Grant Thornton invests in Manchester with five new partners since July
Leading business and financial advisor Grant Thornton UK today announces the appointment of two partners in Manchester, taking the total to five partner appointments in the city in just three months. Richard Stark joins as Corporate Finance Advisory Partner and Kate Finn as Private Capital Audit Partner.
Stark spent 20 years at KPMG, the last 16 in corporate finance advisory. He led its North West team and advised on sales of businesses to trade buyers and private equity investors. He joins Grant Thornton to build out the firm’s merger and acquisitions (M&A) capability in Manchester and nationally.
Finn has more than 20 years’ experience with PwC, leading external audits for listed, private, private equity-backed and international clients. She has worked with businesses across a variety of sectors, including aerospace and defence, retail and consumer, manufacturing, construction and travel. Her appointment adds depth to an already strong North West audit partner group and strengthens how the firm looks to support ambitious clients across the region.
These are the latest in a series of five partner appointments for the firm’s Manchester practice, two of which were internal promotions. Zeenat Patel, an Audit Partner, was promoted in July. She joined the firm as an Associate in 2016 and leads a portfolio spanning retail, technology, business services, healthcare, manufacturing and professional services. Steph Baker, promoted in August, leads the firm's national asset-based lending practice. Sam Mills, appointed in September, joined the Turnaround & Restructuring team with close to 20 years' experience advising businesses facing financial stress.
Commenting on his appointment, Richard said:
"What attracted me most was the scale of ambition and opportunity. The potential to further grow our North West market presence is clear, and we have the expertise, breadth and established, trusted reputation to deliver on that. It means we can combine a partner-led, client centric approach, with deep sector-specific content and multi-disciplinary input. I can already feel how energised everyone in the business is in creating value for the firm and opportunities for themselves and their teams."
Kate added:
"It’s an incredibly exciting time to join Grant Thornton. The North West partner group is a fantastic team to be part of, and I'm looking forward to working with them to support the firm's growth ambitions. The region's private capital market is dynamic and full of ambitious businesses, and we are well placed to support them with our breadth of knowledge and experience.”
Pete Terry, North West Practice Lead at Grant Thornton UK, concluded:
"Manchester has real energy and many of our clients are thriving. We're growing our partnership to meet this demand and are putting the new expertise where clients need it most.
“Zeenat and Steph came through our own ranks, and we're committed to growing and nurturing our own talent to progress to senior levels. Richard, Kate and Sam show we're also investing externally in the right people who can add value to our clients and our firm."
Grant Thornton UK's North West practice has more than 500 professionals across its Manchester and Liverpool offices, with the region remaining a priority growth market for the firm.