Accounting firm Grant Thornton plans to create 250 new jobs in Ireland over the next 18 months, mostly at a newly-established centre of excellence connected with compliance reporting.
This news comes as 430 jobs were announced in Ireland on Tuesday by drugs company MSD and outdoors retailer Regatta. MSD plans to create 330 jobs with Regatta set to add 100 roles here.
The Grant Thornton positions are permanent roles with a large number of them based in a new centre of excellence, which will provide a framework for the delivery of global compliance and reporting services, from its base in Ireland.
Organisations with financial reporting obligations in multiple jurisdictions will now be able to avail of international expertise delivered by Grant Thornton’s Dublin-based team, for example the preparation of bilingual local GAAP Financial Statements.
Tim Lohan, Grant Thornton's partner in financial accounting and advisory services, said the centre was established in response to client needs as organisations look to reduce risk across their compliance functions.
In-house expertise
“We have always had the capacity to meet the needs of companies working across many markets, but bringing this expertise in-house simplifies the process and guarantees a high level of consistency for our clients who will benefit from an end-to-end solution being delivered by our Dublin team,” he said.
Mr Lohan said the 250 new jobs would be mostly based in Dublin, where the firm is planning to move to a larger office in the docklands, with some roles to be added in the regions.
Grant Thornton currently employs about 1,200 staff on the island.
Mr Lohan said the new services would be aimed at foreign multinationals operating in Ireland and large domestic companies. Its clients range across a number of sectors, including technology and software and pharmaceutical.
The centre will comprise a team of multi-jurisdictional specialists, including accountants and industry experts experienced in the French, German, Swiss, Austrian, Spanish and Portuguese markets, as well as regions outside Europe.
Real growth
Grant Thornton’s national managing partner Paul McCann said the firm had seen “real growth” in recent years and it was “important that our team expands to meet our clients’ needs”.
Eoghan Murphy, the Minister of State for Financial Services, welcomed Grant Thornton's expansion.
“Their initiative creating 250 jobs is one that will benefit businesses at a time of strong growth for the Irish economy,” he said.
“The centre’s focus on the provision of specialist global compliance and reporting services is in keeping with the Government’s IFS 2020 Strategy aim to promote Ireland as a global centre for specialisation and innovation in financial services.”
