CEO
Grant Thornton Advisors LLC
Jim Peko is the CEO of Grant Thornton Advisors LLC and leads the multinational platform it established in January 2025. In the role, he oversees Grant Thornton’s Executive Committee — setting strategic direction and driving growth-oriented operations across more than 65 offices.
Under Peko’s leadership, Grant Thornton has announced transactions with more than a half-dozen accounting and consulting firms to join its platform. These firms stretch from the Americas across Europe to the Middle East. Additionally, Peko has led Grant Thornton as it acquires leading specialty firms, including business-modernization pioneer Auxis — and Stax, which specializes in commercial due diligence and value creation.
Peko previously served as the firm’s chief operating officer (COO). Prior to his role as COO, he served as national managing principal of the firm’s Advisory Services practice.
He has nearly 30 years of experience providing clients with financial advisory services focused on improving performance and building long-term sustainable value. Earlier in his career, Peko was the national managing principal of Transaction Services, where he guided a wide range of clients through a variety of complex transactions. He also served as a member of the firm’s Partnership Board and is currently a member of the board of directors for the American Bankruptcy Institute. He is a chartered financial analyst, a certified insolvency and restructuring advisor and is certified in distressed business valuation. Peko received an MBA degree in finance from Fordham University and a bachelor’s degree in economics and accounting from St. Peter’s College.
In 2013, Peko was selected for the “‘Turnarounds & Workouts’ People to Watch – Business Professionals Making Their Mark” award. Consulting magazine named him a “Top 25 Consultant” for 2018, citing his “Excellence in Leadership.”
Private equity is reshaping the accounting profession—fueling growth and modernization for some firms, while raising concerns for others. Drawing on exclusive joint survey data from Accounting Today and Intapp, this session will feature Intapp’s Global Managing Principal for Accounting & Consulting, Tom Koehler, alongside Grant Thornton Advisors LLC CEO Jim Peko.
Jim Peko will share his firsthand experience leading through a private equity transformation, while Tom Koehler will offer unique insights and experience powering transformation in leading global firms.
Together, they will tackle a key question many firm leaders are asking: Can private equity catalyze transformation, and what does it mean for cultural and structural dynamics?