Because of recent events, you may have thought that not much was in the works at Grant Thornton. Well, you'd be wrong. Stephen Chipman runs a tight fish and chip house so while you've all been distracted by pests, tattoos, and buttering up the POTUS, SC and his team have been planning your next dynamic opportunity. Our tipster will set it up for you:
I am a humble Grant Thornton servant. Big news lately for us…besides the stellar tattoos and advertising…is that we have finally chosen which Big 4 firm we'd most like to be. It was a tough decision: PwC has those amazing colors and logo, KPMG has, ahhhhh, Phil Mickelson and E&Y has the greatest tagline in the business. Despite all that greatness we have chosen to emulate Deloitte. How so, you may ask? By opening our own Region 10! We're cracking open the India Service Center.
We'll do you the favor of skipping the introduction, alignment of firm strategy yadayadayada and get right to the particulars:
About the India CenterOur new Center will be situated in Gurgaon, which is close to the Indian capital of New Delhi. Our member firm, Grant Thornton India has its headquarters in New Delhi and an operating office in Gurgaon. Our primary goal is to have the new Center fully operational by January 2013 and demonstrating the high, sustainable levels of client service for which Grant Thornton is known. Between 125 to 150 tax professionals with accounting degrees, both experienced hires and campus recruits, will be part of our U.S. team. Additionally, IT and HR professionals will be staffed at the Center to support the tax group.While we will initially focus on individual and business tax compliance capability; over time, we expect to build out expertise across each of our service lines to ensure we are prepared to meet the demands of our clients in ways that further our business model and financial objectives.We will continue to process 2011 returns through our SurePrep relationship which extends through December, 2012. Your cooperation in utilizing SurePrep during this filing season is critical to maximizing our efficiencies, effectiveness and economics.
Our tipster did a little research on Gurgaon saying, "I don't know much about Gurgaon, India but one of its Wikipedia highlights is 'Gurgaon is also the only Indian city to have successfully distributed electricity connections to all its households.' I can't wait to go." Sure enough. As for those professional opportunities:
New opportunities for tax professionalsIn addition to developing the consultative skill sets of our U.S.-based employees, globally sourcing talent provides a host of new opportunities for professional growth. In an economy where international experience is highly valued, our tax professionals will have the exposure to develop new skills through multi-cultural interactions in a global market place.To that end, we are seeking candidates who are interested in taking both shorter term and longer term leading roles in the Global Sourcing Center. Detailed descriptions of these opportunities are provided here. If you have interest in these excellent opportunities please contact your local Tax Practice Leader.· India-based Service Center U.S. Tax Practice Leader – Open to Senior Managers, Directors and Managing Directors who have the skills and knowledge to lead this team. The individual in this role will be responsible for driving the offshore strategy of this firm’s tax practice. This is a full-time internal-facing and highly visible position working internationally in Gurgaon, India, for a two to three year time commitment.· India-based Service Center Tax Assignment – Is open to all levels with the skills and knowledge to contribute to the offshore team. This is a full-time internal-facing and highly visible position working internationally in Gurgaon, India, for a long term (approximately two years) commitment.· NTSS regional liaison – preferably Senior Associate level, to support local offices, via regional assignment, as it relates to offshore initiatives including serving as the liaison between the local U.S. offices and the offshore contacts. This will require domestic travel regionally, as well as international travel.
So who's in? Take the weekend to think about it, but tax season will be over before you know it and you'll need to find something to occupy the hours.
