FTI recruits FBI country head Kyung Kim to lead APAC cyber practice
FTI Consulting has appointed a new leader for its Asia Pacific cybersecurity practice – Kyung Kim, who joins fellow new recruit Joshua Burch as Head of Cybersecurity for the EMEA.
Global consultancy FTI Consulting has recruited two highly-credentialed individuals to lead its growing cybersecurity practices in the Asia Pacific and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa); Kyung Kim, who joins FTI from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation as Head of Cybersecurity for Asia Pacific, and ex-British government national security expert Joshua Burch in the same function for the EMEA.
To be based out of Seoul and joining as a Senior Managing Director, Kim has for the past three and a half years served as FBI Legal Attaché (the agency’s country head) at the US Embassy in South Korea – managing the FBI’s “overseas missions and strategic plans covering cyber intrusion, counterterrorism, counterintelligence and criminal matters” – with prior roles focused on organised crime and corruption.
“FTI Cybersecurity has been engaged to address some of the largest and most complex cybersecurity incidents globally, and we are committed to investing in talent to help our clients wherever they may operate,” said FTI’s Global Head of Cybersecurity Anthony J. Ferrante, himself a former Cyber Division Supervisory Special Agent and Chief Advisor with the FBI – and one-time cyber consultant with EY.
According to an FTI press release, Kim during the North Korea nuclear crisis (2017–18) advised numerous US government branches including the White House, the Secretaries of State and Defense, the Directors of the CIA and FBI, and U.S. Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command on strategic risk mitigation. Earlier in his career, he also served at the CIA and as a FBI Supervisory Special Agent in New York.
“Cyber threats continue to evolve in sophistication and frequency every day, and companies require expert insight to stay ahead of the challenges those threats pose to their right to operate,” said Kim, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting together with a Masters in Cybersecurity. “I am excited to join the Cybersecurity practice at FTI Consulting to help clients safeguard their assets and build a safer future.”
Meanwhile, Burch will lead the firm’s cybersecurity function for its EMEA region, joining FTI’s branch in London. Burch brings altogether more than two decades of leadership experience as an international security, strategy and risk expert, and prior to crossing to FTI spent over 15 years in a range of national security roles with the British government – most recently as Chief of Staff for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Previously he was Goldman Sachs.
Citing other recent inclusions such as industrial control systems expert Brian Stites and Jordan Rae Kelly, former Director for Cyber Incident Response at the White House, Ferrante concluded; “Over the past few years, we have built a leading team of senior professionals, and Joshua and Kyung bring deep expertise and knowledge of cybercrime, intelligence and policy issues, which is a tremendous addition."