Grant Thornton to rebrand to Doane Grant Thornton

Grant Thornton LLP (Canada) is rebranding to Doane Grant Thornton, the firm announced in a press release earlier this month.

The rebrand will take place sometime later this year, the Toronto-based accounting and consulting firm said.

“We’re seeking to change our name to reflect the powerful combination of our deep roots across Canada and our continued membership in the Grant Thornton International network,” the press release said. “Our new name will be Doane Grant Thornton – it embraces who we’ve always been and who we'll become.”

The Canadian member firm of Grant Thornton International traces its roots to H.R. Doane, a Halifax accountancy founded in 1939. In subsequent years, the firm would spread across Canada to become one of the largest mid-market accountancies in the country.

1981 was a pivotal year in the firm’s history. That year H.R. Doane entered a partnership with Quebec accountancy Raymond, Chabot, Martin, Paré to form the umbrella association Doane Raymond Associates, which joined Grant Thornton International as the Canadian member firm. As part of this move, H.R. Doane changed its brand to Doane Raymond.

In 1998, as part of a global brand alignment, Doane Raymond changed its name to Grant Thornton, while Raymond, Chabot, Martin, Paré became Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton.

The forthcoming rebrand brings the English Canada firm more in line with its French-Canadian affiliate, which retained a portion of its legacy brand.

“Doane was our founding firm in Canada. Together, these names tell a very Canadian story of commitment to entrepreneurship, community building, and serving the international needs of our domestic clients,” the press release added. “It’s about taking the best part of being a member firm of a globally recognized network and acknowledging the distinct business we’ve built in Canada.”

The firm also said the new prefix will help it avoid brand confusion with its American counterpart.

Indeed, both the US and Canadian member firms go by “Grant Thornton LLP,” though the smaller firm is sometimes followed by a helpful "(Canada)" in parentheses. 

Differentiation is more important as Grant Thornton US moves to a new alternative practice structure under private equity ownership. The US firm in March agreed to a deal which will see New Mountain Capital take a majority stake.

The Canadian firm noted its ownership structure will remain the same – namely, a 100% Canadian-owned partnership.