NEW YORK — Three senior leaders from FTI Consulting's strategic communications firm are stepping down in the coming months, the Holmes Report can reveal — Gulf head John Hobday, Asia-Pacific lead Paul Marriott (for a major role at Macquarie Bank) and veteran exec Jon Aarons.

A fourth senior MD at the firm, Gareth Wynn, also left the firm recently after leading its energy practice for almost two years.

The exits were confirmed by FTI Consulting CEO Ed Reilly, who declined to comment further.

Hobday will leave in September after 11 years as FTI Consulting's senior MD in the Gulf. He oversaw significant growth in FTI's Middle East operations from two to 15 staffers, with account highlights that included the $1.24bn Asiacell IPO, Dubai World's $26bn restructuring, and the recent Saudi Aramco investor relations mandate.

Jon Earl, who has been with FTI in the UAE since 2013, is serving as acting Gulf head for the firm. 

In Hong Kong, meanwhile, Marriott will leave to become global head of corporate affairs at Australia's Macquarie Bank, one year after relocating to the region to lead FTI's presence as chairman. Marriott departs FTI after more than a decade with the agency, which he joined in London in 2006.

Aarons, who is currently based in London as senior MD, moves on after more than 17 years with the firm. In an internal memo seen by the Holmes Report, Reilly describes Aarons as "a true 'Swiss Army knife', playing a variety of roles over the years based on whatever our business needed."

Those duties have included overseeing FTI's 80-strong affiliate network; serving as coordinator of the firm's World Economic Forum partnership; and, counselling numerous clients on international issues, crisis and litigation situations. 

It is understood that Reilly will select internal candidates to fill the vacancies in Dubai and Hong Kong.