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Grant Thornton Stax is pleased to announce the naming of both Paul Edwards and Robert Lytle to The Consulting Report's "Top Private Equity Consultants and Leaders of 2026."
For more than 30 years, our firm has delivered actionable, data-driven insights to private equity clients, PE-backed companies, hedge funds, and investment banks, supporting thousands of engagements across sectors and markets. We’re thrilled to share this recogintion with Paul and Robert, and how their contributions work towards our commitment to excellence and client impact.
The ambitions of private equity firms depend on far more than the capital at their disposal. Every acquisition carries assumptions about a company’s prospects, and every investment thesis must ultimately stand up to actual business performance. Private equity consultants help investors separate genuine opportunities from costly miscalculations, while advising businesses across industries ranging from healthcare and technology to manufacturing and infrastructure. This year's honorees have distinguished themselves through the quality of their judgment and their contributions to the success of private equity investments. Consisting of 18 individuals across a range of firms and roles, The Consulting Report evaluated candidates based on their depth of specialized experience, advisory impact, industry influence, and leadership within their firms.
Click below to read the full list of honorees:
Over the past two decades, Paul has become a trusted advisor to many of the world's top dealmakers. He has built Stax's private equity practice into a global powerhouse, now supporting more than 300 engagements annually and guiding successful investments across five continents. He led the business into becoming the PE Advisory arm of Grant Thornton in 2025.
Throughout his career, Paul has led over 1,000 engagements for private equity sponsors, spanning buy- and sell-side diligence and growth strategy, and advising on over $100B of deal value. Known for blending sharp, data-driven analysis with real-world insight, he brings deep sector expertise in software and industrials.
Robert has advised investors and corporate clients on investment decisions, performance improvement, and complex transactions, including corporate turnarounds, mergers, divestitures, and privatizations. At Grant Thornton Stax, he is part of the firm's Education & Public Sector practice and has supported transactions involving education businesses, including the 2026 sale of Axcel Learning to Inverness Graham.
Before joining Grant Thornton Stax in 2025, Robert spent more than 25 years at Parthenon and EY-Parthenon. He was a founding member of Parthenon’s global education practice, which he led for 15 years, advising education companies, universities, K-12 institutions, and government agencies. He later led EY-Parthenon’s U.S. government and public sector practice.
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