The Private Client team at the Leicester office of leading financial and business adviser Grant Thornton UK LLP has been strengthened with the new senior appointment of landed estate expert Paul Harris in the region.
Paul Harris joins the firm as a Private Client director to work alongside the existing team led by Ian Johnson and Kari Mellon, and will focus on building on the firm’s offering across the East Midlands providing specialist support to the Private Client team in Leicester, as well as the firm’s East Anglia offices.
With more than 20 years’ experience with other leading national firms, Paul specialises in landed estates, family wealth preservation, trusts, non-domiciliaries and advising professional partnerships. He also works with entrepreneurs.
Grant Thornton’s Leicester office is one of just three key UK locations selected by the firm to provide a specialist Trust service delivered by its Private Client team. Furthermore, the firm’s city centre location on Regent Road has seen headcount grow to 122 staff, an increase of 25 percent in the last twelve months.
Commenting on Paul’s appointment, Kari Mellon, Senior Manager in the Private Client team in Leicester, said: “The addition of Paul’s extensive expertise, in particular his knowledge and experience of the landed estate sector, represents a significant strengthening of the specialist service we continue to provide all private clients. This is a major boost to the Leicester team, and for the East Midlands region as a whole.”
Of his appointment, Paul Harris, who is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Accountants in England and Wales and a chartered tax adviser, said: “Grant Thornton’s Private Client team is the strongest in the region, not just in size but also by capability in that it offers a specialist hub of expertise to help clients protect and maximise personal and family wealth in all its guises.
“I am delighted to join this fantastic, client-focussed team in a firm which has an outstanding reputation, and look forward to helping further grow the business over the coming months.”
Leicester Private Client tax partner Ian Johnson added: “As part of Grant Thornton’s overall growth strategy, both across the region and nationally, we are investing in our Private Client team and Paul’s appointment represents a key part of this. The team has gained an excellent reputation based on the strong personal relationships built with clients and with Paul now on board, we are sure this will strengthen further.”
Grant Thornton’s Leicester office has approximately 120 staff providing business and financial advice across Corporate and Personal Tax, audit and assurance, employer solutions, corporate finance, and sustainability, to organisations across the East Midlands.
