announced its entry into the Irish market after reporting an uptick in demand for its commercial intelligence services.

The outfit is a division of global adviser Duff & Phelps and was originally founded in 1972 by Jules Kroll, the American businessman who is widely considered the father of modern corporate investigations.

Kroll’s Dublin operation will provide a suite of services to Irish businesses, law firms and financial institutions such as forensic accounting investigations, asset searches, cybersecurity advice and intelligence gathering.

It also aims to help clients manage disputes and litigation, sanctions breaches and the leaking of information.

Kroll’s Irish unit will be led by Kevin Hart, the company’s associate managing director in business intelligence and investigations practice.

Hart previously worked for Grant Thornton and has 20 years of experience in the corporate investigations world, with expertise in areas such as uncovering fraud, corruption and money laundering, and advising clients on cybersecurity threats.

A board member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ Irish chapter, he will work with Duff & Phelps’ existing practice in Ireland, which is headed up by Sharon Barrett.

“I’m looking forward to helping clients in Ireland deal with their most difficult challenges both domestically and in emerging and frontier markets across the globe,” Hart said.

Carl Jenkins, global head of governance, risk, investigations and disputes practice at Duff & Phelps, said the Irish expansion “demonstrates our commitment to making Ireland a vital component in our global growth strategy”.

Written by Conor McMahon and posted on Fora.ie