One of the major firms dealing with everything from maritime safety to political risk analysis has added to its teams in Asia for work in areas such as compliance.

Control Risks, the global business risk consultancy, has appointed a pair of senior managing directors in its forensic investigations, compliance and insolvency practice in Hong Kong, saying demand for such specialist knowledge is rising.

The two hires are Mavis Tan and Simon Blade. Between them, Blade and Tan have over 35 years' experience in their area of work. Prior to joining Control Risks, they were both senior managing directors in FTI Consulting's forensic and litigation consulting practice.

The managers’ skills augment those of the firm’s existing teams in Shanghai and Hong Kong, Control Risks said in a statement.

"The challenging regulatory situation in mainland China has become more aggressive in the past two years and Mavis, Simon and their team will enable us to help our global clients effectively navigate this increasingly difficult environment,” Kent Kedl, the firm’s managing director of Greater China and North Asia, said.

Both new hires have been involved in several high-profile cases in recent years. These include leading the forensic accounting investigations of the China-based subsidiary of a US-listed medical instrument supplier, which led to the client self-reporting to the Securities and Exchange Commission, and conducting a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act risk assessment for a US-listed medical devices company after its acquisition, advising in the management of third-party distributors in the Greater China region.