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Aviation Advisory
Our dedicated Aviation Advisory team bring best-in-class expertise across modelling, lease management, financial accounting and transaction execution as well as technical services completed by certified engineers.
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Consulting
Our Consulting team guarantees quick turnarounds, lower partner-to-staff ratio than most and superior results delivered on a range of services.
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Business Risk Services
Our Business Risk Services team deliver practical and pragmatic solutions that support clients in growing and protecting the inherent value of their businesses.
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Deal Advisory
Our experienced Deal Advisory team has provided a range of transaction, valuation, deal advisory and restructuring services to clients for the past two decades.
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Forensic Accounting
Our Forensic and Investigation Services team have targeted solutions to solve difficult challenges - making the difference between finding the truth or being left in the dark.
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Financial Accounting and Advisory
Our FAAS team designs and implements creative solutions for organisations expanding into new markets or undertaking functional financial transformations.
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Restructuring
Grant Thornton is Ireland’s leading provider of insolvency and corporate recovery solutions.
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Risk Advisory
Our Risk Advisory team delivers innovative solutions and strategic insights for the Financial Services sector, addressing disruptive forces, regulatory changes, and emerging trends to enhance risk management and foster competitive advantage.
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Sustainability Advisory
Our Sustainability Advisory team works with clients to accelerate their sustainability journey through innovative and pragmatic solutions.
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Corporate Accounting and Outsourcing
At Grant Thornton we have extensive knowledge and experience in providing tailored solutions to our clients, whether on a short-term or long-term basis.
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Financial Services Audit
Our Financial Services Audit team offers expertise and knowledge along with a horizontal approach to solving clients’ problems and queries.
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Global Statutory Audit
Our Global Statutory Audit team ensures your statutory audit process follows a well-defined project plan, with no surprises, to maintain compliance across multiple jurisdictions. We invest time to understand your finance function and develop bespoke solutions built on the premise of central effort to remove duplication.
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Pension Audit
The Grant Thornton Pension Audit team has vast experience in managing schemes and preparing annual reports on them for clients.
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Corporate Tax
Our Corporate Tax team is made up of more than 40 highly experienced senior partners and directors who work directly with a wide range of domestic and international clients; covering Corporation Tax, Company Secretarial, Employer Solutions, Global Mobility and Tax Incentives.
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Financial Services Tax
The Grant Thornton team is made up of experts who are fully up to date in terms of changing and evolving tax legislation. This is combined with industry expertise and an in-depth knowledge of the evolving financial services regulatory landscape.
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Indirect Tax Advisory & Compliance
Grant Thornton’s team of indirect tax specialists helps a range of clients across a variety of sectors including pharmaceuticals, financial services, construction and property and food to navigate these complexities.
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International Tax
We develop close relationships with clients in order to gain a deep understanding of their businesses to ensure they make the right operational decisions. The wrong decision on how a company sells into a new market or establishes a new subsidiary can have major tax implications.
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Private Client
Grant Thornton’s Private Client Services team can advise you on all areas of financial, pension, investment, succession and inheritance planning. We understand that each individual’s circumstances are different to the next and we tailor our services to suit your specific needs.
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Following completion of the recruitment process and the firm’s own due diligence, an application for a PCF role must be submitted to the Central Bank where an assessment of the applicant’s fitness and probity is undertaken.
This assessment involves reviewing the Individual Questionnaire forms (‘IQ’) and supporting documentation submitted by the proposing firm. Historically, this assessment was primarily desk-based with a small number of candidates (predominantly proposed Chairs and CEOs of high impact firms) required to attend an interview. However, over the past number of years, there has been a noticeable increase in the regularity of PCF applicants being interviewed as part of this assessment.
These PCF interviews require the applicant to explain their experience relevant to the competencies required by the particular role they have applied for. In some circumstances PCF applicants will be called upon to explain, in detail, the nature of their involvement in any previous regulatory issues, disclosed in their IQ. These interviews fall into two broad categories:
- standard assessment interview, and
- more intrusive 'Specific interviews'.
Standard Assessment Interview
For standard interviews the interview panel is usually made up of members of the team responsible for supervising the proposing firm, with a note taker present to take meeting notes. Notification of these interviews is by email and phrased as an invitation to attend without invoking the statutory power of the Central Bank to request the attendance of the applicant.
The interview usually focuses on the applicant’s relevant experience, skills and awareness of the role that are applying for. If a previous regulatory issue has been disclosed this will be discussed also to assess the level of involvement of the applicant.
In preparing for such interviews, in our experience it is useful for candidates to review their CV and the research they completed on the firm before accepting the role. Refreshing their awareness of the business, the regulatory framework relevant to the firm and the risks facing both the firm and the industry is recommended.
Following a standard assessment interview, the Central Bank may approve the application or call the candidate for a specific interview.
Specific Interviews
Specific interviews may follow an assessment interview but they can also be scheduled as the first Central Bank interview. Specific interviews are generally much longer in duration than standard interviews, often up to eight hours long (including breaks).
For specific interviews the interview panel is usually made up of members of the team responsible for supervising the proposing firm and members of the Enforcement division. These are formal and recorded by a stenographer, rather than a note taker. The notification to attend is issued by email or registered post and invokes the Central Bank’s statutory powers. The applicant is informed that they are entitled to be accompanied by a legal representative and reference materials may be provided to the applicant in advance.
In our experience these interviews will concentrate on the matters outlined in the reference materials but, as the interview progresses, may cover other areas that are referred to by the applicant. Accordingly, a thorough review of the provided materials is essential when preparing for interview.
Following a specific interview, the Central Bank may approve the application, request further information or issue notification that they are minded to refuse.
How we can help
Our team of regulatory experts can provide support in preparing for standard and specific interviews as needed from preparing relevant materials covering for example the candidate's understanding of the role and/or the risks facing the industry to mock interviews and tips to ensure the applicant is well prepared for interview.