Hilco Global is expanding its independent investigations, dispute resolution and monitorship capabilities with the appointment of senior leadership to advise law firms, boards, executive management teams and investors in complex, high-stakes matters.
The firm has appointed Kristofer Swanson to help lead this expansion, alongside Andrew Bayer and Jordan Kraner, who join in senior roles focused on investigations, compliance, monitorships and dispute-related engagements.
Swanson brings more than 30 years of experience in forensic accounting, investigations, monitorships and expert testimony. He joins from Charles River Associates, where he built and led the firm’s forensic services practice into one of its largest business units. Earlier in his career, he served as a senior leadership partner and Midwest market leader for PwC’s forensic services practice.
Swanson has led complex, multi-jurisdictional investigations across North America, Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia involving allegations of fraud, misconduct and regulatory non-compliance. He has regularly reported findings to boards of directors, special committees, courts and government authorities, and has served in court-appointed and government-approved roles, including monitorships and compliance oversight engagements. He is also an experienced testifying expert on economic damages, liability and other complex financial issues in litigation and arbitration.
Bayer, formerly a principal at Charles River Associates and previously with EY, focuses on cross-border investigations, fraud and corruption matters, and compliance program assessments. Kraner, also joining from Charles River Associates and previously PwC, advises on accounting-related investigations, regulatory issues, cyber incident response, financial misconduct matters and provides expert testimony.
“The expansion reflects growing client demand for integrated solutions in matters where financial, operational and investigative issues intersect,” David Kurtz, vice chairman and CEO of professional services at Hilco Global, said. “These are situations that require independence, analytical rigor and the ability to deliver clear, defensible conclusions.”
The practice will collaborate across Hilco Global’s professional services platform, leveraging the firm’s restructuring, valuation and transaction advisory capabilities, particularly in matters involving distressed companies, regulatory scrutiny, contested transactions and post-resolution oversight, including monitorships.
“I am thrilled to join Hilco Global at a time when clients and their counsel increasingly require integrated, multidisciplinary support across investigations, disputes and monitorships,” Kristofer Swanson, executive director of global investigations and dispute resolution at Hilco Global, said. “The opportunity to work alongside David Kurtz and James H.M. Sprayregen, who have each advised on some of the most consequential restructurings and disputes of the past several decades, is particularly compelling. By combining the existing strengths of the platform with deep forensic and investigative capabilities, we are well positioned to deliver clear, decision-oriented insight in the most complex and high-stakes situations.”
