Duff & Phelps acquires Blackrock Expert Services Group

Global consulting firm Duff & Phelps has acquired Blackrock Expert Services Group, a London-headquartered firm specialised in disputes and expert advisory.

The move adds a team of around 130 professionals to Duff & Phelps’ Disputes Consulting practice, lifting its headcount to nearly 300 professionals worldwide. 

Founded in 2009, Blackrock Expert Services Group specialises in helping companies – mainly in the construction, infrastructure engineering and financial services sectors – with managing risk and uncertainty, and settling disagreements and disputes. The firm also has a technology and forensic accounting capabilities.

The group operates with a number of specialist brands in the market. Martello provides experts to support commercial disputes and regulatory investigations in the financial services industry. Haberman Ilett is a forensic accounting firm dedicated to providing accounting, financial and valuation services in the context of disputes. IT Group carries out expert analysis of technology and data security disputes.

“Blackrock Expert Services Group’s market leading complex expert advisory services are highly complementary to Duff & Phelps’ existing services, and allow us to bolster our offering to our clients,” said Jacob Silverman, President of Duff & Phelps. 

As part of the integration, Giles Derry, CEO of Blackrock Expert Services Group, will join the Duff & Phelps’ Disputes Consulting leadership team, reporting to Carl Jenkins, Global Head of Governance, Risk, Investigations and Disputes at the consultancy. The founder of Blackrock Expert Services Group David Barry will remain with the firm as a senior advisor. 

Duff & Phelps, which is owned by an investor consortium, is the parent of Kroll, corporate investigations and risk consulting firm. Combined, the two consultancies have nearly 4,000 professionals in 25 countries around the world. 

Commenting on the benefits for Blackrock Expert Services Group, Derry said: “We see many areas of opportunity for collaboration, leveraging Kroll’s cyber risk, investigations and compliance expertise, and Duff & Phelps’ M&A, debt advisory and valuation services, to bring new capabilities to our clients.”