Ross Thornton is Senior Managing Director in the FTI Strategic Communications practice and is based in London.
Experience
Mr. Thornton recently assumed the role of coordinating the practice’s cross-border M & A team, which covers 25 of the key financial centres of the globe and consists of more than 80 specialist advisers. Immediately prior to this London-based assignment, he served as President of the practice’s business in the Asia-Pacific region.
Mr. Thornton has spent the past fifteen years advising companies on transaction communications, as well as on building two of the most successful financial communications businesses in the Asia-Pacific region. He joined Financial Dynamics in 2007 via the acquisition of Third Person, the largest financial PR house in Australia which he and partner Jim Kelly and a dedicated team established in 2002.
Mr. Thorton is a trusted adviser to Boards and management teams on high-profile cross border transactions. Recent assignments have included SABMiller’s proposal to Foster’s Ltd, Westpac Banking Corporation’s merger with St George Bank, and Singapore Power’s asset divestment program in Australia. He has also honed and implemented comprehensive communications strategies for some of Australia’s best-known corporate names, developing strategic blueprints for all of Woolworths acquisition programs, for Morgan Stanley Real Estate’s $6.6 billion takeover of Investa and Brookfield’s $4.2 billion takeover of Multiplex.
Prior to setting up Third Person, Mr. Thornton was one of the founding partners of Cannings, which was also a market-leading firm in Australia between 1997 and 2002. During this period, Rhe personally drove the communications strategies on many major transactions including the controversial August 2000 demutualisation and sharemarket listing of NRMA and the $20 billion merger of Brambles and GKN to form Brambles plc, to name but a few.
Mr. Thornton also brings a depth of understanding to client relationships, having worked as Corporate Affairs Manager for regional pay television broadcaster Austar during its start-up phase. In this role, he managed a range of communications and lobbying agencies alongside a small team of internal and external communications staff, affording him many insights into life as a client of consultancies like FTI Consulting.
Mr. Thornton’s career commenced as a media adviser to several Australian politicians, including the Premier of NSW from 1993 to 1995, John Fahey.
He has a Bachelor of Arts (Communications) degree from the University of Technology, Sydney.