Grant Thornton appoints new Thames Valley Practice Leader

Grant Thornton UK LLP has named Norman Armstrong as its new Thames Valley and Southampton Practice Leader.

He will take over from Jim Rodgers, who will retain ownership of local market focused activities in the Thames Valley and Southampton.

Norman has more than 25 years’ experience as an audit partner for Grant Thornton, which has seen him supporting a variety of business types in a range of sectors across the South East.

His other responsibilities with the firm include being on the Partner Governance Board, national leadership of the firm’s focus on audit and assurance services for private equity backed clients, and leading the audit team of over 170 people across the Thames Valley and Southampton. 

Norman’s new role will see him responsible for coordinating more than 300 people in Grant Thornton’s regional teams across the firm’s Reading, Southampton and Oxford offices.

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He said: “Being a people driven business, we’re exceptionally proud of the high quality, multidisciplinary team that has been built up across the Thames Valley and Southampton area, which has proven time and time again that it is ideally suited to helping the region’s businesses achieve their goals. 

“We have invested in new locations in Reading and Oxford this year and are ambitious about further developing our teams across our offices. I’m looking forward to hitting some impressive growth milestones over the next year! The strong and supportive culture at Grant Thornton is an important factor of our success. This is exemplified by our three modern offices which are designed to facilitate agile and hybrid working practises that best suit the needs of our team members. 

“While there are many pressures facing businesses today, ranging from inflation, the cost-of-living crisis, supply chain issues and more, the dynamic nature of the Thames Valley and Southampton market means there are a lot of interesting, creative and entrepreneurial activities going on.

“Tech and ESG focused firms are particularly in the spotlight, but we’re seeing growth and demand across a variety of sectors. This breadth of opportunities and support requirements means it’s an exciting area to work in and thanks to the wealth of disciplines within our team we can support them with whatever advice, guidance or information they require.”

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