Grant Thornton hires corporate finance partner for Nottingham office

The East Midlands team of business and finance advisor Grant Thornton UK has hired corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions professional John Bryant as a partner.

The former head of BDO UK’s East Midlands corporate finance team, Bryant will lead Grant Thornton’s new office in Nottingham city centre, which opened on 1 July, adding to its existing East Midlands office based in Leicester.

Based in Nottingham, but working across the region, Bryant will focus on driving the firm’s growth strategy for its East Midlands corporate finance activities.

As partner, he joins its leadership team, working alongside Tom Copson, Mark Pashley, Paul Kithoray and leader of the Leicester practice, Chris Frostwick.

With a focus on providing mergers and acquisition advice to the region’s corporate businesses and professional advisors in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire, Bryant brings over 18 years’ experience and a unique skill set from specialist mid-market corporate finance work, business strategy and development, and banking and debt advisory work, in the accountancy and banking sectors.

Bryant is one of the region’s most active and well known advisors, with a reputation for assisting clients with growth, funding, shareholder and capital realisation strategies, and a strong knowledge of the regional corporate and business markets.

With over 100 transactions across sectors including manufacturing, technology, consumer goods and food and drink, Bryant’s specialisms include private equity, corporate disposals and acquisitions, MBOs, fundraising, development capital and shareholder value strategies.

He joins Grant Thornton after five years at BDO UK East Midlands where he was a key member of its global mergers and acquisitions team, and built and established the firm’s East Midlands M&A team.

Bryant previously spent nine years at Cooper Parry where he was part of the corporate finance team, prior to which he specialised in acquisition finance at NatWest/RBS for eight years. He completed an MBA in 2003.

Bryant says: “The East Midlands is an important regional operation for Grant Thornton. Its investment in the region continues with the opening of the new Nottingham city centre office. By utilising the firm’s regional and local market knowledge, business and financial advisory skills and expertise, from both Nottingham and the established Leicester city office, we will provide high quality advisory and compliance services to ambitious, dynamic businesses throughout the East Midlands.

“This is a significant and exciting time to join Grant Thornton, to help drive its growth ambitions across the East Midlands and its re-engagement with the region’s thriving corporate sector. We are focussed on becoming the leading provider of transaction activity to mid-market equity providers across the East Midlands.

“Our plans include growing the corporate finance and transaction advisory services teams, and to specifically build-on our local sector expertise in private equity companies. The Nottingham and Leicester offices together give us a strong regional presence, and importantly being in Nottingham city centre places us right at the heart of the East Midlands’ professional services sector.”

Darren Bear, business unit leader of Grant Thornton’s central region, added: “John is a leading figure in the East Midlands’ corporate finance sector, and a significant addition to the East Midlands team. His regional knowledge and experience make him an excellent lead for our new Nottingham office, and to drive our growth in corporate finance and M&A work.”