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GT Advisors invest $1 billion to equip with AI tools

Rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot expected to seed significant productivity gains

CHICAGO — Grant Thornton Advisors LLC (Grant Thornton Advisors) is investing $1 billion over three years to provide powerful AI tools and technology to the entire workforce at its multinational professional-services platform, which stretches from the Americas across Europe to the Middle East. The investment will help the platform deliver innovative and high-quality accounting, tax and advisory services based on a people-centric model powered by AI.

The investment marks a strategic move toward creating a future-ready, technology infrastructure — one built around integrated systems that address market demands and fuel organizational growth. As a result, the multinational platform will be able to deliver a better end-to-end digital experience for both its professionals and its clients.

Grant Thornton Advisors is currently putting its investment into action by providing the more than 13,500 platform professionals in 60 multinational offices with access to Microsoft 365 Copilot. The rollout complements an earlier pilot project that saw Grant Thornton Advisors provide Microsoft’s AI tool to a 400-person cohort of professionals — generating significant productivity gains. It expects to see broader benefits when all of the platform’s professionals, regardless of role, integrate Microsoft 365 Copilot into their Grant Thornton data sources and Microsoft apps.

“This isn’t just about investing in AI and technology, it’s about investing in our people,” said Jim Peko, CEO of Grant Thornton Advisors LLC. “We’re giving every professional across our multinational platform — from Chicago to Dubai — the kinds of tools they need to work smarter, faster and in keeping with their individual styles. The result is something that is uniquely Grant Thornton: People who are empowered do their best work so clients benefit from the quality and results they need.”

Mike Kempe, chief information officer of Grant Thornton Advisors LLC, echoes this sentiment: “This investment is a big step as we ensure that every person at the Grant Thornton Advisors platform has AI and technology resources at the ready, from our newest hires to our most seasoned professionals. The Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout, for example, will help our people save time, balance their workloads and make more insightful decisions. This means they’ll be able to efficiently provide our clients with personalized high-quality services.”

Grant Thornton Advisors’ managing partner for Advisory Services in the U.S., Tom Puthiyamadam, stresses that the Copilot rollout is one of many moves that will help the firm deliver quality services powered by AI and grounded in human insights.

“We’re building a full-service platform amplified by AI and advanced technologies,” he said. “Investing in tools such as Copilot is a critical next step in this effort and part of a steady cadence of innovations that will help us provide clients with novel solutions to whatever challenges lie ahead.”

Grant Thornton Advisors’ embrace of AI is fueled by its recent investment led by New Mountain Capital, a growth-oriented investment firm with approximately $55 billion in assets under management.

According to Andre Moura and Nikhil Devulapalli, managing directors at New Mountain Capital: “We are proud to support this major AI investment as Grant Thornton Advisors builds out one of the strongest technology-enabled platforms in the accounting profession. Grant Thornton is leading the market in developing and deploying AI technologies for the benefit of its clients, and we intend to continue supporting these types of investments.”

Over the past year, Grant Thornton Advisors has made notable progress implementing a phased AI maturity model across its platform. In May, it launched CompliAI^TM, a proprietary AI solution that uses advanced capabilities and a custom-trained large-language model, to help clients control and assess risks. Also in May, Accounting Today magazine named Grant Thornton Advisors one of its 2025 Best Firms for Technology — citing the “three tiers of [the firm’s] successful technology strategy: application modernization, data centralization and AI integration.”

According to Brian Willson, vice president at Microsoft: “Grant Thornton Advisors is accelerating its digital transformation journey by deploying Microsoft 365 Copilot across its platform’s entire workforce. This move reflects the firm’s commitment to innovation and its focus on delivering tech-forward professional services. Microsoft is proud to support the firm as it embraces AI to empower its people and enhance client outcomes.”

Grant Thornton Advisors established its multinational, muti-disciplinary platform in January 2025. To date, transactions have been announced with several full-service accounting and consulting firms to join the platform, including those in Ireland, the UAE, Switzerland/Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the Cayman Islands and the Channel Islands.

Additionally, Grant Thornton Advisors recently acquired Auxis, a U.S.-based leader and pioneer in outsourcing and business modernization services. And, last month, it announced a transaction that will add an additional advisory firm to its platform: Stax, a leading strategy consulting firm specializing in commercial due-diligence, value-creation and exit-planning services for private equity firms, as well as their portfolio companies and advisors.

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September 4, 2025
Darth Vader’s lightsaber among movie props up for auction in Los Angeles | Los Angeles

Iconic movie props from a galaxy far, far away, and from a search for the Holy Grail much closer to home, are for sale in a blockbuster auction in California featuring a trove of silver screen history.

Darth Vader’s lightsaber from the final two films of the original Star Wars trilogy is the most valuable lot in the three-day online auction hosted by Propstore, a Los Angeles company specializing in movie memorabilia.

The weapon, wielded to devastating effect by Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, in the films The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), is valued at up to $3m. It is worn and has several dings and imperfections, which Propstore said enhances its authenticity and value.

The company said it is believed to be “the only hero lightsaber prop with verifiable screen-use to ever be offered at public auction” and “one of the rarest and most sought after Star Wars props in existence”.

A host of other artifacts from a range of action, adventure and science fiction movies make up the rest of the more than 1,000 lots in the three-day sale that ends on Saturday.

Among them are the leather whip brandished by actor Harrison Ford in the 1989 movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as he battled Nazis in a quest for the Holy Grail (estimated value $500,000); and the electro biomechanical neural transmitting zero-synapse repositioner known as a neuralyzer, used by alien hunters Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones to erase people’s memories in the 1997 fantasy tale Men in Black ($150,000).

For movie buffs not into handheld props, Jane Fonda’s figure hugging catsuit from the 1968 movie Barbarella is valued at up to $10,000, as is a brown leather suit of armor from the Black Queen’s Black Guard in the same movie.

“Collecting is a very personal thing as all collectors have different tastes, but collectors are united through a common passion for the material and its preservation,” Propstore says in its auction brochure.

“Throughout the entertainment industry’s history these items were considered as mere production tools and were therefore commonly discarded. Private collectors stepped in and took preservation into their own hands.

“Some artifact collecting stories are legendary: a college student walking through a field and stumbling on the model miniature space station from 2001: A Space Odyssey after the item was dumped.”

Many of the items for sale reach into the genre of science fiction. There are space suits, laser weapons, posters of spaceships and body armor from movies including Alien, Armageddon and Back to the Future.

Costumes also feature heavily, including Michael Keaton’s Batman suit from the 1989 movie of the same name, valued at $500,000; a Roman soldier’s outfit from the 1959 classic Ben-Hur; and Jeff Bridges’ “bowling and nihilistic confrontation costume” worn as he played the Dude in the 1998 comedy The Big Lebowski.

At the other end of the auction, bidders can fancy themselves as Kiefer Sutherland by buying the Counter Terrorism Unit badge worn by his character Jack Bauer in the Emmy award-winning television series 24; or imagine Tom Hanks’ life on a desert island in the 2000 movie Cast Away by purchasing his blood-stained companion volleyball Wilson, which by Thursday lunchtime had already attracted a bid double its estimated $40,000 value.

According to Propstore, the auction is one of the largest single sales of movie props and artifacts in the industry’s history, and is likely to raise tens of millions of dollars.

“We strive to present these pieces with the same level of care that went into their presentation on screen, as they deserve nothing less,” the company said.

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September 4, 2025
Galaxy Tab S11 $150 off, Lenovo Tab One $95, more

Screenshot

Today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break awaits below with the best early deals on the brand new Galaxy Tab S11 and Galaxy S25 FE deals – save up to $800 with trade-ins + as much $150 in FREE storage upgrades. We also spotted Lenovo’s super-affordable 2025 Tab One Android tablet starting at just $95 shipped today as well as TCL’s 85-inch 144Hz QM7 Google Smart TV at $1,000 off the 2025 launch price. Everything is waiting for you down below.

Samsung launches new Galaxy Tab S11 with FREE $150 storage upgrade, up to $800 off with trade, more

At today’s Galaxy Event, Samsung unleashed the new Galaxy Tab S11 series alongside the new, more affordable Galaxy S25 FE. All of the details on both of the new devices are, of course, waiting for you over at 9to5Google, but we are also tracking some notable early deals on both, including FREE double storage upgrades, up to $800 in trade-in credit, and some serious bundle opportunities too. All of this will also stack with your $50 reserve credit if you happened to take advantage there.

Best Galaxy Tab S11 deals

The Galaxy Tab comes in two forms/sizes once again: the 11-inch S11 and the 14.6-inch S11 Ultra. Both of models are now available for purchase on the official Samsung site with up to $800 in bonus trade-in value on top double storage upgrades for FREE and as much as $150 in free storage upgrades on the Ultra.

You’ll just need to hit up the listing pages above, and scroll down to the trade-in and “Exclusive offers for the full Galaxy experience” sections to access the bonus savings and bundle options.

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Galaxy Tab S11 revives 11-inch size as S Pen ditches Bluetooth, copies iPad placement

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE deals

The new, more affordable Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is also seeing some early adopter deals here today including a FREE double storage upgrade from the base 128GB model up to the 256GB variant $60 value. This can optionally also be paired up with the as much as $400 in savings with a trade-in.

On top of that, Samsung also unleashed its new Galaxy Buds 3 FE – you can score these at 30% off when bundled with the new Galaxy S25 FE smartphone purchase as well. They will drop from $150 down to $104.99 shipped when purchased at the same time.

Samsung’s slimmer, lighter Galaxy S25 FE goes official for $650, available today

Lenovo’s super-affordable 2025 Tab One Android tablet is down to $95 today, $110 with folio case

We just spotted a deal at Lenovo that drops it’s latest 2025 Tab One Android tablet down to $94.99 shipped. Don’t forget to enter promo code EXTRAFIVE during checkout to see the discounted price. This particular model hit the scene in May carrying a $130 price tag after debuting at CES earlier this year. Today’s deal shaves $35 off its usual going rate to mark the lowest price we have tracked for it to date. Amazon also the same tablet with a folio case for $109.99 shipped, which is worth grabbing for just an additional $15. We saw this listing with a folio case go for $105 during the recent Prime Day sale, and it’s now within just $5 of that price. Head below for more details.

Lenovo’s Tab One is among the more budget-friendly Android tablets, making it a solid pick for anyone who just needs a straightforward device for daily use – or even as a starter tablet for kids. It sports an 8.7-inch HD screen and is powered by by the same MediaTek Dimensity G85 octa-core processor as some of its pricier siblings. This tablet comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, plus a microSD slot in case you need extra space. Rounding out the package are a 5,100 mAh battery, a USB-C port, and a few other handy features.

If you’re looking for something more powerful, Lenovo’s 2025 Yoga Tab Plus model is also discounted down to $468 today. This one comes bundled with a keyboard and Tab Pro pen, and it’s down from its usual price of $740.

Today’s accessories and charging deals:

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September 4, 2025
The best stuff announced at IFA so far
The doors to IFA 2025 at Messe Berlin don’t officially open to the public until tomorrow, but several companies have already announced new gadgets, tech, features, and upgrades as Europe’s largest consumer tech show gets underway.

There’s a lot of news to stay on top of, and if you’re struggling to ingest it all, here are some of the best announcements from the show so far including innovative new robovacs, more affordable smart home devices, and even a portable home theater on wheels. You can catch up on all of The Verge’s IFA 2025 coverage right here.

Image: Eufy

Anker’s Eufy smart home brand has come up with an alternative to having to buy several robovacs for homes with multiple floors — but it still involves buying another device. The MarsWalker is equipped with tank-like treads and four arms it uses to climb stairs while carrying one of Eufy’s robot vacuums inside. Pricing won’t be known until it launches in early 2026, but the MarsWalker can handle curved or L-shaped staircases and will come with its own self-charging base.

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Philips Hue could be the real star of IFA 2025 with the biggest launch in the history of the smart lighting company. It’s introducing its first video doorbell and a completely redesigned Hue Bridge Pro with a faster processor and more memory letting it control 150 lights and 50 accessories and store over 500 custom lighting scenes. The new bridge also enables a new feature called Hue MotionAware that lets the company’s smart lights double as motion sensors. To make the smart home even more accessible, Philips Hue is also introducing a more affordable entry-level Essential line with smart bulbs that start at $25 or as low as $15 each when purchased in multipacks and support for Thread. All new Hue bulbs also support Matter-over-Thread, allowing them to pair directly with Matter ecosystems, including Apple Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa, without requiring a Hue Bridge.

Image: Belkin

Belkin’s solution to active noise cancellation reducing your headphones’ battery life is to take the battery out of the equation. As the name implies, the new $34.99 SoundForm USB-C Wired Earbuds with ANC aren’t wireless and instead connect to your smartphone or laptop using a 4-foot-long tangle-resistant USB cable that includes an inline remote with a microphone and volume controls.

Image: Bluetti

Bluetti is introducing what is claims is the world’s first portable power station featuring a safe and long-lasting sodium-ion battery that can be drained and recharged over 4,000 times while still maintaining upwards of 70 percent of its original capacity. Pricing will be revealed closer to its October 2025 launch but the Pioneer Na will deliver up to 1,500W of power through multiple AC outlets and USB ports and offer better extreme cold weather performance than other portable power stations.

Image: Ecovacs

Being able to autonomously return to a dock for a charge more or less solved the battery-life limitations of robot vacuums, but Ecovacs says its new Deebot X11 Omnicyclone won’t need to spend much time out of commission while it tops off its battery. Using GaN-enabled fast charging the $1,499 robovac can quickly recharge every time it returns to its base station to rinse its mopping pads so it spends more time actually vacuuming and cleaning your floors.

Image: Anker

With a 26,250mAh capacity battery and up to 3ooW of output Anker’s new Prime Power Bank can simultaneously charge two power-hungry laptops and a smartphone, making it a useful companion for those who find themselves working on the road. It includes a charging base that powers it back up at 150W, but if you’re in a real hurry you can connect it to a pair of 140W USB-C PD 3.1 chargers that boost the input to up to 250W, taking the power bank from zero to 80 percent in just 35 minutes.

Image: TCL

Making a smartphone less enjoyable to look at might be the fastest way to curb a child’s smartphone addiction. Launching in Europe later this year for around $250, TCL’s Nxtpaper 5G Junior is a smartphone designed for kids featuring the company’s E Ink-inspired display technology that includes a monochromatic mode. Even if the e-reader appearance doesn’t discourage kids from spending hours on their phones, the Nxtpaper 5G Junior’s display should at least be easier on their eyes.

Image: Anker

AI unsurprisingly has a big presence at IFA 2025, but Anker is leveraging it as a backup for your brain. Roughly the size of a quarter, the small $99.99 Soundcore Work uses a pair of microphones to record important meetings or conversations for up to 32 hours when paired with its charger. The recordings are accessible through Soundcore’s mobile app and are temporarily sent to the cloud for transcription and summarization by OpenAI’s GPT-4.1.

Image: Aukey

The wireless charger on your desk is probably still tethered to a power cable, but with its new MagFusion Ark, Aukey is introducing a bit more freedom. It will be available in multiple configurations, but the largest features a charging base with three Qi2.2 pads and a trio of battery-powered Qi2.2-compatible spheres you can take with you to wirelessly charge your smartphone at up to 25W without needing access to a power outlet.

Image: Anker

It stretches the definition of portable, but Anker has created an all-in-one projector that provides a true surround sound experience by sticking its Nebula X1 into a big rolling box that also includes a 160W subwoofer, a pair of 80W detachable soundbar speakers, and two smaller 40W satellite speakers to place behind you. The Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro weighs almost 73 pounds but even heftier is its price tag which is expected to be around $4,000 to $5,000.

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Andrew Liszewski
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September 4, 2025
China's Xi seeks closer coordination with North Korea in meeting with Kim – Reuters
1. China’s Xi seeks closer coordination with North Korea in meeting with Kim Reuters
2. China’s Xi steals the limelight in a defiant push against US-led world order BBC
3. Analysis: China’s military display shows it has the might to back up Xi’s vision of a new world order CNN
4. Nuclear triad and ‘robot wolves’: parade shows off array of Chinese weapons The Guardian
5. China ‘unstoppable’, says Xi with Shehbaz, Kim and Putin at his side Dawn
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September 4, 2025
Zongertinib Receives FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation in Nonsquamous NSCLC With HER2 TKD Mutations
Non–small cell lung cancer

Image created by Ashling Wahner

& MJH Life Sciences using AI

The FDA has granted breakthrough therapy designation to the oral HER2 TKI zongertinib (Hernexeos) for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring HER2 tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) activating mutations.¹

This regulatory decision is supported by data from the phase 1b Beamion LUNG-1 trial (NCT04886804).

At a median follow-up of 11.3 months (95% CI, 10.2-12.3), data from the primary analysis of cohort 1, which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, revealed that the confirmed objective response rate (cORR) with zongertinib at 120 mg daily (n = 75) was 71% (95% CI, 60%-80%; P < .001 against a ≤ 30% benchmark). This included a complete response rate of 7%, and partial response rate of 64%. Among responders (n = 53), 40% had an ongoing response at the November 29, 2024, data cutoff.

The median duration of response (DOR) was 14.1 months (95% CI, 6.9-not evaluable [NE]), and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 12.4 months (95% CI, 8.2-NE).

Data from Beamion LUNG-1 also supported the FDA’s August 2025 decision to grant accelerated approval to zongertinib for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC harboring HER2 TKD activating mutations, as detected by an FDA-approved test, who have received prior systemic therapy.²

“Exploring accelerated review pathways is part of Boehringer’s strategy to have an unprecedented and generational impact on people facing cancer. We are incredibly pleased that [zongertinib] has received breakthrough therapy designation for first-line use in patients living with HER2-mutant NSCLC,” Vicky Brown, senior vice president and head of Immunology, Oncology, and Eye Health at Boehringer Ingelheim, stated in a press release.¹ “This pathway was designed to expedite the development and review of promising medicines for serious diseases and clearly highlights the potential of [zongertinib].”

Updated data for zongertinib will be presented at both the 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer and 2025 ESMO Congress.

Beamion LUNG-1 Study Overview

This open-label study is assessing the efficacy and safety of zongertinib in patients aged 18 years or older with histologically or cytologically confirmed advanced, unresectable, and/or metastatic nonhematologic malignancies who have at least 1 measurable lesion per RECIST 1.1 criteria.^2,4 Patients are required to provide a tumor sample for confirmation of HER2 status and must be willing to undergo protocol-specified biopsies. Additional eligibility criteria include an ECOG performance status of 0 to 2, adequate organ function, and recovery from toxicities related to prior therapies.

The phase 1b portion of the trial comprises 8 cohorts, with cohorts 6 and 8 limited to sites in the US and cohort 7 limited to Japan. Cohort 1 includes patients with tumors harboring a HER2 TKD mutation, cohort 5 includes patients with TKD HER2 mutations previously treated with a HER2-directed antibody-drug conjugate, and cohort 3 includes those with tumors carrying a non-TKD HER2 mutation. Two additional global cohorts are ongoing: cohort 2, which includes patients with previously untreated nonsquamous NSCLC harboring TKD HER2 mutations and cohort 4, which consists of patients with NSCLC harboring TKD HER2 mutations and active brain metastases.

Initially, patients in cohort 1 were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive zongertinib at either 120 mg or 240 mg once daily, whereas those in cohorts 5 and 3 began treatment at 240 mg daily. Based on interim data from cohort 1, the study protocol was amended so that all subsequently enrolled patients received zongertinib at 120 mg once daily.

The primary end point of the study is ORR assessed by blinded independent central review in cohorts 1 and 5 and by investigator review in cohort 3. Secondary end points include DOR and PFS.

Additional Safety and Efficacy Data From Beamion LUNG-1

Additional data from cohort 5 (n = 31) showed that, at a median follow-up of 6.8 months (95% CI, 5.5- 8.5), the cORR was 48% (95% CI, 32%-65%) at the data cutoff. In the exploratory cohort 3 (n = 20), 30% (95% CI, 15%-52%) of patients achieved a cORR.

Regarding safety, all patients in cohort 1 who received the 120 mg dose of zongertinib experienced adverse effects (AEs). Treatment-related AEs were observed in 97% of patients, 17% of which were grade 3 or higher. However, the incidence of AEs leading to dose reductions (7%) and treatment discontinuations (3%) was low. The most common all-grade treatment-related AEs were diarrhea (56%) and rash (33%). Notably, no cases of treatment-related interstitial lung disease (ILD) or toxicities related to ILD were reported in this cohort.

References
1. FDA grants HERNEXEOS breakthrough therapy designation for first line use in HER2 (ERBB2)-mutant advanced NSCLC. News release. Boehringer Ingelheim. September 3, 2025. Accessed September 4, 2025. https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/us/human-health/cancer/lung-cancer/fda-grants-boehringer-breakthrough-therapy-designation
2. Heymach JV, Ruiter G, Ahn MJ, et al. Zongertinib in previously treated HER2-mutant non–small-cell lung cancer. N Eng J Med. 2025;392(23):2321-2333. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2503704
3. FDA grants accelerated approval to zongertinib for non-squamous NSCLC with HER2 TKD activating mutations. FDA. August 8, 2025. Accessed September 4, 2025. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-information-approved-drugs/fda-grants-accelerated-approval-zongertinib-non-squamous-nsclc-her2-tkd-activating-mutations
4. Beamion LUNG-1: a study to test different doses of zongertinib in people with different types of advanced cancer (solid tumors with changes in the HER2 gene). ClinicalTrials.gov. Updated July 28, 2025. Accessed September 4, 2025. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04886804
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September 4, 2025
Congo declares new Ebola outbreak, 28 suspected cases – Reuters
1. Congo declares new Ebola outbreak, 28 suspected cases Reuters
2. World Health Organisation warning as several left dead from eye-bleeding horror virus Daily Star
3. Ebola outbreak kills 15 in DR Congo BBC
4. WHO to Speak on Suspected Hemorrhagic Fever Outbreak in DRC Bloomberg.com
5. Democratic Republic of the Congo declares Ebola virus disease outbreak in Kasai Province WHO | Regional Office for Africa
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September 4, 2025
Kirkland Advises Madison Dearborn Partners on Acquisition of Significant Majority of NFP’s Wealth Business | News

Kirkland & Ellis advised private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC on the debt financing for its proposed acquisition of a significant majority of NFP’s wealth business from Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm. The deal includes Wealthspire Advisors, Fiducient Advisors, Newport Private Wealth and related platforms. The transaction was announced September 3, 2025 and is expected to close in late Q4 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals. Under the terms of the transaction, MDP will acquire the businesses for a total consideration estimated to be $2.7 billion at the time of close.

Read the transaction press release

The Kirkland team included debt finance lawyers Maureen Dixon, Conor O’Muiri and Georgie Bierwirth.

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September 4, 2025
The stars aligned for Docherty and Ross County, says Ferguson

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Tony Docherty has taken over managerial duties at Ross County three months after his departure from Dundee

The “stars aligned” in terms of Ross County and new manager Tony Docherty’s shared ambitions, the club’s chief executive Steven Ferguson has said.

Docherty joins the Championship outfit three months on from his dismissal from Dundee, after he guided them to Scottish Premiership survival last season.

Ferguson said the 54-year-old had a “fire burning like a manager who thinks he has got things to prove”.

He added: “That aligns with Ross County and the fact we’ve got things we need to prove – we want to win this league and we want to get back to the top flight.

“That’s what Tony wants and that’s what we want, so really the stars aligned in that situation.”

‘Passion and ambition’

Ferguson said Don Cowie, who left County by mutual agreement last month, had built a squad capable of promotion, and it was now Docherty’s job to “light the fire” needed to achieve that aim.

Docherty said he had been impressed by the “passion and ambition” of Ferguson and chairman Roy MacGregor during their initial conversations.

He said: “I am really excited and desperate to get started.

“I would like a playing style and an identity on the pitch that the fans can get excited about.”

Docherty said the Championship was an “extremely difficult” division, and he would be drawing on his previous experience as a promotion-chasing assistant manager at Kilmarnock and St Johnstone to get County back into the Premiership.

“I see Ross County as a top flight football club, but there will be real competition,” he added.

Docherty said he was proud of his two seasons at Dundee, and revealed that over the past three months he had visited David Moyes at Everton and Brendan Rodgers at Celtic to get an understanding of how other managers worked.

He said he had also enjoyed his spells as a BBC pundit, and that the role had given him a chance to take a closer look at teams in Scottish and European competitions.

‘Overwhelming support’ for new boss

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County fans hope Docherty can harness the attacking talent of players like Ronan Hale

Meanwhile, fans expect Docherty to bring exciting changes, according to Ross Morren, founder of The County Corner podcast.

Morren said: “Managerial appointments can sometimes split the fan base, but there is overwhelming support for Tony Docherty.

“He is well-known for his attacking brand of football.”

Morren added: “I think we’ve lacked identity to our style of play.

“We’ve the likes of Ronan Hale, Jay Henderson, Adam Emslie, Nicky Clark and Kieran Phillips – there’s a lot of attacking talent there.

“If he is able to harness that then it will be an exciting time to be a Ross County fan.”

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September 4, 2025
UFC Athletes Bring MMA Training To Tactical SWAT Team In Shanghai

“The level of precision and control these athletes operate with is directly applicable to our work,” said Song Songguo, SWAT Team Captain. “The techniques Gilbert and Leech shared on managing distance, leverage, and ground control will undoubtedly enhance our team’s skill set in high-pressure scenarios. This was an incredible opportunity to learn from the very best, and it was inspiring.”

This unique crossover highlighted the profound practicality of MMA, arming those who protect the community with new tools for de-escalation and control.

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September 4, 2025