Grant Thornton signs covenant supporting Armed Forces Community
Professional services firm Grant Thornton’s UK wing has signed a covenant in support of the country’s armed forces. The move signs Grant Thornton up in support of service personnel, reservists, veterans, the cadet movement and military families across Britain.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a pledge to acknowledge and understand military, air-force and navy personnel should be “treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy and society they serve with their lives”. The covenant supports multiple aspects of this, including education and family wellbeing; having a home; beginning a new career; seeking financial advice; and receiving mental health support.
By becoming a new signatory of the covenant, Grant Thornton states it is reaffirming its position as “an Armed Forces friendly organisation”. The covenant’s key principles include ensuring members of the armed forces community employed by Grant Thornton are not disadvantaged for having served, while also empowering them to use that experience to benefit the firm’s people and clients.
Will McWilliams, head of public services at Grant Thornton UK, commented, “Recognising those who have performed military duty in service of our country demonstrates the enormous value of their contribution. Those who serve in the armed forces, regular or reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage.”
Under the covenant, Grant Thornton will also support all employees who choose to become members of the reserve forces. And the company will champion the benefits of employing serving and former armed forces personnel.
McWilliams added, “We are proud to be an armed-forces friendly organisation, and to offer workplace policies that are aligned to wider goals to be a flexible and inclusive employer, ensuring fair treatment of all our people.”
Grant Thornton’s UK member firm is part of a global network that employs 62,000 people in over 140 countries. In the UK, the firm is led by over 200 partners and employs over 5,000 professionals.
Among other consulting firms to have supported the Armed Forces Covenant are MI-GSO | PCUBED, which signed up in 2023, as well as Atos and EY, who signed in 2015. Consulting firms Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, PwC, Accenture, KPMG and Cognizant have also previously been recognised as military friendly employers, by ratings entity Victory Media.