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Corporate Finance and Deal Advisory
We offer a dedicated team of experienced individuals with a focus on successfully executing transactions for corporates and financial institutions. We offer an integrated approach, with our corporate finance specialists working seamlessly with tax and other specialists to ensure that every angle is covered.
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Digital Risk
Grant Thornton offers solutions to the digital risk issues you are sure to face. Our skilled and experienced security team can helping by advising and consulting, giving you peace of mind, clear value for money and an enhanced ability to react to attacks.
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Technology Consulting
Motivating and assisting our clients to pursue, maintain and secure the benefits of digital solutions is at the core of our Digital Transformation teams' agenda and goals. We work with business leaders to deliver efficient digital strategies and operating models that provide new or enhanced capabilities.
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Economic Advisory
Our all-island Economics Advisory team combines expertise in economics and business with a wealth of experience across the public and private sectors.
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Forensic Accounting
We have a different way of doing business by delivering real insight through a combination of technical rigour, commercial experience and intuitive judgment. We take pride in delivering responsive and tailored solutions to all our clients, capitalising on the wealth of experience housed within our Belfast and wider Forensics team
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People and Change Consulting
The Grant Thornton People & Change Consulting practice works with clients on these issues as well as on all aspects of how they attract, retain, engage develop, deploy and lead their people.
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Restructuring
We work with a wide variety of clients and stakeholders such as high street banks, private equity funds, directors, government agencies and creditors to implement solutions which provide the best possible outcomes.
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Corporate and International Tax
Northern Ireland businesses face further challenges as they operate in the only part of the UK that has a land border with a country offering a lower tax rate.
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Employer Solutions
Our team specialises in remuneration and incentive planning and works closely with employers, shareholders and employees to ensure that business strategies are aligned and goals achieved in the most tax efficient, cost-effective manner.
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Entrepreneur and Private Client Taxes
Our team of experienced advisors are on hand to guide you through any decision or transaction ranging from the establishment of new business ventures, to realising value on exit, to succession planning and providing for loved ones.
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Global Mobility Services
Grant Thornton Ireland offer a different approach to managing global mobility. We have brought together specialists from our tax, global payroll, people and change and financial accounting teams across Ireland and Northern Ireland, while drawing on the knowledge and insights of our global network of over 143 offices of mobility professionals to provide you with a holistic approach to managing global mobility.
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Outsourced Payroll
Our outsourced service provides valued service to over 150 separate PAYE schemes. These ranging from 1 to 1000 employees, working for micro, SME and global employers. The service is supported by the integrated network of tax and global mobility teams and the wider Grant Thornton network delivering a seamless service. Experienced staff deliver a personal service built around your business needs.
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Tax Disputes and Investigations
Our Tax Disputes and Investigation team is made up of tax experts and former HMRC investigators who have years of experience in dealing with a variety of tax investigations. Our expertise and insight can guide you through all interactions, keeping your cost at a minimum while allowing you to continue with the day to day running of your business.
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VAT and Indirect Taxes
At Grant Thornton (NI) LLP, our team helps Northern Ireland businesses manage their UK and global indirect tax risks which, as transactional taxes, can quickly become big liabilities.
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A passion for sustainability is often the driver that attracts people to jobs in this field. However, for sustainability to be fully and successfully integrated into the day-to-day operations of any business, traditional skillsets may prove to be just as crucial. Let’s consider some of the qualities your team will need if you are to be a competitive player in the sustainability game.
Strong leadership
If the organisation is new to the sustainability arena, you will need strong leadership skills in place at the helm. These skills include understanding how to delegate tasks, empower others, maintain resilience, and communicate change within the team. As the climate crisis progresses, leaders will need to be able to think quickly, take perspective, and make decisions in the company and environment's best interests.
Knowledge of the business
The impacts, risks, and opportunities that sustainability presents for each business are unique. Understanding sustainability together with an intimate knowledge of your business operations, stakeholders and future strategic plans are critical to ensure successful integration of the sustainability agenda. A comprehensive understanding of the social issues prevalent in the company's industry is essential when discussing this issue.
Commercial mindset
Sustainable and business objectives were traditionally considered as separate. However, many businesses now find that sustainable practices can save money and attract new customers who are interested in supporting companies that contribute to the environmental and social good.
The subject of sustainability, perhaps more than other disciplines, tends to attract people who are driven by the need to be change makers. While enthusiasm is certainly needed, particularly on more challenging days, the ability to consider and incorporate commercial aspects into the wider conversation can prove more effective than passion alone.
Risk management
While sustainability may be a developing area of expertise in companies, risk management is not. The risk posed by either the transition, or failure to transition to a more sustainable economy, can and should be considered through existing risk management processes, enhancing existing skillsets and frameworks. Being familiar with the vocabulary and the approach taken can help with the incorporation of sustainability considerations.
External communications
Many of the sustainability regulations being introduced focus on disclosure of sustainability-related information to facilitate informed decision-making by stakeholders. It is important that the implications of these disclosures are understood in the wider context of any supervisory oversight. Consistency of investor messaging, and alignment with previous external disclosures, public commitments or marketing campaigns are other crucial factors for the effective management of external communications.
Stakeholder management
Perhaps the most fundamental skill required to develop and deliver a credible sustainability programme is the ability to get internal stakeholders on side. The ultimate goal of a sustainability function is that it should become ‘business as usual’, part of everyone’s day job. Until that point, support is required from all parts of the business from resources that are often already at capacity. The ability to tailor messaging to specific functions, outlining the drivers, risks and opportunities, together with executive support, is a critical skillset.
Change management
The impact of sustainability will ultimately be felt by all parts of the business, whether this is the implementation of a new strategy, regulation, process, or new responsibilities. Aside from sustainability, there is a significant change management element required to embed this level of change and support the culture within an organisation.
Resilience
While sustainability aims to deliver long-term resilience for people, planet and profit, a degree of personal resilience is required to chart the path. An emerging discipline in a fluid regulatory environment requires an organised, curious mind to digest the implications of developing best practice and frequent landmark publications, together with a support network to ensure the workload is shared.
Building a sustainable future together
While the above list may seem unrealistic, it is important to emphasise the ‘team’ nature of sustainability and the need to have support from across the organisation. Identifying a resource proficient in all of these areas is a significant challenge but securing resources with working knowledge of some or all of these areas, with the ability to upskill, is more achievable.
Members of this growing community often have diverse backgrounds and have taken unexpected paths to sustainability. Influenced by the material topics of a particular industry, those tasked with leading out on sustainability may have operations, HR, legal, compliance, financial or scientific backgrounds, or something completely different.
Few people start out with the intention of becoming a sustainability professional, but we now have a growing community forging a new path for their companies with an appetite for collaboration. Being a team player in the field of sustainability is an absolute must, especially given that we are all in the same boat and the water is rising.