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Professional services firm Grant Thornton UK has appointed two directors, Ed Hammond and Camilla de Bernhard, to strengthen its public sector Assurance team.
With significant experience advising organisations on governance, value for money, and risk management within local government, both bring a strong ability to enhance culture and leadership opportunities for better decision making.
Hammond spent more than 17 years at the Centre of Governance and Scrutiny and was appointed deputy chief executive in 2021, while de Bernhard held the position of director of practice and was previously a governance consultant at the Centre.
The appointments come as councils across the UK face inflation in statutory services and operational costs. While local authorities in England navigate the introduction of the Local Government Reorganisation programme, presenting challenges with structural changes.
Joanne Brown, public sector assurance partner at Grant Thornton UK, said: “I am pleased to welcome Ed and Camilla into our team. They bring with them exceptional, unrivalled experience and deep public sector knowledge and they will play a key part in supporting our growth in wider assurance services to the public sector and building on our extensive audit and consulting experience.
She added: “There are currently unprecedented challenges and opportunities facing the public sector, particularly within local government. Ed and Camilla’s understanding of local government policy, strategy and scrutiny is second to none and they will play key roles supporting our clients on all aspects of their reform and devolution agendas.”
Grant Thornton continues to invest in senior talent, appointing 26 new equity partners in the Q1 2026, continuing the firm’s plan to welcome 160 new partners over the next two years, strengthening its commitment to deliver its long-term growth strategy.
