Grant Thornton unveils plan to accelerate growth in UK market
Six months after completing a landmark private equity deal with Cinven, Grant Thornton’s UK leadership team have unveiled some of a set of growth plans. Among them is a target to welcome more than 100 new partners by 2028.
Malcolm Gomersall, CEO of Grant Thornton UK, said, “2025 has been a transformative year for our firm, as we reimagined what the multi-disciplinary professional services partnership of the future should look like – combining equity ownership with external investment from Cinven to unlock unprecedented competitiveness. We have an exceptionally ambitious growth plan and we know our strong brand, unique operating model and industry-leading quality will continue to drive our momentum over the years to come.
At a time of consolidation for the consulting industry, many firms are looking to ride out lean times in the sector with deals that bring their member firms closer together. But, notably, Grant Thornton’s UK arm did not join the global platform named Grant Thornton Advisors – instead going for its own private equity backing, in similar fashion to its German business.
Now, the UK entity hopes to set “a new benchmark for ambition in the professional services market”, with its plans to put that funding to good use. In the coming two years, this will see Grant Thornton recruit 160 new partners, in a bid to “redefine the competitive landscape and reshape the future of its business”.
Gomersall added, “Our industry is changing at an unprecedented speed and the evolution of our business model puts us in prime position to capitalise on these dynamics. Joining our partnership means joining something genuinely unique and special, so we’re excited to share this opportunity with many more people whose values and ambitions are aligned with ours.”
With 280 partners today and 40 partner appointments already made this year, the firm is accelerating recruitment through a combination of internal promotions and targeted external hiring. To attract fresh talent across audit, tax and advisory, the firm is partnering with leading executive search firms Korn Ferry and Wilton & Bain, while working with an advisory firm to strengthen its partner selection process and embed data-driven performance insights.
The firm has also introduced market-leading reward schemes such as its Employee Benefit Trust and exceptional bonus earlier this year. The new partner model breaks with tradition in the sector, offering a balance of in-year and long-term incentive reward. Typically, the firm says this unlocks partner reward with “a 50% premium to market rate, which is then backed up by new, tailored onboarding and development programmes”.
