Grant Thornton Channel Islands has recently bolstered its team of Insolvency Practitioners from four to five, entitled to a UK Insolvency License. This is the largest number of experts found locally in one organisation.

James Pirie, Senior Manager of Recovery & Reorganisation has successfully passed the Joint Insolvency exams, invigilated by the Joint Insolvency Examination Board (JIEB).

These exams can take a year to complete, or several if the exams are taken in series. The qualification is regarded as the ‘Top Gun’ qualification, recognised globally as a gold standard for insolvency and restructuring work. They are highly practical, legal and accountancy focused.

These exams involve two papers; personal Insolvency and corporate insolvency. James’ work, which offered him access to a variety of insolvency appointments, gave him the practical knowledge to pass these exams. They are regarded in the industry as being notoriously difficult to pass. Last year alone, 68% of all candidates who attempted one paper failed. James is the only candidate from Jersey to have passed both papers.

Alan Roberts, Director of Recovery & Reorganisation, said of James’ exam achievement, “James joins me, Jamie Toynton and Ben Rhodes at Grant Thornton as a fully qualified UK Insolvency Practitioner. I’m truly delighted that he has achieved this career-defining qualification. He has gained substantial experience on a number of complex multi-jurisdictional insolvency and restructuring appointments in the past five years. This includes forensic accounting work, which utilises his additional qualification as a Certified Fraud Examiner.”

James said of his recent exam success, “For a number of years I have considered attempting these exams, given I have specialised in insolvency and restructuring. I am both thrilled and relieved to have passed both papers on first attempt, as the JIEB exams are the toughest I have taken to date. I am proud to be joining a small cohort of UK Licenced Insolvency Practitioners in the Channel Islands. I look forward to tackling the challenges a career in insolvency and restructuring will present.”