Grant Thornton UK Partners Share £35m Windfall Following Private Equity Deal
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Equity partners at Grant Thornton’s UK arm received a £35.2 million payout following the acquisition of a significant stake in the accounting giant by private equity firm Cinven.
According to recent Companies House filings, the substantial lump-sum distribution was allocated to select equity partners across the business. The financial accounts also confirm that the Cinven deal led Grant Thornton to structurally divide its operations, separating its audit division from its advisory and tax services.
Originally announced in November 2024 and completed in early 2025, the transaction made Grant Thornton the largest professional services firm in the UK to secure external equity backing, though the financial terms of the deal were kept confidential.
The payout provided a significant boost to the firm’s leadership team. Grant Thornton maintains a pool of approximately 208 equity partners in the UK. The £35.2 million windfall translates to an average payout of roughly £160,000 per partner—effectively boosting their annual earnings by 23%. This comes on top of the firm’s standard profit per equity partner (PEP), which reached £682,000 in 2024 ahead of the deal’s finalization.
In its latest financial performance report released in May, Grant Thornton posted a combined annual revenue of £787 million, marking a 4% year-on-year increase. Speaking on the firm’s strategic outlook, Abigail Fisher, Chief People Officer at Grant Thornton, previously stated that the firm aims to position itself among the “best payers in the market.”
Source: Originally reported by City A.M.