#GTAtIndustry
Inaugural edition of Alumni Newsletter

August 2021

Grant Thornton Bharat is delighted to present the inaugural edition of its Alumni newsletter #GTAtIndustry. As a firm, we have much to be grateful for. The health and wellbeing of our people has been of utmost priority in the last year and a half and despite the constraints of the pandemic, we are all collaborating effectively. We have served our clients seamlessly during these challenging times and it reflects in the growing number of marquee wins and an outstanding client net promoter score of 72%.

In this first edition of the alumni newsletter, we share our experiences of hosting our very first Alumni meet in a hybrid format where our alums from different walks of life came together virtually and in person, to celebrate the spirit of #GTBharat. Also read about how our virtual India Partners’ Conference (IPC) editions which have brought the entire firm together during these #WFA times. The newsletter also features GT alumni Kshitij Puri and Vivek Vikram Singh, who share nostalgic accounts of their journey with the firm and how it shaped their careers and them as individuals.

This is the time for us to stay connected, strengthen our relationships and reach out to one another as we strengthen our alumni network across the world. If you are in touch with other GT alumni, please share this newsletter with them and encourage them to register on our alumni database.

Our people have been our strongest assets, and promoting a #CultureOfAppreciation is always a priority.

Bridging the gap between online and offline, Grant Thornton Bharat organised a hybrid meet to host our alums who have played a crucial role in our journey to shape a Vibrant Bharat. Our inaugural session was themed around #GTAtIndustry, and we commemorated the alumni who are contributing to the industries that are helping shape a Vibrant Bharat. We look forward to connecting with a bigger and wider group once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Please share your contact details using this link which will help us extend an invitation to you for future engagements.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the way we work and Grant Thornton Bharat has embraced virtual world through our quarterly Partners conference. With a belief to bring our leadership together, stay connected and inspired, especially with the shift to working remotely, we held our first virtual IPC in August 2020. Since then we conducted 4 virtual IPCs that were attended by 4000+ people, and 30+ distinguished speakers which created 1 lac plus social media impressions for the brand.

With #WorkFromAnywhere becoming the new normal, the office culture somewhere took a backseat, and our colleagues missed the social connect with each other. Keeping the well being of our #GTFamily in mind, we launched PurpleNest – a one-of-a-kind virtual office experience to help us stay connected and celebrate #LifeAtGT.

From meeting colleagues across teams to hosting birthdays, team events or honouring small achievements, from initiating #ConversationsThatMatter to having coffee breaks at the food lounge, PurpleNest is Grant Thornton Bharat’s very own personalised virtual GTOne office that allows members from across the firm to meet and greet each other beyond the scope of work, network with like-minded colleagues and even host client meetings!

People over profit

Despite a challenging period, as a firm, we pulled together as a family to support each other in a way no one could have imagined. We took the bold call last year to adopt a #PeopleOverProfit principle and assured no job losses or pay cuts during the peak of uncertainty. Our collective efforts during this difficult period have resulted in us being ahead or near our collective targets across business units.

Work from anywhere

Following the lockdown in March 2020, each of our employees made remarkable efforts in being high on #AccountabilityLadder and #AtTheirBest for our people and clients. A positive change in the COVID-19 situation is what the world continues to hope for each day. Hence, becoming the first professional services firm to do so, Grant Thornton Bharat announced #WorkFromAnywhere forever. Our offices will transform into collaborative workspaces with limited individual workstations. They would be primarily used for collaborating with colleagues or clients.

Flexible leave policy

Promoting our Firm’s culture of trust and tenet of #AssumePositiveIntent, we announced an unlimited leave policy for all our employees, scrapping the previous practise of predetermined number of fix leaves. Empowering each employee to take ownership for their leaves, and plan their breaks in advance, this step in the right direction again made Grant Thornton Bharat the first accounting firm in India to take such an initiative for its personnel.

Shaping a Vibrant Bharat

Grant Thornton Bharat has been at the forefront of celebrating socially aware organisations making a tangible difference to the communities and helping shape a #VibrantBharat. Our latest initiative, Faces of Vibrant Bharat, applauds these sociopreneurs and acknowledges their contribution. Launched in December 2020, the platform aims to help them connect and collaborate, share their learnings as well as leverage resources for a greater impact.