Grant Thornton appoints four new partners across advisory and audit

Press Release

Grant Thornton appoints four new partners across advisory and audit

06 Nov 2025

DUBLIN, November 7, 2025: Grant Thornton is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Kelly, Zoë Sheehan-Kohli, Howard Shortt, and Ian Wilson as new partners across its Advisory and Audit practices. These appointments reflect the firm’s continued investment in talent and its commitment to delivering exceptional service to clients both locally and internationally.

Their appointments come at a time of significant transformation for the firm, as the Grant Thornton Advisors multinational platform continues to expand following recent strategic transactions with professional services firms around the world.

Reflecting this expansion, it was recently announced that Steve Tennant, Managing Partner of Grant Thornton Ireland, has assumed the role of CEO for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), leading the continued growth of the Grant Thornton Advisors multinational platform in the region,  in addition to his leadership of the Irish firm.  

As the platform evolves, welcoming these four new partners brings additional depth and diversity to Grant Thornton’s leadership team in Ireland. Their expertise strengthens the firm’s ability to anticipate emerging challenges and deliver innovative solutions, ensuring clients continue to receive exceptional support in an ever-changing environment.

 Commenting on the appointments, Steve Tennant said:

“We are delighted to welcome Tom, Zoë, Howard, and Ian as partners at Grant Thornton. Each brings deep expertise and proven leadership that will be instrumental in strengthening our Advisory and Audit capabilities. At Grant Thornton, quality is at the heart of everything we do, and these appointments will further ensure we continue to deliver exceptional service to our clients.”

The newly appointed partners bring a wealth of experience and sector-specific expertise, further enhancing Grant Thornton’s capabilities in key areas such as asset management, cyber security fintech, governance and IPO readiness.

Tom Kelly, Partner, Audit

Tom has joined Grant Thornton as a Partner in the Bermuda office, bringing over 28 years of experience with KPMG both in New York and Bermuda. Throughout his career in professional services, Tom has specialised in delivering audit, assurance, and advisory services to domestic and international clients in the insurance and reinsurance marketplace.

His client engagement and leadership roles have given him extensive expertise in working under PCAOB, SEC, NAIC, and Bermuda regulatory frameworks. In addition to audit and assurance engagements, Tom has significant experience in areas such as insurance/captive feasibility, IPO readiness, process improvement, control design and implementation, and remediation of control deficiencies.

Tom is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in New York, New Jersey and Bermuda. He obtained a BSc in Accounting from Saint Peter’s University in New Jersey. 

Ian Wilson, Partner, Audit

Ian joins Grant Thornton having previously led a well-regarded audit practice operating across the funds, private equity, and structured finance sectors.  

As an asset management specialist, Ian has supported a wide range of entities—including funds, investment firms, management companies, fund administrators, structured finance vehicles, and aircraft leasing businesses—in meeting their regulatory and compliance obligations. He brings extensive experience in leading engagements across multiple jurisdictions, reporting under Irish & UK GAAP, IFRS, and US GAAP.

Ian is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI) and holds a Degree in Accountancy (BBs (Acc)).

Zoë Sheehan-Kohli, Partner, Advisory

Zoë joins Grant Thornton as a seasoned senior leader and will lead business consulting for the asset management industry. With over 17 years of experience spanning both buy-side and sell-side technology, Zoë partners with asset managers and asset owners to transform operating models, drive strategic change, and adopt innovative fintech solutions—all while navigating evolving regulatory requirements. She has a proven track record of growing businesses and leading commercial and technical organisations to success in complex markets.

Before joining Grant Thornton, Zoë built and scaled technology consulting practices in the US and DACH regions for leading consultancies. Earlier in her career, she gained extensive experience with two of the world’s largest investment technology providers, developing deep expertise in enterprise platforms widely used across the asset management industry.

Zoë holds a Master’s in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University Belfast.

Howard Shortt, Partner, Advisory

Howard has been appointed as Grant Thornton Ireland’s cyber partner. An accomplished business leader, Howard brings a wealth of expertise in cyber security, governance and risk management. He collaborates closely with clients to address complex challenges, applying leading practices in cyber security operations, forensic investigations, and team leadership.

Howard is recognised for his ability to translate technically complex cyber issues into actionable insights for senior leadership. He has delivered cyber security advisory services to clients across multiple countries and sectors, focusing on areas such as incident response, critical infrastructure protection, threat mitigation, and compliance with evolving standards and regulations.

Howard holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Forensic Computing and Digital Investigations, a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Information Systems and a Post Graduate Higher Diploma in Science (HDip) in Financial Technology (Fintech). Howard is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM). Howard is a member of both ISACA and ISC2.

ENDS

About Grant Thornton  

Grant Thornton is a leading multinational professional services firm in Ireland, with approximately 2,800 people in offices across the island of Ireland, Bermuda, Isle of Man and Gibraltar. Our tax, audit and advisory teams work with organisations across sectors including technology, insurance, asset management, banking, life sciences, and aviation, as well as the public sector. We deliver practical solutions to help organisations achieve their goals, while maintaining our position as a leader in sustainability through long-term value creation, ethical practices and positive social impact.

In 2025, Grant Thornton Ireland formed a multinational, multidisciplinary platform with Grant Thornton US. The platform offers premier advisory and tax services as well as independent audit practices. With offices across the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, the platform delivers a singular client experience that includes enhanced solutions and capabilities, backed by powerful technologies and a roster of 15,000 quality-driven professionals enjoying exceptional career-growth opportunities and a distinctive cross-border culture.  

The regions referenced herein consist of those firms that are part of the Grant Thornton Advisors multinational platform. Within those regions, the audit practices remain independent as contemplated by, and consistent with, applicable laws, regulations, and professional standards.  

As a member of Grant Thornton International—a global network of more than 73,000 passionate people across more than 150 countries—we bring local knowledge, national expertise and global presence to help businesses succeed, wherever they’re located.

The audit practice in Ireland operates under an alternative practice structure (APS) similar to Grant Thornton in the US, which conforms with applicable laws, regulations and professional standards, including those from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. 

“Grant Thornton” refers to the brand under which the member firms in the Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL) network provide services to their clients and/or refers to one or more member firms. Grant Thornton Ireland serves as the Irish member firm of the GTIL network. GTIL and its member firms are not a worldwide partnership and all member firms are separate legal entities. Member firms deliver all services; GTIL does not provide services to clients.

Experts / Authors

Thomas Kelly

Tom’s 28 plus years in professional services has been focused on the delivery of audit, assurance and advisory services in the insurance and reinsurance marketplace to both domestic and international clients.

Ian Wilson

Ian is an asset management specialist having serviced funds, investment firms, management companies, fund administrators, structured finance, aircraft leasing and various other related entities in meeting their regulatory and compliance needs.

Zoe Sheehan-Kohli

Zoë is a seasoned senior leader and Partner at Grant Thornton, where she leads Business Consulting for the Asset Management industry. With more than 17 years of experience across both buy-side and sell-side technology, she works with asset managers and asset owners to transform operating models, implement strategic change, and adopt innovative fintech solutions while meeting evolving regulatory demands.

Howard Shortt

Howard is Grant Thornton Ireland’s cyber partner. He is an experienced business leader who applies detailed knowledge of cyber security, frameworks, governance, and cyber threat risk management in a client-collaborative approach to solving complex challenges.