Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ: HURN), a leading provider of financial and operational consulting services, today announced the group hire of eight professionals from the Barrington-Wellesley Group, Inc. (BWG). The addition of the experienced professionals from BWG signifies a major expansion of Huron’s services to the utilities industry. BWG is a general management consulting firm serving electric, gas, water, and telecommunications organizations since 1990.
“Utilities, regulatory agencies, and the law firms who work with them are seeking strategic, financial and operational consulting expertise in the energy, water, and telecommunications industries,” said Gary E. Holdren, chairman and chief executive officer, Huron Consulting Group. “With the market demand growing exponentially in this area, Huron is pleased to welcome the utilities professionals from BWG to our organization.”
The professionals joining Huron from BWG have substantial energy, water, and telecommunications industry and management consulting experience, and possess the functional knowledge in finance, accounting, strategic planning, regulatory policy, and utility operations. As part of the group hire, Michael A. Laros was named a managing director in Huron’s Corporate Consulting practice. Utilities management experts Arun Mani, Perry L. Wheaton, and David A. Whitman were named directors in Huron’s Corporate Consulting practice.
Michael A. Laros, a Certified Management Consultant, has more than 25 years of consulting experience and has directed industry restructuring and related projects for utility and regulatory clients in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. He has testified regarding the reasonability of utility management practices in civil litigation matters and regulatory rate proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the California, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas state public utility commissions. Laros received his BS in industrial distribution from Clarkson University and an MBA in finance and accounting from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a member of the American Nuclear Society, the Project Management Institute, and an Associate member of the Energy Bar Association. Laros will be based in Huron’s Chicago office.
Arun Mani has more than 13 years of utility and management consulting experience. He has worked with utility industry executives, line personnel, attorneys, utility commission staff, and investment bankers to offer a wide spectrum of advisory services that span strategy development, financial analysis, operations improvement, management reviews, and expert witness testimony. Mani is a Certified Management Consultant as well as an Accredited Valuation Analyst. He received his BA in Mathematics and Economics from Denison University. He will be based in Huron’s Houston office.
Perry L. Wheaton has more than 25 years of utility management consulting and auditing experience. He has served as an expert witness with respect to management and financial issues before state and federal legislative committees and numerous state regulatory commissions. Wheaton, both a Certified Management Consultant and a Certified Public Accountant, has an AB from Hamilton College and an MBA in public accounting from Rutgers University. He will be based in Huron’s Boston office.
David A. Whitman has more than 25 years of professional experience in the public and private sectors and is an expert in facilitating change and assisting utilities clients in improving their business and operational efficiency and effectiveness. Whitman received a BS from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA from the University of Nebraska. He is a Certified Management Consultant and member of the American Public Power Association and American Water Works Association. Whitman will be based in Huron’s Chicago office.
About Huron Consulting Group
Huron Consulting Group helps clients effectively address complex challenges that arise in litigation, disputes, investigations, regulatory compliance, procurement, financial distress, and other sources of significant conflict or change. The Company also helps clients deliver superior customer and capital market performance through integrated strategic, operational, and organizational change. Huron provides services to a wide variety of both financially sound and distressed organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, medium-sized businesses, leading academic institutions, healthcare organizations, and the law firms that represent these various organizations. Learn more at www.huronconsultinggroup.com.
