John Askham and Pete Burgess join Grant Thornton’s partnership

Grant Thornton has welcomed two new partners to its Australian partnership team: John Askham and Pete Burgess.

A partner in the CFO Advisory Services practice, John Askham brings more than 16 years of experience at a Big Four firm to the role.

Grant Thornton’s CFO Advisory Services practice helps financial leaders with transforming and streamlining their finance function, across facets including optimising finance processes, digitisation, financial and non-financial reporting, audit documentation and ESG reporting pressures, among others.

“CFOs are facing increasing pressures. With the addition of John we can address a wider pool of clients and assist with the broad range of challenges they face,” said Andrew Rigele, National Head of Audit & Assurance at Grant Thornton.

Askham joins Grant Thornton from EY, where he started his career in 2007 in the United Kingdom, before moving to the Sydney team in 2010. Most recently, he was a Director in the firm’s Financial Accounting Advisory Services practice.

“Our goal is to provide CFOs, controllers, treasurers and audit committees with a one-stop shop for expertise, services and resources to support compliance with evolving financial and non-financial reporting requirements, and to optimise the efficiency of their finance functions,” said Askham.

Pete Burgess meanwhile returns to Grant Thornton as a partner in the Corporate Finance team as of 1 February 2023, after 18 months as General Manager at Great Wrap, a local sustainability technology business where he was responsible for capital raising and realising the company’s growth initiatives.

With over ten years of experience advising public and private entities on a range of buy-side and sell-side mergers & acquisitions, and capital raising transactions, Burgess is keen to help early-stage and mid-market companies raise capital and realise their growth ambitions.

“Having worked throughout my career at Grant Thornton across Australia, United States and India before venturing into the client side, it’s great to bring my expertise back and be able to assist those in the agribusiness, and climate and sustainability industries with their strategic goals,” said Burgess.