Grant Thornton UK LLP is part of one of the world’s leading organisations of independent advisory, tax and audit firms. They help dynamic organisations unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful, forward looking advice.
In the UK, they are led by more than 185 partners and employ 4,500 of the profession’s brightest minds. They provide assurance, tax and specialist advisory services to over 40,000 privately held businesses, public interest entities and individuals nationwide.
The Cambridge office, based on the Cambridge Science Park, is headed by Darren Bear and employs around 100 people. Grant Thornton is active in the local business community and is responsible for the creation of Cambridgeshire Limited, an annual survey that analyses the financial performance of Cambridgeshire’s 100 largest companies.
Santander UK plc is an independent subsidiary of Santander Group. It is a financial services provider that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. The bank serves around 14 million active customers with c.20,000 employees and operates through 847 branches (which includes 58 university branches) and 69 regional Corporate Business Centres.
Santander has two branches in Cambridge and a Corporate and Commercial Banking office in Histon which is headed up by Bill Higgins, Regional Director for Anglia. It supports medium and large businesses in the region which also includes Norwich, Chelmsford and Peterborough.
Via its Santander Universities network, the bank supports areas such as teaching and research, international co-operation, knowledge and technology transfer, entrepreneurial initiatives, student mobility and innovation – all of which are the cornerstone of the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. With the University of Cambridge, the bank co-funded the Cambridge Trust, offering Santander Cambridge Scholarships, which are available to Master’s applicants in any subject.
Jane Paterson-Todd, CEO of Cambridge Ahead, said, “I am delighted to welcome two more prominent service businesses in Cambridge to our membership. Both Grant Thornton and Santander are global institutions providing invaluable support to businesses in the sub-region. As an organisation, we are increasingly influential at a local and national level, and having two heavyweights bringing their respective expertise and authority to our Board at such a busy time with Devolution and Brexit on top of our existing agenda will be much welcomed.”