Grant Thornton adds two partners to southern wing
Grant Thornton's Thames Valley and Southampton teams have appointed two new partners. Andy Wood arrives via the firm’s Yorkshire office, while Sophie Murton joins from a Big Four firm.
Norman Armstrong, practice leader for Grant Thornton in the Thames Valley and Southampton, said, “Welcoming Andy and Sophie to Grant Thornton’s team in the Thames Valley and Southampton (TVS) area is an exciting and really important moment. Not only do these appointments highlight our commitment to growing in this region, but they both have significant expertise and capabilities which will further enhance our multi-disciplinary offerings to the local market.”
Grant Thornton’s offices in Reading, Oxford and Southampton deliver audit, tax and advisory solutions to business and their management teams across the region with high client satisfaction. The combined Thames Valley regional team is home to 350 experts. According to Armstrong, the arrivals of Wood and Murton will also enrich the culture at Grant Thornton for existing talent and new joiners. The office’s audit team in particular has seen rapid growth lately to be one of the firm’s largest outside London.
Wood has been appointed to audit partner following a move from the firm's Yorkshire office. Prior to his new position, Wood was head of ethics and managing partner across Yorkshire and the North East. During this time, Wood grew Grant Thornton’s team and reshaped the firm’s approach to ethics, while also enhancing the profile, market share, and client base of Grant Thornton’s North East office.
Speaking on the move, Wood noted, “This new role is a great opportunity for me to take the lessons I’ve learned leading our firm in Yorkshire and the North East for the best part of a decade, and applying it to fresh challenges alongside Grant Thornton’s hugely talented team in the Thames Valley and Southampton area. The team here has grown rapidly, which is a testament to their expertise and the confidence that local business leaders have in their ability to help them take their companies to the next level. I can’t wait to get stuck into my new role and help drive this forward to further build the business, its people, and capabilities, to ensure that it fulfil its incredible potential.”
Murton meanwhile joins Grant Thornton following more than 20 years at PwC. In her previous director role with the Big Four firm, she developed extensive expertise providing audit and assurance services, working with large companies in the complex capital market space. Also arriving as an audit partner, Murton is based in Southampton, and understands the regional market and has worked closely with many of the area’s capital market teams in preparations for exits, business restructurings and refinancings.
She added, “I’m really looking forward to working with Grant Thornton in the Thames Valley and Southampton region. This is a great opportunity to develop the business further, while building new internal and external networks as well as being a role model ‘part time working mummy’ to others. The whole team has already really impressed me with its supportive, inclusive culture and commitment to quality and progress. This positivity shines through the business and is reflected in its people and the confidence that clients have in the ability of Grant Thornton to deliver.”
Grant Thornton UK is a member firm of a global network that employs 58,000 people in 135 countries. In the UK, it is led by over 200 partners and employs over 5,000 experts. In the Consultancy.UK 2023 industry rankings, the firm received more than 40 commendations across its operational fronts.
