The 2019 Women Leaders in Consulting: Katie Donnelly

Most people wouldn't recognize the name Katie Donnelly. They would, however, recognize the name of someone she worked to bring to justice—Bernie Madoff.

Donnelly was a member of a small, dedicated team that investigated key insider defendants in the case, leading to the largest civil forfeiture in United States history—$7.2 billion—that ultimately was redistributed to the victims.

"I am proud to have been an integral member of the global FTI Consulting team, providing investigative support and forensic analysis to the Bernie Madoff fraud investigation," she says. "I am also extremely proud of my contributions to building a successful Cybersecurity practice at FTI."

Katie Donnelly is a Managing Director in the Cybersecurity practice and is based in Washington, D.C. She has over 10 years of experience partnering with clients to solve challenging, complex problems. At FTI Consulting, she leads teams that handle a broad range of cybersecurity matters, including complex cybersecurity investigations and advanced cybersecurity assessments. 

The wonderful teams that I have the pleasure of working with on a daily basis [are what I enjoy most about consulting]," she says. "Whether it is my FTI team, client team or counsel team, it's the people that make the hard work and long hours worthwhile." 

Donnelly has served on engagement leadership teams for several prominent Silicon Valley tech companies advising on matters spanning from class action litigations to fraudulent activity investigations, data compromises, and privacy concerns, as well as analyses of potential anticompetitive practices. 

Her greatest professional achievement—besides Madoff—she says, is being able to positively impact people's careers and seeing teammates excel in the workplace, get promoted and enjoy successful experiences at FTI. 

In addition, she's led the significant growth in the FTI Cybersecurity practice since 2017, working with global corporations, law firms and government agencies on some of the most complex cybersecurity incidents and challenges. "Working alongside some of the leading experts in this field who hail from the top levels of government, law enforcement and private industry, and helping organizations both respond to cyber incidents and proactively safeguard their operations and assets has been extremely exciting, interesting and professionally satisfying," Donnelly says. 

As far as being named a Women Leader, Donnelly says it is very special as it gives her an opportunity to reflect on the important people that have contributed to her successes as a consultant (parents, siblings, husband, friends, mentors, and her amazing team members at FTI). "The award opens new opportunities for me to meet additional colleagues and friends, and I look forward to getting to know and learn from each of the other award recipients," she says.

Q&A: What advice would you give to a female consultant just beginning her career?

"Never hesitate to ask questions or ask for advice. Always be open and honest. Be a sponge and soak up everything you hear and see. And lastly, emulate those who you admire."