Franki Hackett

I lead GT Labs, driving advanced research that expands the capabilities and quality we can offer our clients. I also work alongside the Head of Digital Audit to build the vision for the future of our audit offering.]

The two roles sit naturally together: one is about exploring the horizon of what’s possible across our firm, and the other is about deciding what version of the future we’re building for audit.

In the GT Labs I lead teams performing advanced research on AI, ML, mathematics, and technology across all our service lines. Much of our time is spent testing out ideas which may not make it into reality; but when we’re successful it’s game changing. We increase the firm’s capabilities by providing dedicated advanced research support for individual client engagements. In my role within Audit specifically, I work with the Head of Digital Audit to define our strategic direction, understanding and aligning the power of our technology to where we’re headed as a firm and profession. I bring depth in both accounting and AI, which means I can challenge conventional approaches with confidence, pushing toward methods that surface the unexpected, rather than confirming what we already expect to find. 

Prior to joining the firm, I was at Engine B building some of the first agentic AI tools for audit, where I was both the audit subject matter expert and a strategic product lead. I previously led the data analytics research team at the National Audit Office, where the focus was on whether public accountability could be delivered at scale. The roles gave me a grounding in both commercial audit innovation and rigorous public accountability. I bring that background with me to my work at Grant Thornton, alongside my roles chairing the ICAEW Data Analytics Community Group and serving on the ICAEW Ethics Advisory Committee. Those two responsibilities reflect something I feel strongly about. As AI expands across the accounting profession, the technical and ethical questions are inseparable, and the profession needs people who can hold both.

I’m as much of a nerd outside work as inside it, so I like to spend time on my personal machine building apps and agents using my LLMs of choice to try and automate as much of the family admin as I can. This is also partly how I stay in touch with what the tools can and can’t do in a way you can’t fully ‘get’ from reading about other people’s experiences. I try to take one multi-day solo walk every year; recently I’ve been walking down British rivers. Being outside allows me time for deep thinking that enables me to come back to work on a different wavelength. I always enjoy a few weekends away camping with our kids each year too.