Grant Thornton makes Joanne Brown Partner in public services
Professional services firm Grant Thornton UK has promoted Joanne Brown to Partner to lead its public services offering in Scotland. Brown brings the best part of two decades of experience to the role, following an extensive spell with Big Four member PwC.
In 2015, Grant Thornton boosted its public sector audit capabilities in Scotland with the arrival of Joanne Brown from PwC. Brown took on the role of Head of Grant Thornton’s Scottish Public Sector Audit Practice, underlining the firm’s commitment to support the public sector in Scotland to meet challenges and opportunities.
Prior to life at Grant Thornton, from 2006 onwards Brown acted as Manager of PwC’s Government and Public Sector Assurance Team in Glasgow. She later became Senior Manager in 2009, a role she held for two years, and Director of the Government and Public Sector in 2011, leading the firm’s provision of Internal Audit services within Scotland. She notably helped provide external audit services to the NHS and Central Government Sector.
Speaking on her arrival at Grant Thornton, Kevin Engel, the firm’s Managing Partner in Scotland, said, “Joanne[’s]… valuable experience extends beyond financial expertise to provision of strategic advice and consultancy. This holistic approach is essential as the country’s public sector continues to face budget cuts and strained resources - they need to ensure their operations are running as effectively as possible.”
Since then, Brown has led the Public Sector Assurance Team in Scotland in the delivery of external audit and internal audit services to a wide range of public sector organisations across Scotland. She has also worked as the national leader for Grant Thornton's internal audit services to Public Sector organisations across the UK. Now, after four years at the firm, Brown has been appointed a Partner to lead the firm’s public services offering in Scotland.
Brown said of her promotion, “I am thrilled to be leading our public services offering in Scotland as we continue to invest in growing the team and developing our wider offering for clients. I am committed to strengthening our reputation in the Scottish market and, as a team, we are dedicated to ensuring public sector organisations can continue to provide the vital services we rely on every day.”
The move comes at a key moment for the public sector in Scotland, and the UK at large. With the Government’s austerity policy still impacting public spending, balancing the books is a crucial measure for public sector entities if they are to continue to meet the needs of citizens.
Sarah Howard, Head of Public Services at Grant Thornton UK stated, “The public sector is a core priority for our firm and Joanne’s promotion demonstrates our continued commitment to growing our presence in the Scottish market. Our public services have never been more at risk and it is vital that we are able to effectively support organisations in moving towards a more sustainable future. Joanne’s in-depth knowledge of the Scottish market will be critical to ensuring we continue to make a positive difference for public sector organisations.”