Simon Christian

I am a partner in Grant Thornton’s Public Services Consulting practice, with over eighteen years’ experience working across local government and the wider public sector. I specialise in supporting organisations through complex, high‑stakes transformation, combining deep operational insight with senior programme leadership.

I began my career spending a decade working within a local authority, developing first‑hand experience of political leadership, financial constraint and the realities of delivering services under pressure. That grounding continues to shape my approach, ensuring my advice is rooted in what is practically deliverable in live public service environments.

Since joining Grant Thornton eight years ago, I have led many of the firm’s most significant public sector transformation and reform programmes. I advise on the design and delivery of large, multi‑year programmes of substantial financial and organisational value, typically ranging from £10m to over £100m, covering major transformation, operating model redesign, reorganisation, and place‑based reform.

A significant strand of my work focuses on organisation design and the workforce issues that sit at the heart of public sector reform. This includes leading on some of the most complex and high-profile workforce challenges in local government, including equal pay. I’ve played a leading role in resolving some of the sector's most significant equal pay challenges, helping the councils move from entrenched exposure to a sustainable resolution. 
 
I help public services redesign their operating models, structures and ways of working so that they are aligned to strategy, financially sustainable, and capable of delivering better outcomes for communities.