Kroll Appoints Renowned Professional Services Executive Fred Crawford as Executive Chairman

Fred Crawford brings decades of experience building and scaling advisory firms to help support and further accelerate Kroll's growth

Jacob Silverman continues in his role as CEO and Board member; Noah Gottdiener will become Founding Chairman and remain closely involved in setting the firm's long-term agenda

NEW YORK, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Kroll, the leading independent provider of global financial and risk advisory solutions, today announced the appointment of Fred Crawford as Executive Chairman, effective May 18, 2026. Noah Gottdiener, current Executive Chairman, will assume the role of Founding Chairman and remain closely involved in the firm's strategy and operations.

Crawford will work closely with Kroll CEO Jacob Silverman and Gottdiener to support and further accelerate the firm's growth strategy, enhance client partnerships, and reinforce its global leadership among independent financial and risk advisory firms. His focus will include advancing Kroll's commercial culture at scale, elevating talent development, and strengthening long-term succession planning.

"Over the past two decades, Kroll has undergone significant transformation to drive growth and value creation. This has been achieved, in part, by executing and integrating over forty acquisitions and onboarding thousands of new hires, while also deepening client relationships, expanding into new geographies, and playing a significant role in market-shaping trends," said Silverman. "With this strong foundation in place, we see an opportunity to further accelerate our growth. We are confident Fred is the ideal addition to support building an even stronger Kroll, focused on expansion, maximizing long-term value creation, and further enhancing our partnerships with our clients."

Crawford is a globally renowned professional services executive with decades of experience building and scaling human capital enterprises. He possesses extensive experience across the public and private sectors, including leadership roles at Computer Sciences Corporation (now DXC Technology), Ernst & Young, Capgemini, and AlixPartners. He was previously CEO of AlixPartners from 2008 to 2015, a period of significant global growth and substantial shareholder value creation. He later served as AlixPartners' Senior Vice Chair until 2021 and continued as a member of its Board of Directors until stepping down to join Kroll. He has also served on the boards of several professional services firms and continues to serve on the boards of Phaidon International and Solomon Partners.

"When companies face material threats - across areas such as financial and operational risk, cybersecurity, regulatory and compliance matters - and need to make informed decisions, they call Kroll," said Crawford. "Kroll has built an exceptional global platform as a trusted advisor for the most complex challenges, and I look forward to partnering with Jake, Noah, and the full Board and leadership team to deliver even greater value for clients around the world."

"Fred's appointment represents the company's evolution and the opportunities ahead," said Gottdiener. "He is a trusted advisor with a track record of successful client-facing business development, including expanding commercial capabilities and strengthening client relationships, which all of our stakeholders will benefit from. I'm proud of what we've built and look forward to continuing to support the company in my role as Founding Chairman." 

About Kroll

As the leading independent provider of financial and risk advisory solutions, Kroll leverages our unique insights, data, and technology to help clients stay ahead of complex valuation demands. Kroll's team of more than 6,500 professionals worldwide continues the firm's nearly 100-year history of trusted expertise spanning risk, governance, transactions and valuation. Our advanced solutions and intelligence provide clients the foresight they need to create an enduring competitive advantage. At Kroll, our values define who we are and how we partner with clients and communities. Learn more at kroll.com.

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