P&A Grant Thornton: Unlocking the potential for growth of its clients and people

In its 31 years of providing outstanding assistance, insights, and expertise to its clients, P&A Grant Thornton continues to be a leading professional services firm that constantly aims to unlock the potential for growth of its partner companies, its communities, and its people.

Formed in 1988 as Punongbayan & Araullo (P&A) by two prominent figures in the accounting profession — Benjamin R. Punongbayan and Jose G. Araullo — P&A Grant Thornton has made its mark in the professional services industry, supporting and contributing to the development of organizations throughout its history.

Not only does P&A Grant Thornton makes its mark locally, but also on a global scale when it joined as a member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd., one of the world’s leading organizations of independent assurance, tax, and advisory firms.

The clientele of P&A Grant Thornton consists of privately owned enterprises, listed companies, and public sector organizations. These organizations go to the well-known firm for its “global scale, quality, industry insight, and deep technical expertise.”

P&A Grant Thornton offers services such as audit and assurance covering annual and short-period audits, review engagement, due diligence and acquisition audit, and special audit using agreed-upon procedures, among others; tax advisory, compliance, education, and advocacy; business process solutions that include accounting, staff augmentation, offshoring, and payroll processing; and advisory services covering business risk, business consulting, transactions, and human capital.

Its head office is located on Ayala Avenue in Makati City, with offices located at Dasmariñas City in Cavite, Cebu City, and Davao City.

As it goes past its third decade carrying a well-nurtured heritage, P&A Grant Thornton commits to providing a distinctive client experience that sets the firm apart from others, while building better working relationships with dynamic organizations.

In an e-mail to BusinessWorld, Maria Victoria C. Españo, chairperson and chief executive officer of P&A Grant Thornton, shared the firm’s plans for this year that are in line with its vision to be the preferred business advisor of dynamic organizations.

“We will engage and update our clients on the latest business developments and opportunities through our annual CEO Business Forum, our thought leadership columns, our technical and regulatory alerts, our client seminars and, most importantly, through discussions, conversations and fora,” Ms. Españo announced.

“We will engage and update our clients on the latest business developments and opportunities through our annual CEO Business Forum, our thought leadership columns, our technical and regulatory alerts, our client seminars and, most importantly, through discussions, conversations, and fora.”

Ms. Españo added that P&A Grant Thornton aims to provide actionable insights into how their clients can take advantage of trends and innovations in order to pursue their business goals.

The firm, Ms. Españo observed, has encompassed over an entire generation in the business scene; and as time saw changes, she pointed out that the biggest change in the industry is the outlook of Filipino enterprises.

“They no longer think local, or even regional, but global. They’ve also invested in various industries, rather than just banking on one expertise,” Ms. Españo explained.

With this, P&A Grant Thornton stays ahead of the game “by keeping our ears on the ground and collaborating with our stakeholders, such as government agencies, professional bodies and organizations, and clients,” said Ms. Españo.

As P&A Grant Thornton banners its commitment to unlock the growth potential of its clients, the firm looks at two opportunities. First, an opportunity lies in sustainability reports, which publicly listed companies are mandated by the government to publish. “One of the opportunities that we see is helping such large enterprises report their sustainability efforts both in their financial statements and in their sustainability report,” Ms. Españo said.

The firm also spots another avenue of opportunity in threats that might infiltrate technology. “With the increasing use of technology in our lives, we also see a rise in the use of technology with malicious intent,” Ms. Españo added. “Cybersecurity and technology risks are a growing concern of our clients, and we see a lot of potential advising companies on protecting themselves from cyberattacks and data breaches.”

As much as the firm strives to contribute to the growth of its clients, it also aspires to develop the full potential of its people.

“We prepare our new CPAs to be ready and to continuously keep themselves abreast of developments. Most importantly, we want our people to have a business mind-set of understanding what matters most to clients,” Ms. Españo said.