Chris Pedley joined Grant Thornton in Birmingham six months ago as a direct entry partner, at the age of 32, making him the firm’s youngest male partner.
He originally made his name at Ernst & Young after qualifying at Robson Rhodes. Chris specialized in tax after spending several years in small company audit.

Yet, despite being groomed for partnership at the Big Four firm, he decided to make the move to the UK’s fifth largest accountancy practice.

‘It was the driving principle to be your own boss that was at the forefront of my mind,’ says Chris. ‘As a new partner at Grant Thornton, you are a part-owner of the business, so I felt it may offer more than a partnership in the Big Four. There was also the local challenge of what’s happening at Grant Thornton and how that business is building and changing in Birmingham. They also made me an attractive offer, which always helps.’

The move of firms and change of position hasn’t affected his day-to-day activities, but there is a significant shift in approach to the role.
When you’re not a partner, but, say a senior manager on the brink of making partner, basically you feel like you are making decisions,’ says Chris. ‘You recommend the course of action and invariably people take your advice and follow the course of action. But as a partner the buck stops with you and you make the decision. It’s that little added bit of responsibility ­ you do feel that.’

Chris decided he wanted to stay in practice and become a partner fairly early on in his accountancy career. The ACCA fellow then set about planning his route to that position using a key set of guiding principles.

He advises people to take time out occasionally from the daily grind to think about if they are enjoying their job, if their career is progressing as they had expected and if they are working towards what they want to achieve.

Another major factor in Chris’ rapid progress was the influence of his mentor at Ernst & Young. ‘He was a class act. I could spend time with somebody who was very good at what they did and see how they did things. I couldn’t always replicate it, but I could take the bits that I liked and that I knew would work for me and try to incorporate those into how I dealt with a particular client situation. That was pivotal to my whole career.’

A secondment to Germany, where he was thrown in at the deep end to set up a practice on UK tax without being able to speak the language, also proved pivotal.

‘I came back from there thinking I’d achieved something in such difficult circumstances and it boosted my confidence.’

Having a positive attitude, grabbing opportunities as they come along and being able to interact well with others are other key aspects for anyone wanting to make partner rapidly Chris believes.

‘I’ve never been too afraid to jump in to a situation and the reason for that is I enjoy a challenge,’ he says. ‘A problem is an opportunity to come up with a solution. It is an opportunity to turn things round where others have failed and that is always a way to get yourself recognised.’

Having made partner at an early age, Chris is already setting out the steps he needs to take to progress further. Rather than resting on his laurels Chris believes he is ‘on the starting rung of a different ladder’.

With an attitude like that, it won’t be long before he is taking his first steps on it.

CV:

1996: Qualifies as ACCA member and tax senior at Robson Rhodes. Changes from audit to tax after two years

1999: Joins Ernst & Young as tax manager in the Birmingham office

2001: Takes 12-month secondment with the firm in Germany

2006: Moves to Grant Thornton as tax partner

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