Rav Hayer and Faisal Ahmad will lead UK Digital Banking and Data Intelligence team, while Ian Foottit joins to head up A&M’s Financial Services strategy and performance improvement business
London, 26th April 2022 – Leading global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) continues to build against its strategic goals with the hire of three London-based Managing Directors, Rav Hayer, Faisal Ahmad and Ian Foottit. With specialisations in digital banking, data and advanced analytics, Mr Hayer and Mr Ahmad will lead the firm’s UK Digital Banking and Data Intelligence team, while Mr Foottit’s 25 years of banking and payments strategy experience will bolster A&M’s financial services offering. Their combined experience, strong operator skills and digital credibility will help meet increasing demand from financial institutions for transformation solutions, backed by scalable digital solutions.
Mr Hayer specialises in applying and integrating disruptive technologies to help clients transform their businesses. He focuses on using high quality data to create efficiencies, unlock strategic insights and drive new sources of revenue and value at scale.
Mr Ahmad helps companies leverage data intelligence to drive business performance across multiple areas, including product profitability, customer retention, cost reduction, working capital optimisation and process automation. Initially, he will focus on introducing a new dynamic, data-led approach in support of A&M’s private equity clients and their portfolio companies.
Mr Foottit primarily focuses on performance improvement, growth and M&A, having spent the past 20 years developing executable strategies and innovation projects in the banking and payments sectors. He joins with unique experience and insight into the rapidly changing payments market, having previously co-founded Deloitte’s European payments practice.
Jean Laurent Poitou, Managing Director and A&M’s Head of Digital, EMEA, said, “Rav, Faisal and Ian join A&M with varied skillsets, but each with unique digital credibility and industry expertise. Their appointments boost our digital banking, payments and data & intelligence offering, along with our ability to provide effective and tailored solutions for private-equity backed mid-caps. Businesses need specialised, hands-on, operational advice, and the addition of Rav, Faisal and Ian will ensure A&M continues to provide just that.”
Mr Hayer said, “Companies, no matter their sector, face a rapidly evolving environment and clients, particularly financial institutions and digital banking operations, continuously ask how they can transform digitally. Businesses need partners that can help them improve their data strategies and ensure greater agility for meeting their customers’ demands.”
Mr Ahmad commented, “We’re at a cloud computing capability inflexion point. While the cost of data processing has declined, data volumes have risen exponentially, leading to the increasingly rapid adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Clients need advisors with the right blend of commercial and operational experience to help them capitalize on opportunities and drive change with successful digital integration at scale and pace.”
Mr Foottit added, “It’s vital to bring a strategic perspective to everything we do for our clients, to work in tandem with deep technical expertise and hands-on execution. This is especially true in the banking and payments space, where supporting businesses to maximise long term value alongside driving shorter-term earnings is crucial.”
Mr Hayer has joined A&M from PwC’s Risk business, where he oversaw digital, data and analytics for banking and capital markets in the UK. He has over 20 years’ experience working with clients across multiple sectors, including fintech, retail and commercial banking, insurance, asset management, retail and telecoms.
Prior to joining A&M, Mr Ahmad spent 15 years at PwC, primarily in its deals division in London. During his time there, he led a range of global data intelligence and analytics projects for private equity funds and their portfolio companies, driving performance improvement, value creation and deal-readiness. He has worked on projects in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland and across the Middle East.
Mr Foottit’s former engagements include 16 years at Deloitte, where he led the firm’s Financial Services Strategy Team. He has supported over 60 projects focused on growth and innovation, most recently working with a buy now, pay later (BNPL) player to re-assess its strategy and participation in the UK market. In banking, he worked with the management of troubled institutions to develop executable turnaround strategies and has helped several incumbents assess the strategic and financial case for transformational M&A.
