Grant Thornton appoints leaders for growth advisory practice and Pittsburgh office

Grant Thornton US has appointed Alasdair Trotter as national managing principal for growth advisory and Luke Ratke as market managing partner for Pittsburgh.

Based in Los Angeles, Trotter succeeds interim leader Scott McGurl in the role, where he will help clients foster new business models and identify long-term growth opportunities.

Trotter brings over 20 years of experience advising senior leaders on transformational change. He joins Grant Thornton from Innosight, the strategy and innovation practice of Huron Consulting (acquired in 2017).

Trotter spent nearly 18 years at Innosight, latterly as a partner and managing director and leader of the financial services sector and innovation service line. Before Innosight, he spent four years at Capital One, where he was a senior business manager focusing on marketing strategy and innovation for the bank’s domestic credit card businesses.

Trotter has a master’s degree in physics from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Dartmouth College.

“From strategy and transformation to implementing innovation at all levels of an organization, Alasdair brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to Grant Thornton’s Advisory practice,” said Wade Kruse, national managing partner for advisory services at Grant Thornton. “His long track record of providing growth-focused solutions will prove immensely valuable for our clients and the dedicated team he will lead.”

Ratke has over 20 years of experience in audit and assurance, including 16 years at Grant Thornton. He succeeds Jamie Sybert, who served as Pittsburgh market leader since 2020. Sybert recently joined HKA as a partner in the government contract services practice.

Ratke most recently served as a partner and leader of the audit and assurance service line in Pittsburgh, serving clients across manufacturing, energy, technology, healthcare, and hospitality.

He also previously worked at PwC, where he was a senior manager.

Ratke has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting and a bachelor’s degree in computer applications from the University of Notre Dame. He is also a certified public accountant in Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

“Luke has deep industry knowledge and a proven track record for helping our people develop their talents, and those traits will help our Pittsburgh team continue its strong momentum,” said Nichole Jordan, Grant Thornton’s national managing partner of geography.