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Our history

In 1924 (B.E. 2467), 26-year-old Alexander Grant founded Alexander Grant & Co. in Chicago, USA. Grant had been a senior accountant with Ernst & Ernst (now Ernst & Young). He chose to leave the comfort of an established company to pursue his plan for public accounting. Alexander Grant was committed to providing services to mid-sized companies, a commitment the firm still holds today.

An instinct for growth

As the most dynamic brand in the global accountancy market, we are constantly changing and growing alongside our clients.

When Grant died in 1938, he was just 40 years old. Despite this unexpected loss, Alexander Grant & Co. survived the change in leadership and continued to grow nationally under the guidance of several dynamic and innovative chief executive officers. The 1950s and early 1960s were a time of both explosive growth and centralization for the firm. The US national office in Chicago was established and net revenue exceeded 5 million USD in 1961.

During the mid-1960s, the firm's leadership decided it was the ideal time to expand internationally and in 1969, Alexander Grant & Co. joined with firms from Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom to establish the firm of Alexander Grant Tansley Witt. This organization operated successfully for 10 years.

Meanwhile in 1959 in the United Kingdom, two regional accounting firms, Thornton & Thornton of Oxford and Baker & Co. of Leicester and Northampton, merged to form Thornton Baker with both companies dating back more than 100 years. For the next 16 years, Thornton Baker attained more than 38 mergers, and as a result the firm was nicknamed "The Thundering Herd."

The current structure of Grant Thornton dates back to 1980 (B.E. 2523) when the company Alexander Grant in the US joined forces with the company Thornton Baker in the UK to become the founding members of a new worldwide accounting organisation to be called Grant Thornton International. On 1st May 1980 (B.E. 2523) the first agreement was signed by these two founder members and three other firms in Canada, the Netherlands and Mexico.

Grant Thornton International is today one of the world's leading organisations of independently owned and managed accounting and consulting firms. The member firms of GTI provide assurance, tax and specialist advisory services to privately held businesses and public interest entities. Clients of member and correspondent firms can access the knowledge and experience of more than 47,000 Grant Thornton people in over 130 countries and consistently receive a distinctive, high quality and personalised service wherever they choose to do business.

Grant Thornton International Ltd is a non-practising international umbrella membership organisation. As such it does not deliver services to clients in its own name. Grant Thornton International Ltd is not a worldwide partnership and member firms are independently owned and operated. To become members, firms must agree to common methodologies and quality control procedures and the policies of Grant Thornton International Ltd. These range from complying with local regulatory and professional standards, having quality risk management processes, and using a shared audit methodology and software.

The governance of Grant Thornton International Ltd is the responsibility of the Board of Governors. The Board consists of a Chairman and 16 members, all active senior partners from member firms around the world, as well as the Chief Executive Worldwide. The Board of Governors appoints the Chief Executive Worldwide and also sets the priorities of Grant Thornton International Ltd and its budget. As the highest decision making body within Grant Thornton International Ltd, the Board is required to approve both the criteria to be met by potential new member firms, as well as the expulsion of member firms.

Grant Thornton in Thailand

Grant Thornton Thailand is driven by a simple ambition: to be the only choice for dynamic businesses. We are the perfect partner for organisations that are ambitious and want to grow. We understand organisations that are going through change and that need our advice and support, because we too share the characteristics of ambition and dynamism.

Back to 1991 (B.E. 2534) where the firm was officially established and started its operation from the offices of AMT & Associates. AMT & Associates was at the time a correspondent firm of Grant Thornton International and was located in Silom Plaza on Silom Road.

In 1995, we moved the firm to its first own premises at Kamol Sukosol Building, Silom Road. Initially the office took up half the 14th floor, the other half being occupied by Tisco. When Tisco moved its operations, Grant Thornton took over its space and the firm now occupied 700 square meters.

The firm provided clients with corporate services, market entry and feasibility studies, legal, tax and audit services. Executive Recruitment became a new service some years later.

During the Asian financial crisis in 1997/98 the firm expanded into restructuring services and Ian Pascoe, our present Managing Partner, joined the firm in 1998 as head of Restructuring & Reorganisation. Ian became the Managing Partner in 2003, a position he still holds. Grant Thornton moved from Silom Road in 2001 and into the new prestigious All Seasons Place, 18th floor of Capital Tower.

Today Grant Thornton in Thailand enjoyed growth and success. We have over 250 professional staff providing services in advisory, assurance, executive recruitment, outsourcing and tax consulting, helping clients achieve their objectives in a broad range of industries. With our international reach, depth and expertise combined with the personal attention, added value and relationship-based approach of our distinctive firm, we are the leading service provider for growth-based organisations.

We discover what’s important to you and make it important to us. We are genuinely interested in our clients, their challenges, their growth ambitions and their commercial context. Instead of coming with ready-made answers. Our partners and teams invest the time to truly understand your business, giving real insight and a fresh perspective to keep you moving.