|
We Are...
Department
profiles
A little bit about the people who work here and how
we work.
Audit
The Audit department currently has over 40 staff, comprising
trainees on a three year training contract, qualified audit seniors, assistant
managers and managers. Staff and managers report to 12 partners, working for
clients in teams and on a project-by-project basis.
As well as conducting statutory audits for
clients, we see ourselves as business advisors - from partners to juniors. We
undertake due diligence reports, and cash flow or profit projections. We also
do basic accounts preparation for smaller clients, and work very closely with
the corporate tax department.
The Audit department is very busy and full
of buzz - but people still take time to stop and think. The department has been
described as being "Like a swan - graceful above the water and going like the
clappers underneath!" Clients like our staff and often ask for them by name -
and staff often ask to return year after year to see how the client's business
has grown.
Corporate Tax
The Corporate Tax department is headed by
Nilesh Shah, working with other
specialist partners, and includes senior managers Julia Lovell and Toby
Ryland.
The department offers consultancy to client
companies on domestic and international legislation, finding creative solutions
to their corporation tax problems. They have experience of taking cases to the
Commissioners where there is a dispute and negotiating with HM Revenue and
Customs on behalf of clients. They also advise businesses wishing to set up in
the UK, helping them decide on the form of their business and what implications
it may have in their home country. Transfer pricing is an increasingly
important issue for the department's clients.
The team offers a compliance service to UK
companies, prepares computations for corporation tax, advises on liabilities
and the timing of payments and corresponds with HM Revenue and Customs in case
of disputes.
Achievements:
The team had one case before the special commissioners recently
where they were able to solve a deduction dispute with a fresh approach to the
capitalisation of a UK business - something the client's previous accountancy
firm wasn't able to help them with.
They were also able to advise on the sale
of a business involving 25 individual shareholders, coming up with a solution
that resulted in reducing the average tax paid from 40% to 25%.
Financial Planning
As an integral part of our Private Client
Group, the department offers independent and objective advice on a wide range
of financial areas; including pension planning, overall financial strategy and
associated tax planning - particularly in respect of Inheritance Tax.
Our Online Valuation Service provides
clients with up-to-date pension fund valuations, any time night or day.
Our Employee Benefit Team advises on and
establishes pension and benefit schemes for companies and partnerships, and
specialises in overseas companies locating in the UK.
Further information on the department can
be obtained by clicking
here
or within our
publications
pages.
Trust
The Trust department includes director
Leo Joyce, Manager Mai Brown, Assistant
Manager Nicola Walters, senior Robin Marks and secretary Jan Rossington. The
department has, collectively, nearly 50 years' experience advising Trust
department clients, and that's not including Jan, who has worked for Blick
Rothenberg for over 30 years!
The department undertakes accounting and
administrative work for foreign and UK trusts and estates and also for
charities. Specifically, they prepare accounts and reports for trustees and
beneficiaries, co-ordinate with the personal tax department on compliance and
planning.
Leo
Joyce, Nicola Walters and Robin Marks are all members of the Society of
Trust and Estate Practitioners.
All the staff have or are training towards
an industry recognised qualification.
Personal Tax
The personal tax team includes:
- Angela Beech, a partner within the firm who specialises
in wealth management advice and services to private individuals, families and
businesses.
- Eight other team members who each have their own
portfolios of clients to whom they offer advice on all aspects of UK personal
tax in addition to dealing with the necessary "HM Revenue and Customs
Compliance" work.
The department members liase with other
departments within the firm in particular with the Trust department in
connection with Estates and Inheritance Tax planning.
The department's clients come from a wide
variety of backgrounds including medical professionals, consultants, city
executives, company directors or family groups. Some of the team's clients are
well known but of course names are confidential!
In addition to dealing with individuals,
the department also deals with various professional partnerships including the
preparation of the partnership tax return.
One of the team's particularly strong areas
is advising clients coming from overseas to the UK, non-UK domicilaries and
non-resident landlords (both individuals and companies). They advise
individuals or companies on tax planning with the aim of mitigating Income Tax,
Capital Gains Tax and Inheritance Tax liabilities.
Company
Registrar
The Company Registrar department comprises two
staff: Ian Marten, a qualified Chartered Secretary, and Ruth Murray who has
worked in the department for several years. It is headed by partner John
Newman.
The department sets up new companies for
clients, using electronic incorporation technology. For existing companies, the
department takes care of the maintenance of the statutory registers, draft
resolutions and minutes for directors' meetings and general meetings of
shareholders and prepares and files (electronically where accepted) forms and
related documents with the Registrar of Companies. These cover such matters as
annual returns, increases in authorised and issued share capital, transfers of
shares, redemptions of shares, some purchases of own shares, changes to the
company's officers, changes of registered office, changes of accounting
reference date and changes of name. The department also deals with the
appropriate paperwork covering the formal approval of annual accounts.
Practice
Management
(Administration, Accounts, IT, Marketing,
Postroom, Facilities and Partnership Secretarial)
The practice management team is responsible
for a diverse array of functions within the firm, including recruitment,
training, IT systems, marketing, compliance and a whole range of support
services. The team is led by the practice director, Paul Finnegan, supported by
an experienced team covering all the practice management areas.
To ensure the partners and managers
function as efficiently as possible, a team of secretaries, co-ordinated by
Tessa Jones, meets their administrative needs.
To maintain the high levels of service our
clients have grown to expect, the firm makes a significant investment in
attracting, retaining and developing its staff. The human resources department,
led by Chrysta Dick, is responsible for all aspects of recruitment, performance
management and training at the firm, and facilitates the yearly intake of
Chartered Accountant trainees.
The IT team is managed by Dan Davies. The
IT support function is supervised by James Sillett and includes Jason
Pritchard, IT project amanger and Grant Carter who provides additional support
including the deployment of new software and hardware.
The marketing department is managed by
Oliver Woodman-Smith, Julia Fawcett is marketing assistant and they work
closely with our PR consultant David Barzilay. The firm regularly provides
comment in the national press, radio and television.
Our partnership secretary, Jon Pollins, has
overall responsibility for our internal accounts department, as well as dealing
with various compliance matters. Chum Kumal, Richard Fitzsimons and Pritika
Patel cover the full range of accounting functions including credit control.
Richard McLoughlin manages our facilities
departments. Our reception area is looked after by Nicola Gondi and Setareh
Heslop, who ensure a friendly welcome to visitors alongside coordinating our
busy switchboard. Guy Stroud heads our Catering department and behind the
scenes the rest of the facilities team ensure the post is delivered, documents
filed and the building is kept in a good condition.
BRAL
BRAL is a fast-growing department and continues to be a major
driver of new business for the firm as a whole. The client base consists
entirely of overseas companies with UK subsidiaries - BRAL offers them a range
of services which have been developed and tailored to allow them a trouble free
and controlled entry to the UK market.
BRAL's staff reflects London's cultural
diversity, and that of our clients, with 21 languages spoken. Staff members are
personally responsible for their own clients and report in groups to Account
Managers and ultimately, to the Directors.
Core services are financial administration,
bookkeeping, payroll, receivables management and VAT compliance. Peripheral
services include market research, recruitment, UK set-up services and strategic
review.
BRAL thrives on great communication levels
and giving staff the responsibility they need to really help their clients. The
majority of management positions are currently held by internal appointees.
Payroll
Maureen Bennett, Manager of the Payroll unit in BRAL, joined the
department in 1989 when the client base was around 40 - it is now approaching
400!
The Payroll team sets up payrolls from
scratch, dealing with HM Revenue and Customs, as well as taking over existing
payrolls when companies decide to outsource this function or when they change
their accountants. |
top
Audit