What do you do?

I’m a Senior Manager in the Tech and High Growth team at Cooper Parry, which means I look after all things tax for some incredible fast-growing entrepreneurial businesses. Whether they need a hand with the initial structuring, managing growth or getting ready for an exit event, I’m here to help. I’ve also dealt with more than my fair share of unpicking tax problems other advisors have created!

Basically, I sort out the tax stuff, so my clients can crack on with doing what they do best: running their businesses.

Why do you do it?

I actually studied foreign languages at university and nearly went into IT or teaching. Tax always sounds like a random choice, but tax jargon is just another language I learnt to speak, write and translate. Explaining how tax works to clients is a lot of fun, and I love working with tech clients in particular because I totally get what they do, and find their businesses utterly fascinating! Tax, to me, is just a hodgepodge of things I really like, bundled up under an unexpected label.

I’m not big on the traditional accountancy stereotypes, so working for a firm like CP is an absolute dream!

What kind of projects have you been involved in?

The short answer is whatever needs doing! I’ve always focused on corporation tax but have a broad background covering anything a young business needs help with. At CP so far, I’ve mainly been involved in corporate structuring, international taxes, due diligence projects and setting up share incentive schemes.

Outside of client work, I look after our team as a line manager and Mental Health First Aider, write about technical stuff, and sit on our Diversity and Inclusion committee.

What’s on top of your bucket list?

Giving back to my local community is really important to me, and I’ve been a regular volunteer for even longer than I’ve been a tax geek. One of the charities I volunteer for, Crisis, wants to do itself out of existence by ending homelessness, and I’d love to see that happen.

I have some ambitious goals around diversity, equality and inclusion. I’m both a big ideas person and someone who gets stuff done, so watch this space!