Governance, transparency and accountability
There continues to be a spotlight on trust and integrity within the professional services industry. From our perspective, these have always been critical considerations. Accounting and audit firms rely heavily on public confidence in their work, and we are conscious of the need to continually reinforce professional integrity with our people and promote a culture of honesty and accountability.
We lead on governance and transparency, having become a publicly unlisted entity in 2008 to maintain the highest professional standards. As an unlisted public company, we are independently audited and legally bound by the Corporations Act, and our transparency reports and audited financial statements are publicly available. Our Board includes an Independent Chairperson and external Non-Executive Directors.
As part of our focus on accountability, we have continued our ‘Speak Up’ program, supported by tailored training from a well regarded external provider to help our people learn and be empowered. This program encourages people to speak up, whether that be to celebrate success, voice concerns, raise issues, and make reports regarding improper conduct or behaviour that is otherwise inconsistent with our firm’s values.
In Australia’s current consulting landscape, firms are swiftly embracing the transformative potential of AI and automation, particularly to create process efficiencies within audit, ESG and sustainability reporting. As a firm we are extremely conscious of the need to continue to innovate and embrace change to improve the efficiency and quality of our services to clients, whilst having strong governance and guardrails around the development and use of new technologies.
AI and technology is transforming the audit profession
The adoption of AI and technology is fundamentally changing the audit process and the way auditors approach their work. The creation of new tools is moving quickly and auditors can now perform deeper, more complex analyses and automate repetitive tasks, leading to greater efficiency and accuracy. Along with the significant benefits to our people and our clients come significant risks if the development and implementation of new tools and technologies is not done within a strong governance and quality framework.
Grant Thornton is committed to developing and implementing cutting edge technology and AI into our audit approach, with a focus on strong governance and quality.
We see the future of audit as a blend of technology driven efficiencies and human insight, as human judgment and a nuanced understanding of client needs remains essential. Like all professions, auditors must be ready to rapidly embrace technological change and continuously upskill at all levels.
ESG and the expanding role of the auditor
During 2025 we saw continued developments in the climate reporting landscape, with new guidance from our regulators, amended Treasury Laws and the release of standards for sustainability assurance engagements from the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board.
As the role and expectations of the auditor continues to expand, we have continued to invest in specialist ESG and sustainability capability, through the development of specialist teams, targeted training and recruitment of people with the skills required to produce high quality work and support our clients in meeting their obligations.
A focus on the wellbeing of our people
We see that our purpose as an organisation is to shape better futures. This includes igniting the potential within our people and clients and positively shaping the communities around us.
In 2025 we completed the implementation of a world-class Human Capital Management System to support our people's career development and to improve our ability to match our people's skills with our client's needs.
Grant Thornton is proud of our market-leading people benefits, promoting the importance of mental health and work-life balance. Alongside our 9-day fortnight initiative, hybrid working environment, and dedicated Gender, LGBTQIA+, and Cultural and Racial Diversity Pillars, Grant Thornton again achieved industry-leading results in the 2025 Workplace Gender Equality Agency gender pay gap reporting. Grant Thornton’s average total remuneration gender pay gap in 2025 was -2.4 per cent, meaning at a firm level, average pay for women was higher than average pay for men in the last WGEA reporting period (2023-2024). An optimal gender pay gap is one that is as close to zero as possible. Grant Thornton is committed to eliminating any gender pay gap, ensuring equitable compensation regardless of gender.
We believe that our focus on purpose and a culture of care for our people, our clients and the communities around us is what will continue to drive innovation, loyalty and long-term success for our firm.
Click on the following links to view Transparency Reports from previous years:
ASIC Audit inspection reports
