Grant Thornton International announces intent to sign new Poland member firm

Grant Thornton International is pleased to announce that it intends to appoint HLB Frackowiak i Wspolnicy as its new member firm in Poland.

Frackowiak i Wspolnicy has 12 partners and over 250 staff and is one of the fastest growing accounting firms in Poland. The firm has offices in six cities and is ranked 6th amongst audit companies in Poland, providing audits for nearly 15% of public companies. Arrangements for the firm to leave the HLB International network and join Grant Thornton International as a member firm are expected to be formalised within weeks.

David McDonnell, chief executive officer, Grant Thornton International, explained: "I am delighted to welcome such a significant Polish practice. Their experience of listed work on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, the strong tax practice and their outsourcing and business advisory credentials are an excellent match against our global strategy of actively building our business in commercially important markets."

Tomasz Wroblewski, chief executive officer, Frackowiak i Wspolnicy, added: " More and more of our Polish clients run international businesses and the activity of foreign investors within Poland is also growing. We believe that we can meet the requirements and needs of these companies by combining our established local expertise with the benefits of being part of a strong and cohesive global organisation. This combination of local expertise and global capability will help us to deliver outstanding service to our clients."

Grant Thornton has had a presence in Poland since 1993. The previous Grant Thornton International member firm left the organisation recently and is no longer trading under Grant Thornton Poland.

Grant Thornton International is one of the world’s leading organisations of independently owned and managed accounting and consulting firms. These firms provide assurance, tax and specialist advisory services to privately held businesses and public interest entities. Clients of member and correspondent firms can access the knowledge and experience of more than 2400 partners in over 100 countries and consistently receive a distinctive, high quality and personalised service wherever they choose to do business. Grant Thornton International strives to speak out on issues that matter to business and which are in the wider public interest and to be a bold and positive leader in its chosen markets and within the global accounting profession.

- ends -

Notes to editors
Grant Thornton International is one of the world’s leading organisations of independently owned and managed accounting and consulting firms. These firms provide assurance, tax and specialist business advice to privately held businesses and public interest entities. Services are delivered independently by the member and correspondent firms within Grant Thornton International, a non-practicing, international umbrella entity organised as a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. Grant Thornton International does not deliver services in its own name or otherwise. Grant Thornton International and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership.

Each member and correspondent firm within Grant Thornton International is a separate national firm. These firms are not members of one international partnership or otherwise legal partners with each other (with the exception of certain limited instances), nor is any one firm responsible for the services or activities of any other. Each firm governs itself and handles its administrative matters on a local basis. Although many of the member firms carry the Grant Thornton name, either exclusively or in their national practice names, there is no common ownership among the firms (with the exception of certain limited instances) or by Grant Thornton International.

Any and all references to Grant Thornton International are to Grant Thornton International Ltd.

About Frackowiak I Wspolnicy
Frackowiak i Wspólnicy was established in 1993. The firm’s services cover 4 main areas: audit, accounting outsourcing, tax advisory and business advisory. With total revenues of about 10m€ and a growth rate of 35% last year, it employs over 250 people. According to Rzeczpospolita daily, Frackowiak i Wspólnicy is ranked 6th place amongst the biggest audit companies in Poland. The firm is also ranked second as an IPO auditor and as an auditor of Polish listed companies.