Grant Thornton, a leading professional services firm, is seeing a rapid growth in its Bahrain operation affirming a revival of economic activity.

Grant Thornton Abdulaal in Bahrain managing partner Jassim Abdulaal said the firm in the past few years saw an average annual growth rate of 16 per cent, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

"We have developed in a dynamic manner and now have more than 700 clients present in various sectors and have also increased the number of our professional staff to 74," stated Abdulaal.

He said the outlook for the current year was bright with regional collaborations expected to benefit the country's business environment.

Abdulaal was speaking on the sidelines of the Middle East regional meeting of Grant Thornton to discuss business development and review the growth opportunities in the Middle East region.

Managing partners from the Middle East firms, along with the senior members from the Grant Thornton International head office in the UK, attended the meeting at the Gulf Hotel.

Grant Thornton, a global leader for the Middle East and Asia Pacific Region Nigel Ruddock was the key mentor in the meeting.

"Grant Thornton has registered an overall growth of 8.1 per cent last year, earning a global revenue of $4.5 billion," Ruddock said.

"Our Middle East revenues have grown by 20 per cent. It has been a very successful year with prestigious client wins from all around the region," he added.

Grant Thornton is a leading global assurance and advisory firm with a presence in over 130 countries, and 38,500 employees globally.-TradeArabia News Service