Sacha Romanovitch

Sacha Romanovitch OBE is a transformational leader and strategist who specialises in building purpose-driven cultures, inclusive leadership, and sustainable business models that unite commercial success with social impact. As the first woman to lead a major UK accounting firm, she served as CEO of Grant Thornton UK, achieving a 94% employee approval rating, ranking in the top 50 CEOs globally on Glassdoor, and securing the Queen's Award for Enterprise alongside the top position in the UK Social Mobility Index. She now leads Fair4All Finance, co-chairs the government's Inclusive Economy Partnership, and serves on the board of London & Partners. Through her keynote sessions, Sacha equips organisations to implement strategy with clarity, energise teams around shared values, and build resilient cultures where diversity and purpose drive measurable competitive advantage in a landscape where social responsibility and commercial performance are inseparable.

When Sacha Romanovitch took the helm at Grant Thornton UK, she made history as the first woman to lead a major accounting firm in the country. Her leadership journey began with an entrepreneurial venture at university whilst studying chemistry, which sparked her curiosity about how business truly operates. She qualified as an accountant and joined Grant Thornton, spending over twenty-five years rising through the organisation. Within a decade, she became a Partner and was appointed the firm's first board member responsible for People and Culture, a role that reflected her deep commitment to talent development. Throughout her tenure as CEO, she championed a radical reimagining of what a major professional services firm could become, dismantling traditional hierarchies and reshaping the culture around shared enterprise, purpose-driven profit, and genuine diversity. Under her leadership, the firm shifted recruitment priorities away from purely academic credentials towards recognising what candidates could contribute, fostering an environment where innovation and openness flourished.

Her leadership delivered measurable results that validated this approach. In her final year as CEO, she achieved a 94% employee approval rating and ranked in the top 50 CEOs in the Glassdoor index, just two places behind Apple's Tim Cook. The firm also earned the Queen's Award for Enterprise and topped the UK Social Mobility Index, recognition that demonstrated her vision for a more inclusive professional services sector. As a qualified coach and NLP practitioner, Sacha established a leadership philosophy centred on understanding the values and purpose of both the business and its people, believing that even the most change-resistant individuals could be persuaded through engagement and development opportunities. Her work extended beyond Grant Thornton through her role as chair of the patron group for Access Accountancy, an industry-wide social mobility initiative providing equal access to the profession for talented young people from all backgrounds, and her position on the UK National Advisory Board to the Global Social Impact Investment Steering Group.

Following Grant Thornton, Sacha led Fair4All Finance, a non-profit organisation working with the financial sector to address systemic challenges and improve financial wellbeing for vulnerable individuals. She co-chairs the Inclusive Economy Partnership, a government-convened initiative uniting business, society, and politics to drive change across mental health, transition to work, and financial inclusion. She also serves on the board of London & Partners, collaborating with the Mayor of London's office to promote the city internationally. Through her keynote sessions, Sacha equips organisations to implement strategy effectively, develop resilient leadership, and build cultures where diversity and purpose create lasting competitive advantage. Audiences gain practical frameworks for navigating change, energising teams around shared values, and positioning their businesses to thrive in an evolving landscape where social responsibility and commercial success are inseparable. Her focus on economic collaboration and construction rather than disruption helps leaders give their teams the confidence to step forward, knowing they will be supported as they learn and grow.