Mitchell Charlesworth bolsters team with five senior appointments
Mitchell Charlesworth has made a series of senior appointments in its tax, audit and accounts, outsourcing and wealth management teams.
Aaron Phillips is a director of tax who has over twenty years of experience in both personal and business tax planning. He qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2005 and became a Fellow of the Association of Tax Technicians in 2011.
With experience of both personal and business taxes, Aaron is responsible for identifying and advising on tax planning opportunities for both owner managed businesses and high net worth individuals. He delivers tax advice on a range of specialisms including business succession, capital gains tax and inheritance tax planning.
Aaron rejoins the firm after 6 years and is based in Mitchell Charlesworth’s Chester office.
Manager Gary Evans will be working to develop Mitchell Charlesworth’s outsourcing services which include management reporting, VAT returns & bookkeeping. Gary is an expert in business process improvement and using cloud accounting technology, such as Xero.
Gary has a varied background across corporate finance, audit, and business advisory services. He has experience of both practice and industry. He works with many owner-managed and family-run businesses across a range of sectors, including construction and trades, property development, professional services, e-commerce and retail.
After studying Accounting & Corporate Finance at the University of Adelaide, Gary gained his chartered accountant status with Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand.
Jonathan Leatherbarrow is an independent financial advisor who has joined the firm’s wealth management team. He brings extensive knowledge and experience from specialist advisory roles within both private banking and investment management.
Jonathan enjoys building lasting relationships with clients and their families, and provides tax-efficient financial advice including pensions, investments, protection and estate planning to private clients and business owners.
Manager Michelle Southworth has joined the Liverpool audit and accounts team. Having worked in the accountancy industry for over 20 years, Michelle has gained extensive experience and knowledge in all accounting and tax matters for clients, ranging from accounts preparation and tax returns for sole traders and SMEs to carrying out audit work on large multinational corporations.
Michelle qualified as a certified accountant in 2015 and has experience of advising businesses across a wide range of sectors, including IT and communications, leisure and hospitality and the construction industry.
The firm has also welcomed assistant manager Emerald Thomas to its audit and accounts team in Chester.
After completing her A levels in 2005, Emerald joined a firm of accountants in Shrewsbury to undertake an apprenticeship studying for the AAT qualification, followed by the Chartered Certified Accountancy (ACCA) professional qualification, for which she qualified in 2011 and is currently a member.
Emerald has experience of looking after and advising a wide range of industries, having managed a varied portfolio of clients in previous roles, particularly clients in agriculture, construction, publishing, marketing and hospitality.
Mitchell Charlesworth promotes eight
Mitchell Charlesworth has made a series of promotions, including an audit and accounts partner and a director of tax.
Jamielee Johnston has become an audit and accounts partner in Manchester. Jamielee has over thirteen years’ practice experience and has worked her way up at Mitchell Charlesworth, joining as an assistant manager in 2016 and then progressing to manager, associate and now partner. As part of her role Jamielee looks after a wide range of clients, with a particular specialism in the charity and voluntary sector. Jamielee also advises many owner-managed businesses and can assist with tax planning and growth support.
Phil Hartley has been promoted to director of tax. Phil is a chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser with more than ten years’ experience of dealing with owner-managed businesses and providing tax advice on a wide range of issues. Phil joined Mitchell Charlesworth in 2018 and works across the firm’s four offices providing tax advice to a wide-ranging portfolio of clients, particularly with regards to corporation tax and group restructuring. Phil has a specialism in R&D tax relief and has helped businesses to reclaim over £2.1 million in tax relief during 2020. Phil was chosen as one of the UK’s rising talents in the Accountancy Age 35 under 35 2019 ranking.
Michael Griffiths (Chester), Sarah Reeves (Chester) and Nick Spruce (Liverpool) have all been promoted to the role of audit and accounts manager.
Michael Griffiths joined the firm in 1999 and now manages a varied portfolio of clients, including small to medium sized business and organisations within the charity sector.
Sarah Reeves joined the practice shortly before gaining her ACA qualification in 2014. Sarah has specialist knowledge of auditing and accounting procedures across a wide range of industries, particularly in agriculture, property and corporate groups. She manages a portfolio of mostly limited companies. She also specialises in charitable companies, including several academies.
Nick Spruce graduated from university with a degree in accountancy and financial management before gaining his ACA qualification. He has more than 9 years’ experience of working with a wide range of small and medium sized businesses across a wide range of sectors. Nick joined the firm in 2017 and his promotion will see him take on larger client delivery responsibilities.
Elsewhere in the firm Adam Warburton (Chester), Hannah Swettenham (Chester) and Charlotte Eaton (Manchester) have all been promoted to the role of assistant manager.
Alison Buckley, managing partner of the Manchester office at Mitchell Charlesworth, said: “These promotions are thoroughly well deserved and reflect the hard work, commitment and outstanding contribution these talented individuals make to the firm and our clients.”
Tim Adcock, Chester managing partner and head of Mitchell Charlesworth’s tax team, added: “At what is a very challenging time for businesses, we continue to find new ways to meet our clients’ evolving needs. With these promotions we have a team in place with the expertise and experience to support and service our clients effectively.”
Mitchell Charlesworth helps North West businesses access over £2.1 million in R&D tax credits in 2020
In 2020 Mitchell Charlesworth helped businesses in the North West access more than £2.1 million from the government’s research and development (R&D) tax credit initiative.
The average amount of R&D tax relief received by Mitchell Charlesworth’s clients was more than £40,000. Successful claims have been made across a wide variety of industries, including manufacturing, technology, construction and professional services. Not all of these industries are offering high tech solutions or groundbreaking research and the R&D tax relief is available across a wide range of business activities.
Phil Hartley, tax director and R&D specialist at Mitchell Charlesworth, says: “The claims that we have been able to support our clients with during the uncertainty that 2020 brought have been a significant boost when businesses needed it most.
“However, with the Brexit agreement now in force and the current government keen to promote that the UK is open for business, R&D tax credits are playing a crucial role throughout 2021 in demonstrating this position and assisting businesses to continue to innovate and grow.
“Having said this, overall awareness for the relief continues to be low and there are still a large amount of companies missing out on potentially tens of thousands in R&D tax credits due to the common misconception that they simply don’t qualify.”
For more information about R&D tax credits, please contact Phil Hartley on 0161 817 6100 or email phil.hartley@mitchellcharlesworth.co.uk
