Grant Thornton Singapore appoints new CEO following investment

Jeff Vibert has been appointed as the new CEO of Grant Thornton in Singapore, with former CEO Rodger Flynn stepping aside as to concentrate on regional development.

The Singapore branch of global professional services network Grant Thornton – now the sixth biggest network of its kind by revenue behind the Big Four and BDO – has appointed Jeff Vibert as its new CEO, with former head Rodger Flynn turning his focus to his APAC network development duties. The change-up comes as the firm reports a ‘significant’ investment into the Singapore branch.

An Australia and Singapore chartered accountant, Vibert has been with Grant Thornton since 1995, establishing and leading the audit and assurance practice of its Perth branch in Australia for two decades before crossing to Singapore in 1995 – where he has led the assurance practice and served as its International Business Centre Director, managing inbound and outbound business and collaboration opportunities.

Prior to joining Grant Thornton, Vibert was a partner with Deloitte in the firm’s Port Moresby office in Papa New Guinea for nearly four years, with time leading its audit and recovery & reconstruction practices. Across his career, Vibert has amassed experience across multiple sectors and jurisdictions with expertise in accounting, financial reporting, external assurance and internal controls among other areas.Meanwhile, outgoing Singapore CEO Rodger Flynn – who will now focus exclusively on his role as Grant Thornton APAC head for member firm development, which he has held for the past five and a half years (the last two and a half in tandem with his Singapore CEO duties) – has revealed that the UK and Thai Grant Thornton branches have made a significant fresh investment into the Singapore office.

“This investment will accelerate the growth of existing and new service lines, building on strong foundations, and providing a great people and client experience,” Flynn stated on LinkedIn. “It has been a busy few years and I am so proud of what our people have achieved in this time and of the strong firm we have built in Singapore. I wish Jeff and the Singapore office every success in this next chapter in their story.”

With a background in forensics accounting – a segment currently heating up in the Southeast Asian region with a series of recent high-level appointments – Flynn has been with Grant Thornton for more than 20 years (with more than 30 years’ experience altogether), previously serving as Managing Partner in Brisbane before taking on the regional APAC role – where Grant Thornton has member firms in 20 countries with a headcount of 18,000 professionals.

The new investment into the Singapore office meanwhile follows on from the firm posting record global revenues of $5.45 billion for its 2018 financial year – driven largely by massive 19 percent year-on-year growth in the Asia Pacific. “Our APAC region is home to the world’s most dynamic economies, largest cities and highest growth rates,” said Flynn. “I am genuinely excited about what the future holds for this constantly evolving region.

Commenting on LinkedIn, Vibert added, “Pleased and excited to be able to play a key role in the ongoing evolution of our fantastic and dynamic Singapore business. Big shout out to Rodger Flynn for his strong leadership over the past two years. We look forward to working with Rodger, his APAC team, my fellow Grant Thornton Singapore partners and team members as well as our 53,000-plus global colleagues in the Grant Thornton International network.”