Grant Thornton UK is set to invest £500m ($671m) over several years in a programme aimed at reshaping how the audit, tax and advisory practice operates and delivers services to clients.
The company said the spending will be phased, with new digital tools and platforms scheduled to go live “within weeks and months rather than years”.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Access deeper industry intelligence
Experience unmatched clarity with a single platform that combines unique data, AI, and human expertise.
The company said that the new operating model will be built around how clients make decisions, rather than how professional services operators have traditionally organised themselves.
The changes are intended to reduce friction and duplication, and provide faster access to insight, judgement and specialist advisers.
Grant Thornton UK CEO Malcolm Gomersall said: “There is a hard truth our profession has to face.
“Professional services has become too slow, too complex and too inward-looking for the pace of modern business. It has prioritised process, not decision-making. This investment is about taking responsibility for fixing that. We are looking at things differently.”
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe company will work with technology partners and its investor Cinven to roll out connected digital platforms designed to bring information together in one place and automate manual tasks.
Grant Thornton said clients will notice changes through real-time updates on simpler systems, easier access to information and round-the-clock problem-solving, alongside more face-to-face time with advisers.
The practice also aims to build what it describes as an advanced and wide-ranging intelligence engine to support earlier and more confident decision-making.
Gomersall added: “Digital technology can add layers of complexity to businesses – but it can also make life simpler, smarter and more human. This investment is Grant Thornton’s commitment to that future, and to a better way of working for clients and advisors alike.”
