Grant Thornton strengthens UK leadership with 100 senior appointments over 2025

Looking back on a busy year, Grant Thornton has promoted more than 100 new partners in the UK throughout 2025. The shift has come as new backing from the private equity sector has enabled a significant investment in its people. 

2025 was a historic year for Grant Thornton in the UK. Its local member firm opted – rather than consolidating into the network – to forge ahead with the support of private equity firm Cinven. Taking on external investment for the first time, the firm has since worked to unlock unprecedented growth.   

Grant Thornton significantly scaled its investment in talent and technology, including data and digital mindset training, and introduced industry-leading reward schemes such as its Employee Benefit Trust and exceptional bonus.  

Most recently, this saw it appoint 20 new directors and partners in the fourth quarter of the year. Reinforcing the firm’s commitment to investing in talent as part of its ambitious growth strategy, more than 85% of these appointments were internal promotions. Among the external appointments, the firm announced Chris Stefani as its new chief financial officer. 

The firm also introduced an industry-leading partner model that redefines its reward strategy. The new approach combines annual incentives with long-term growth rewards, delivering a compelling package that offers a 50% premium over market benchmarks.  

At the same time, the firm is determined to keep this momentum going into 2026. It announced an ambitious plan in the autumn, aiming to recruit 160 new partners over the next two years. This will be supported by tailored onboarding and development programmes designed to accelerate success and foster leadership excellence.

Malcolm Gomersall, CEO at Grant Thornton, commented, "Expanding our senior team with these exceptional appointments is a clear signal of our ambition and confidence in the future. Our focus on promoting talent from within whilst also attracting outstanding leaders to join our firm reflects the strength of our culture, and the appeal of our unique partnership model. These appointments will play a pivotal role in delivering on our growth strategy and ensuring we continue to lead the market with quality, innovation and client impact.”