-
Business Risk Services
Our Business Risk Services team deliver practical and pragmatic solutions that support clients in growing and protecting the inherent value of their businesses.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
While there are many aspects to diversity, the area currently in most focus is the representation of women in senior management. The latest research findings suggest that a more diverse leadership team means better leadership, resulting in a better run business and ultimately a more profitable bottom line.
It is now understood that women bring a different perspective to the boardroom than their male counterparts. They ask more questions, are more assertive as well as being empathetic and flexible. Female directors tend to be less willing to make decisions without understanding all the different points of view held, so generally everyone feels valued and supported at the end of that decision making process whatever the outcome.
The question facing many established businesses is how they can encourage diversity given their operating structures and culture have developed and become engrained over time.
The first step many businesses are taking to achieve a more diverse leadership team overall, is to look at the representation of women within it. Given that only 25% of senior leadership roles are currently held by women globally the issue is clear. One global professional services firm has looked at its ratio of male to female recruits and then tracked this through the different management levels. This indicated that both sexes were equally represented through the recruitment process and promotion to junior management roles but the representation of women starts to fall away at the middle management grade.
To address this imbalance many firms are now focussed on how to retain women in their businesses through the period when traditionally those women may have focused on their family. Many firms now actively encourage part time and flexible working and are happy to use the improving IT infrastructure to support women to work from home for at least part of the week. There is a clear view among those firms that the value a diverse senior management team will outweigh any required investment.
Running alongside the issue of diversity is the issue of equal pay. Whilst recent disclosures of disparity in the broadcasting industry have made headlines, it is not just public sector or public interest bodies which need to publish this information. The Gender Pay Gap Regulations became effective in April 2017 and require all employers in England, Scotland and Wales with more than 250 employees to publish this information on an annual basis. Whilst not currently in force in Northern Ireland it can only be a matter of time before this legislation is enacted here.
It is clear that it is in businesses’ best interests to recruit, retain and develop the best female talent. To do so in the future businesses will need to demonstrate that their female staff are both fairly represented throughout the organisation, and fairly rewarded compared to their male counterparts. As Sheryl Sandberg stated ‘we cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware we cannot help but change.’
