Grant Thornton Australia to join international advisory platform

Grant Thornton Australia has finalised a transaction to become part of the Grant Thornton Advisors multinational platform.

The integration connects the Australian business with nearly 20 aligned practices across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.

The transaction adds six offices and 1,500 personnel to the platform’s Asia-Pacific operations, augmenting an existing 300-person workforce at Grant Thornton New Zealand.

Grant Thornton Advisors CEO and leader of its multinational platform Jim Peko said: “This transaction opens a new door for our platform’s growth – bringing us the leadership, talent and quality we need to further expand our singular model within the Asia-Pacific region.

“This is about building capabilities at scale across worldwide markets so we can move and grow with clients, while investing in the best technologies and creating even more opportunities for our people.”

The agreement with the Australian practice was originally signed in April.

It follows a separate transaction announced in July, in which Grant Thornton Advisors entered into a definitive agreement to purchase US-based company CBIZ.

Upon completion of the CBIZ acquisition, the multinational platform is projected to span more than two dozen countries and territories, with a total workforce exceeding 35,000 professionals.

Grant Thornton Australia CEO Said Jahani will continue to lead the domestic practice while taking on the newly established position of Asia-Pacific CEO within the platform.

Jahani’s appointment takes effect immediately and he will report directly to Peko.

In this role, he will direct cross-border expansion, improve service delivery, and manage operational quality, technology implementation and client relations across the Asia-Pacific territory.

Jahani said: “The Asia-Pacific region is one of the most dynamic growth markets in the world, and we are building a platform with the talent, technology and connectivity the region needs.

“I am proud to be helping create new opportunities for our clients and our people. Together, we will move faster, operate more confidently and succeed across borders.”