What do you do?

I lead the Transaction Tax team here at Cooper Parry. On a day-to-day basis, that means that I work closely with clients as they go through a transaction to ensure they have no nasty tax surprises, and to minimise their tax cost on the deal.

I’m also a passionate believer in diversity and inclusion, especially gender diversity, and I get involved in lots of activities around this agenda. I set up and run a female entrepreneur network, and I mentor talented women in the local business community.

Why do you do it?

Honestly, I fell into the accounting profession after completing a Law degree and then deciding I didn’t want to be a solicitor! I opted instead to become an accountant, and after 3 years of training in audit (which definitely wasn’t for me, especially when I ended up doing a stock count of giant toilet rolls!) I chose to specialise in tax, and in particular transaction tax, as a way to combine my love of numbers with my legal training.

I love what I do; it’s an opportunity to work with some fabulous entrepreneurs, business owners and investors, and to partner with them to achieve their end goals in a tax efficient way!  I especially love spending time with female entrepreneurs, which allows me to combine my love of entrepreneurship with my passion for gender diversity.

I am inspired daily by the journeys of entrepreneurial business leaders; their motivations; their drive and determination; their ability to pick themselves up after setbacks.  It generates a kind of infectious enthusiasm that I want to be part of.

I also thrive working alongside the fantastic team at Cooper Parry. The culture is a perfect fit with my own values, where they prioritise people and culture, and the teams that I work alongside are amazing. I love that we are all striving towards the same goals, all wanting to be the best that we can, but having fun along the way.

What kind of projects have you been involved in?

Over the years I’ve worked with all types of businesses, large and small, in many jurisdictions across the world, and across all sectors. I provide no-nonsense, practical advice to ensure that tax doesn’t scupper the deal, and where possible, enhances the outcome.

I advise on the tax structuring and due diligence aspects of all types of transactions, working with both individuals and companies.  This includes:

– Buying or selling businesses;

– Undertaking a restructuring or refinancing;

– Planning a partial cash out/exit; or

– Helping those looking to float their businesses.

Tax can be complex, especially in the context of a transaction, and my role is to make it simple (or at least to appear simple on the surface, whilst I deal with all the complexities in the background). Ultimately, my aim is to ensure that the tax aspects of the deal run smoothly.

What’s on top of your bucket list?

My husband and I like to take part in classic car rallies. It’s some time since we took the plunge in a DB6 to drive from Peking to Paris (a daunting, very challenging but hugely exhilarating experience), and the next adventure we’d like to do is to drive the length and breadth of South America. We won’t be doing that in the DB6 (having wrecked and rebuilt it twice already!) but we have a classic Mercedes SLC, bought and rally prepared, raring to hit the road! 

Alongside that, I am an avid health and fitness enthusiast, and I have a long list of adventures I’d like to complete, including canoeing the Yukon, and scaling the major mountains of the world. Oh, and I’d like to set up my own bootcamp retreat.