Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Grant Thornton, a leading professional services firm, announced a series of partner appointments and promotions to further fortify its executive bench as it continues to accelerate its growth and expansion in the UAE.

Imran Jaffer has been appointed as the Restructuring Advisory Partner and will lead the firm’s Financial Restructuring Advisory practice from the company’s flagship Abu Dhabi office, while Faizan Ahmed, has joined the Dubai Head Office as a partner in the Audit and Assurance practice, leveraging his auditing and financial proficiency to enhance Grant Thornton’s services in real estate, hospitality, and government-related entities.

Neha Julka, with over 15 years of experience in Advisory and Corporate Finance, has been promoted to Advisory Partner, continuing to support the broader Financial Advisory practice of the firm. Mohamed ElKhashab, who has been promoted to Audit Partner, possesses over 17 years of experience in the industry, playing an instrumental role in providing audit services to organisations operating in the Middle East and internationally.

All four industry leaders bring a wealth of sectorial knowledge and expertise to Grant Thornton and support its strong performance trajectory in the country. Being the core members of the leadership team, they will also be at the forefront of driving innovation, and excellence in client servicing while augmenting the firm’s current standing as a trusted partner of choice and value in the industry.

Hisham Farouk, CEO, Grant Thornton UAE, said: “We are delighted to welcome Imran Jaffer and Faizan Ahmed to the Grant Thornton team and look forward to benefiting from the diverse perspectives they bring that will also enrich our capacity to positively drive progress for our clients and the firm. As an organisation committed to the development and career progression of our talent force, we are also happy to celebrate the promotion of Neha Julka and Mohamed ElKhashab who, in their new roles, will continue to deliver quality and value to the integrated services our clients require.”

Previously Director of Business Restructuring Services (Deals Advisory) at PwC, Imran Jaffer brings diverse experience in banking, credit fund management, and advisory to Grant Thornton. He will work with listed and unlisted corporates; credit and distressed funds; as well as sovereign wealth and private equity.

Faizan Ahmed, who joins Grant Thornton from Deloitte, has 18 years of industry experience in providing audit and assurance services for key sectors including real estate, hospitality, government-related entities as well as public rest entities and large family conglomerates. His expertise also spans guiding clients through IPOs and debt-raising processes. 

A results-oriented professional, Neha Julka has honed her financial advisory acumen with a proven track record of delivering quality and reliable analysis to regulators, government backed entities, large conglomerates, family offices and SMEs alike in addition to conducting comprehensive valuations, financial modelling and M&A mandates spanning a wide range of industries, including financial services, hospitality, F&B, logistics, among others.

Mohamed ElKhashab has umpteen knowledge and understanding of International Financial Reporting Standards “IFRS” & International Public Sector Accounting Standard “IPSAS”,COSO compliance, Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting (ICFR), financial due diligence and is credited with building Grant Thornton's public sector presence and profile in Abu Dhabi.

With a remarkable legacy of over 55 years in the country, Grant Thornton UAE recently inaugurated a flagship office in Abu Dhabi, catering to the growing needs of its clientele in the capital, and contributing to its consistent double-digit year-on-year growth over the last five years. The firm currently maintains four offices in the UAE and has a dedicated team of over 700 professionals.

About Grant Thornton:

Grant Thornton UAE was founded in 1966 and is one of UAE's leading assurance, advisory, and tax firms dedicated to serving the needs of privately held businesses, public interest entities, and family-owned businesses. With offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah and considerable experience across many fields, Grant Thornton develops tailored solutions for clients in financial services, and the public sector, as well as those in the energy, hospitality, leisure, real estate, construction, retail, transportation, logistics, defence, manufacturing, and telecommunications industries, among others. 

As part of the global Grant Thornton network which entails over 73,000 professionals in member firms in 150 markets, Grant Thornton UAE combines a strong local presence and global scale, with a goal to help organisations achieve sustainable growth and success in a fast-changing business landscape. 

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ASDA’A BCW
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