Corporate Finance Director at SNG GrantThornton

Role Purpose

• The Corporate Finance Director will lead and grow the Advisory division’s corporate finance practice, delivering high-quality services in valuations, due diligence, M&A advisory, and transaction support. This role requires a strategic leader with strong technical expertise, client relationship skills, and the ability to drive business development initiatives.

 Key Responsibilities
Transaction Advisory Services

• Lead buy-side and sell-side transaction engagements.
• Advise clients on mergers, acquisitions, disposals, restructurings and capital raising initiatives.
• Manage transaction processes from initial strategy through to deal completion.
• Coordinate with legal, tax and other advisors during transactions.

Financial Due Diligence

• Lead financial due diligence assignments for acquisitions and disposals.
• Analyse historical financial performance, quality of earnings, working capital and cash flows.
• Identify deal risks and opportunities and provide commercially focused recommendations.
• Present findings to clients, investment committees and stakeholders.

Business Valuations
Lead valuations of:

• Businesses and shares
• Intangible assets
• Purchase Price Allocations (PPA)
• Financial instruments
• Impairment testing
• Apply valuation methodologies including:
• Discounted Cash Flow (DCF)
• Comparable Companies Analysis
• Precedent Transactions
• Asset-based valuations
• Prepare valuation reports compliant with relevant standards and best practice.

Financial Modelling

• Develop and review sophisticated financial models for:
• M&A transactions
• Forecasting and budgeting
• Strategic planning
• Capital raising
• Business valuations
• Perform scenario and sensitivity analyses.

Client Relationship Management

• Serve as a trusted advisor to clients, boards and executive management teams.
• Build and maintain long-term client relationships.
• Identify cross-selling opportunities across Advisory, Tax and Assurance service lines.
• Lead presentations, workshops and proposal discussions.

Business Development

• Develop and execute a growth strategy for the Corporate Finance practice.
• Identify new market opportunities and sectors.
• Lead proposal development and pitch presentations.
• Contribute to revenue growth and achievement of annual targets.

Leadership and People Management

• Lead and mentor managers and junior team members.
• Foster a high-performance and collaborative culture.
• Review work products and ensure quality standards are maintained.
• Support talent development and succession planning.

Qualifications & Experience

• Chartered Accountant (CA(SA)) – mandatory.
• Minimum 10 years’ post-qualification experience, with at least 5 years in corporate finance/advisory leadership.
• Proven expertise in valuations, due diligence, and transaction advisory.
• Strong track record in managing complex projects and delivering results under pressure.
• Demonstrated ability to originate and close deals.
• Experience working with diverse industries and multinational clients.

Skills & Competencies

• Strategic Thinking – ability to align advisory services with client business objectives.
• Analytical Expertise – advanced financial modeling and problem-solving skills.
• Leadership – proven ability to inspire, coach, and lead teams.
• Communication – excellent presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Business Acumen – deep understanding of market trends, corporate strategy, and deal-making.