-
Audit of annual and consolidated financial statements
We place particular emphasis on customized solutions and international service and adapt our services to your needs.
-
Assurance related advisory services
Assurance related advisory services are based on the knowledge and expertise that are the staff of life of our auditors.
-
Global audit technology
We apply our global audit methodology through an integrated set of software tools known as the Voyager suite.
-
Accounting related consulting
Accounting in accordance with UGB, US-GAAP or IFRS is in constant motion. The integration of new regulations into their own accounting systems poses special challenges for companies.
-
Corporate Tax
We are your problem solvers for corporate tax issues
-
Restructuring, Mergers & Acquisition
Expertise and creativity for the perfect structure
-
International Tax
We are here, whenever our clients require our assistance
-
Transfer pricing
We are your experts for an optimal transfer pricing structure
-
Indirect Tax & Customs
We take care of your indirect taxes so you can take care of your business
-
Private Wealth
We are your competent partner in the field of Private Wealth Tax Services
-
Real Estate Tax
We are a valuable partner at every stage of your property's life
-
Global Mobility Services
Local roots and global networking as a secret for successful assignment management
-
Advisor for Advisor
As advisors for advisors, we support in complex situations
-
Valuation
Valuations are a core competence of Grant Thornton Austria. As auditors and tax advisors we combine profound know-how with our practical experience to offer you customized solutions for your valuation assignment. Our industry expertise is based on years of services to our clients, including listed companies as well as owner-managed companies with an international focus. We advise on valuation matters related to arbitration and provide expert opinions.
-
Forensic Services
When it comes to risks in business, our experts are on hand. We support you not only in suspicious cases or in disputes, but also develop suitable strategies in the area of prevention to avoid serious cases as far as possible. Our Cyber Security team helps you to keep your networks and applications secure and is quickly on hand in the event of a security leak.
-
Transaction Support
We can support you throughout the transaction process – helping achieve the best possible outcome at the point of the transaction and in the longer term.
-
Sustainability Services
Sustainability is no longer a trend, but the only way to create a future worth living. Our experts will support you in successfully developing your sustainability strategy and preparing your sustainability reporting in compliance with regulations.
-
Merger & Acquisition
Companies start new activities and separate from old ones, cooperate and merge. Markets and competitive conditions are subject to constant and increasingly rapid change. As a result, existing business models are changing. Some companies have to restructure and reorganize. But new business opportunities also open up.
-
Restructuring & Going Concern Forecast
Restructuring & Going Concern Forecast: Bundled services for your strategic, operational and financial decisions offer the right answers for companies, banks, shareholders and investors.
-
Internal Audit
Internal Audit helps companies and organisations to achieve their goals by analysing and evaluating the effectiveness of risk management, controls and management and monitoring processes. Internal Audit focuses on independent and objective audit (assurance) and consulting services that improve the value creation and business activities of your company.
-
Expert dispute resolution & advisory
Grant Thornton Austria offers comprehensive services in the field of business-oriented expert services with a broad range of competencies from banking to communication. The core activity of experts is the objective recording of findings and the preparation of expert opinions - regardless of all external circumstances. Our experts Gottwald Kranebitter and Georg H. Jeitler, as sworn and court-certified experts, ensure that the highest professional standards and the principle of objectivity are observed.
-
Blockchain and Crypto-Asset
Blockchain as a carrier technology for crypto currencies and smart contracts, among other things, is becoming increasingly important. Grant Thornton Austria offers comprehensive audit and confirmation services for block chain technologies and business models.
-
Corporate & Brand Strategy
We support you in developing growth strategies for a sustainably successful future and in maximizing the potential of your brand.
-
Cyber Security
Cyber incidents, IT system failures, the resulting business interruptions and the loss of critical data are one of the greatest business risks for companies. Recent cases underline the need for strategic protection and awareness of the issue and require a holistic approach and technical expertise that takes into account all legislative, regulatory and technical aspects of cyber security to protect companies against the daily increase in cybercrime incidents.
-
International Project Coordination
Our International Engagement Management team is your central point of contact for international projects in all our service lines. We take care of operational project management for you and act as a central point of contact and coordination for your projects. We support companies that start international projects from Austria as well as companies from abroad that want to gain a foothold in Austria or use Austria as a hub for their international projects, especially in the DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and CEE region.
-
International Desks
As a member of the Grant Thornton network, we guarantee direct access to resources from our worldwide circle of partners. This global connection enables us to seamlessly integrate highly qualified specialists and industry experts from different countries around the world into our teams. Through our broad perspective and diverse expertise, we ensure that we can optimally meet the individual requirements of our clients in an increasingly globalised economy.
If the slings and arrows suffered throughout coronavirus had one positive business impact, it has been highlighting the skills needed to lead through change. Looking ahead to the post-pandemic landscape, the aptitude to steer a course will encompass resilience, adaptability, communication and connectedness. “COVID also accelerated the trend in leadership attributes towards the empathetic, open, transparent and inclusive,” says Kim Schmidt, global leader – leadership, people and culture for Grant Thornton International. “This shift is significant, and long-term.”
The imperative is for leaders to trade in the traditional, operations-focused model in favour of a more flexible approach, believes Hilary Haynes, global head of leadership development for Grant Thornton International. “Leaders are being called to adopt a change mindset to leverage disruption rather than being overrun by it, and challenge economic outcomes as the sole indicator of success.”
Grant Thornton’s 2021 International Business Report (IBR) revealed that businesses prioritising these traits prospered in 2020. Faced with challenges and opportunities from the fallout of the pandemic, they thrived by maintaining a clear emphasis on innovation, collaboration and empathy. “Successful leaders used the atmosphere of change to spark and support innovations that made a real difference to their businesses,” points out Francesca Lagerberg, global leader – network capabilities for Grant Thornton International.
New challenges, new attitudes
The three most important attributes for mid-market leaders remain unaltered since Grant Thornton’s 2019 research into the future of leadership. Being adaptive to change (44%), innovative (43%), and collaborative across the business (29%) are the most highly valued skills for leaders going forward, across all regions surveyed. But in 2021, other valued traits emerged. Empathy has come to the fore, with 22% of respondents citing it as key.
“Treating people in a commercial, practical but also empathetic way means when the market picks up, they want to give back to the employers that supported them,” says Lagerberg. Empathy is a vital component in creating an environment where team members feel supported, encouraged and psychologically safe.
Another characteristic emphasised in the latest IBR survey is resilience, up four percentage points since 2019 to 27%. The demands of the pandemic have seen leaders supporting employees through unpredictable, unprecedented circumstances. “In this light, resilience isn’t ‘bouncing back’ from one setback, because they just keep coming,” believes Haynes. “Rather, it is a sustainable internal strength.”
The ability to communicate with their teams has also been crucial. “COVID has changed the relationship between leaders and their people,” says Schmidt. “Even though we’ve been physically separated, we’ve connected virtually – in a many ways more deeply and personally. Leaders who authentically embrace this way of working will ensure success in the increasingly fierce talent war.”
Communication, flexibility, responsiveness, sensitivity and clarity were all verbatim responses in 2021’s IBR, reflecting a transition from prioritising ‘hard’ skills to espousing ‘softer’ characteristics. “In our virtual, global world, the ability to truly connect and build and maintain relationships is more challenging,” points out Haynes. “Leaders must find a way of demonstrating care in the words they use, the conversations they have and the actions they take.”
Winning traits in 2020
Cross-referencing the characteristics leaders valued with the growth their businesses experienced during the 12 months to November 2020 creates a more nuanced picture. A lens trained on companies that increased revenue, staff levels or exports by at least 5% reveals common leadership skills.
For this subset of winners, being innovative, supporting collaboration across the business, and being networked in the wider business community are more important than for other companies. Being empathetic is also emphasised.
“Our environment is one of flux, with new technologies and offerings, changing tides in consumer awareness, and business risks all contributing to the need for leaders to accept their world as inconstant, and be ready to take advantage of opportunities,” says Haynes. “How are you going to take advantage of new things, unless you are willing to innovate? How will you create an environment where innovative teams thrive, unless you allow them to test and learn? How are you going to test and learn, unless you allow individuals to fail and learn from those failures?”
Empathy and collaboration appear to translate into staff expansion, scoring respectively 3% and 4% above the average among businesses who increased their workforce. Innovation can be linked to revenue, with a 6% above the average score among organisations who grew their profits. Networking in the wider business community, meanwhile, scored 6% higher than the average with the exporting winners.
Being resilient and adaptive to change have been relatively less important to winning leaders throughout the pandemic. While this appears contrary to the skills needed by leaders in challenging times, these results can be interpreted as a proactive response to COVID-19. The winners led change through innovation, collaboration and empathy; while those focused on responding to and surviving the pandemic adapted to changing circumstances and endured through resilience.
A framework for future leaders
Grant Thornton’s IBR research suggests that, for leaders in the post-pandemic world, adapting to change while innovating and collaborating across the organisation to spearhead solutions is the model for the future. By taking practical steps to create a culture of communication, where everyone is able to contribute, leaders can create organisations robust enough to thrive in 2021 and beyond.
Resilience is important, but rather than being viewed as a single concept, it should be recognized as a construct of different factors, and measured against a sliding scale. Resilience could be composed of a strong sense of purpose, the ability to learn and grow, access to strong relationships and supportive guidance.
Successful leaders will structure their leadership around connections across the company, working with and being empathetic towards team members, encouraging everyone to contribute – and thereby fostering innovation. “The world is more uncertain than ever before,” says Lagerberg. “So in order to thrive, leaders need to be radical and energetic to generate a positive impact in terms of the growth and innovation.”
To innovate means being able to trial, learn and sometimes fail, adds Haynes. “To be willing to fail, individuals must be able to take a chance, be courageous, knowing that new behavior is encouraged, not sanctioned.” From a leadership perspective, this means creating a culture where team members strive to learn, contribute and create.
“Recruit from a diverse talent pool and then actively encourage opinions around doing things in a new, different way; coach rather than tell,” Haynes advises. “Actively leading in a way which encourages innovation requires a leader who is self-aware and commits to empowering those around them, while steering the ship with a clear sense of purpose.”