Richard heads the firm’s Business Advisory Group which includes the firm’s audit and assurance, business services, business advisory, not-for-profit, corporate finance, and sustainability and ESG teams in London.
As well as being a Chartered Accountant and auditor, Richard is also a Chartered Tax Adviser, providing a wide range of compliance and advisory services to both companies and individuals.
Through his diverse domestic and international client base, Richard has considerable experience advising on cross-border issues and supporting large groups of companies and regularly works closely with other professional advisers overseas. Richard is also heavily involved with Nexia, a top global accounting network, and helps to facilitate international projects and deliver complex cross-border solutions.
Richard’s clients range from new start-up ventures, long-standing family businesses and large international groups. Richard advises clients with worldwide activities, including Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Australasia.
Richard’s key philosophy is that he is a true client partner and looks after all the affairs of both the business and the associated individuals, bringing together both elements in a practical and tax efficient way. Richard aims to deliver this personal, tailored and private client approach to all of his clients, irrespective of their size.
As well as helping his clients with audit, tax and accounting matters, Richard is often the Board’s key trusted adviser and sounding board, and he regularly advises management on practical, strategic and commercial business issues.
Richard has been responsible for designing and building the firm’s Sustainability and ESG team which now provides a range of advisory and reporting services to clients including maturity assessments, materiality assessments, reporting advisory, systems implementation, supply chain review and ESG due diligence.
Communication with clients is key for Richard and he keeps in touch regularly by attending board meetings, reviewing quarterly board reports, holding meetings in the year and simply by picking up the phone. This helps Richard to spot planning opportunities and add value for his clients.
In addition to his client work, Richard heads the firm’s Business Advisory Group, comprising 140 partners and staff in London. Richard sits on the firm’s London Operational and Management Boards.
Richard also sits on the board of Nexia, the top global accounting network of which Saffery is a member.
Key experience
- Assisting an expanding UK owned group setting up operations in the USA and Asia,
- Designing and implementing a share option incentive structure for a growing international business,
- Providing tax planning and succession advice to shareholders of a large UK family business,
- Assisting an international professional services firm with starting their sustainability and ESG journey,
- Helping a large US based corporation structure and form their new UK operations,
- Delivering an audit of consolidated financial statements for a large international group,
- Completing financial and tax due diligence on a UK target business for an overseas acquirer,
- Performing purchase price allocation and share option valuation reports for an international group,
- Providing a fully outsourced personal tax return service to the partners of a large professional services firm.
Interests
When not spending time with his family, Richard also enjoys socialising, entertaining, travel, music, making things and learning new things.
