Published by Jessica Weisman-Pitts
Posted on February 16, 2022
Senior professionals relocate to the Kingdom as part of Forensic practice expansion
Deloitte has expanded its Electronic Discovery (eDiscovery) capabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is now the first provider of an online Relativity platform based in the Kingdom without data having to cross borders.
As a result of ever-growing data volumes and complexity, many organisations are facing an unprecedented data management challenge, in particular during crisis scenarios such as investigations, litigation or data breaches. The Relativity eDiscovery platform is used by thousands of organisations around the world to manage large volumes of data and quickly identify key issues. The Deloitte platform in the KSA is based on the secure and flexible Oracle© Cloud Infrastructure which supports the confidentiality of assignments.
Boray Altunisler, Head of the Middle East eDiscovery team, said “We are thrilled to launch our Relativity platform in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, marking an important step in our expansion and investment plans. We see an increasing requirement to support our clients in KSA with an eDiscovery tool based in the Kingdom without the need to transfer data out of the country. The Kingdom’s first comprehensive national data protection law that will come into effect on March 23, 2022 has further solidified the need to provide a secure, scalable and cutting-edge platform in the country to address our client’s data discovery challenges in litigation, investigation, and regulatory compliance matters.”
The wider Deloitte Forensic practice is also expanding in the Kingdom in response to the growing demand from clients for investigation services. Neil Hargreaves, Forensic Leader for the Middle East, with over 30 years of experience, has relocated to the Kingdom and will lead the team from Riyadh to advise and support clients across the country and the wider region. Neil is joined by Director Paul Huck who has 20 years of experience in forensic accounting investigations, asset tracing, and the design and implementation of fraud analytics and review platforms, to help clients better foresee and protect themselves from fraudulent schemes and activities.
Hargreaves commented “We are seeing a greater focus on the investigation and prevention of fraud, waste and abuse in Saudi Arabia and, with it, an increased demand for our services. I am excited to lead the growth of our team in the Kingdom and bring cutting edge technology to support our clients. The practice includes global and regional experts, with a major focus on attracting and developing the best talent from within the Kingdom. We look forward to this journey, advising new and existing clients during a truly transformative period.”
As a Worldwide Leader in eDiscovery services[1], with over 120 Relativity-certified practitioners, a global strategic alliance[2] and a 10-year working relationship as a Certified Partner with Relativity, Deloitte brings an unmatched level of eDiscovery process and technical capability to the Relativity platform.
Deloitte’s eDiscovery team in the Middle East includes several Relativity-certified practitioners, and has been providing services on various high-profile matters for several years, working with corporations and law firms around the world, including three of the largest cases in the UK High Courts, involving tens of millions of documents.
[1] Deloitte has been named a Worldwide Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide eDiscovery Services 2021 Vendor Assessment. The IDC MarketScape recognizes Deloitte as a Leader based on capabilities and strategies such as remote review capabilities, investigation capabilities, cybersecurity, data management and customer service.
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