Press Release
Grant Thornton and Raise the Bar join forces to deliver a new ‘Leadership Academy’
29 Oct 2025
- Partnership combines award-winning learning expertise with commercial insight to drive transformation at scale
Leading financial and business adviser Grant Thornton UK has today announced a partnership with Raise the Bar, the award-winning training provider, to launch a new Leadership Academy. The Academy will support organisations in maximising Growth and Skills Levy benefits while developing future leadership capabilities.
The programme brings together Raise the Bar’s award-winning learning and development expertise with Grant Thornton’s commercial insight and strategic perspective.
United by a shared vision to inspire, motivate and develop individuals and teams, the partnership blends world-class speakers, cutting-edge leadership insights, and impactful development programmes.
This collaboration reflects Grant Thornton’s longstanding commitment to developing talent.
From an internal perspective, the firm has supported thousands of people into meaningful careers through its apprenticeship and trainee programmes. This ethos has extended to supporting clients, with our co-delivered training supporting the delivery of over 10,000 apprenticeships. The Leadership Academy will build upon this work, further enabling clients to invest in their people and build leadership capability for the future.
Raise the Bar, recognised as one of the UK’s leading learning and development organisations, brings deep expertise and a proven track record of delivering innovative programmes for a global client base.
The Academy includes a range of programmes, each designed to address the most pressing priorities for modern leaders. Participants will explore areas such as inclusive leadership, strategic decision-making, change management, and operational excellence.
The curriculum also integrates emerging themes like sustainability and Net Zero, equipping leaders to navigate complex challenges and deliver transformation at scale amidst the modern business landscape.
The Academy consists of six programmes:
- Women in Leadership programme for female leaders (Level 5)
- Women in Leadership programme for female managers (Level 3)
- Excelling in team leadership (Level 3)
- Excelling in Operational Management (Level 5)
- Leadership Catalyst (Level 6)
- Future Ready graduate programme (Level 3)
Participants will gain exclusive access to global thought leaders, providing inspiration and practical insights to drive meaningful change and deliver lasting impact across their organisations.
Ruth Walsh, Partner at Grant Thornton UK, said:
“The Leadership Academy is about helping organisations unlock the full potential of their workforce. By combining our commercial insight with award-winning development expertise, we’re enabling clients to build future-ready leaders while delivering measurable impact for their business. I'm very much looking forward to working with clients and helping them unlock the unique opportunities that the Apprenticeship Levy holds.”
Steve Smith, Founding Director at Raise the Bar, added:
“At Raise the Bar, we’ve always believed that leadership has the power to transform people and organisations and this partnership with Grant Thornton brings together two teams who share that belief. The Leadership Academy will help leaders grow in confidence, think differently and make a positive, lasting impact where it matters most, with their people.”
