Corporate

Tony is a hugely experienced accountant, having joined Wenn Townsend in 1987 and become Partner in 1997. His expertise covers succession planning and reorganisation, and advising owner-managed businesses. Tony is deeply knowledgeable about regulations surrounding UK subsidiaries of overseas holding companies, food manufacturing, property and building, e-sales, and leisure. Recently he was able to help with the management buyout of a company where two owner-directors were retiring, and the incoming director was not able to secure necessary finance. As well as his role at Wenn Townsend Tony writes for the The Parliamentary Review, is an Ambassador for B4 Magazine, contributor to Radio Oxford, and representative for Oxfordshire Voice and ROX. Tony is a passionate (but retired) cricketer, as well as a golfer and rugby fan. He enjoys films, loves his dogs and is a ‘reluctant’ gardener.

Andrew joined Wenn Townsend as a partner in 2021, having started his career in 2004. He is skilled in accounts and audit in commercial and charitable sectors, covering multiple international groups and companies in the technology, software, manufacturing and distribution sectors, as well as advising Oxford University colleges. His commercial experience includes preparation and auditing of consolidated accounts for parent companies of international groups, acting as the component auditor for foreign-based parents and conversion of UK accounts into International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). When not busy with his young family, Andrew enjoys skiing, rugby, photography, motor racing, golf and his newest hobby – road cycling.

Ajay joined us in 1990 and was made Partner in 2003, becoming a highly trusted member of our team. He particularly enjoys advising the not-for-profit sector including education and health charities, as well as assisting corporate manufacturing entities with overseas operations, overseeing audits of non-UK companies, and dealing with complex UK GAAP and International Financial Reporting issues. He recently completed the successful VAT registration for an exporter after 18 months of negotiations with HMRC, the client now receiving six-figure monthly VAT refunds. Ajay is a lapsed sportsman, keen sports viewer and Liverpool FC fan. He is also a Trustee of The Karta Initiative, a charity helping Indian students from poor rural backgrounds attend world-leading universities.

An outstanding accountant, Lee came aboard with Wenn Townsend in 2004 and swiftly made Partner in 2005. His real enthusiasms lie in holistic tax planning for families and private individuals, corporate tax work in connection with business sales and purchases, and share and business valuations. In one such case he advised on a share buy-back within a corporate group to allow the withdrawal of the controlling persons from the group business operations, addressing issues caused by the group holding insufficient distributable reserves. Outside work Lee enjoys travelling Europe, listening to music (and attempting to play guitar), cinema and theatre-going, and is an avid reader.

Ben joined us in 2002 and, with over 20 years of audit experience, is one of the firm's audit partners and head of our technical committee. His experience covers a wide range of sectors that include large corporate groups, owner managed companies, pension schemes, schools/colleges, and many other charity sectors. The bulk of his time is spent working closely with clients on planning and reviewing their annual audits, alongside setting up plans for new audit assignments and overseeing a portfolio of non-audit clients. Ben has significant recent experience on multinational group work on various clients, coordinating audit review visits across several separate countries and local audit firms, producing high-level reporting to group audit committees regarding consolidated findings. He also specialises in the provision of grant audits, including for Innovate, H2020, DFID, and other funders, providing high quality assurance reporting in a clear and concise manner. When he’s not working Ben spends most of his spare time coaching youth football, is a keen follower of US sports, and enjoys any remaining time engrossed in a good book or TV show

Lee is a deeply knowledgeable accountancy expert, who joined us back in 2005 and became one of our Partners in 2014. Whilst his expertise is wide ranging, his particular professional interests lie in advising travel companies and arts organisations such as theatres and museums, specialising in preparation of accounts and audits, and creative industry tax reclaim. Lee is also an IT specialist, helping clients to design bespoke reporting packages to automate preparation of management accounts. Recently he completed the transition of a theatre company's bookkeeping system from Sage to Xero, integrating their ticketing system with Xero to enable correct revenue recognition and seamless reconciliation of all payment types. In his free time, Lee enjoys theatre, sport and fantasy football.

Stuart joined our team in 1992 and was made Partner in 2002. An expert in his field, he enjoys working across a broad range of sectors and clients, including family businesses, start-ups, charities and personal tax clients. He is highly skilled at computerising clients' accounting systems (notably Sage and Xero) and overseeing clients’ IT requirements. Stuart recently took over a healthcare client, assisting with their monthly management accounts and reporting to an overseas group, filing monthly VAT returns, statutory accounts, corporation tax and R&D claims. Outside the office Stuart enjoys skiing, walking, cycling, kayaking, touring holidays in the family motorhome, watching motorsports, and being a closet Arsenal supporter.

Kathryn joined us in 2022 as our Director of Advisory Services. Having qualified in 1999 Kathryn has had an extensive career working within both practice and industry, in particular she has spent the past five years working in-house within a college of the University of Oxford. Prior to this she spent over 21 years working in accountancy practice across a range of different roles, providing a breadth of knowledge and experience to facilitate working with clients in a practical, helpful and empathetic way. Her current role allows her to support her clients across a broad spectrum of sectors, including University of Oxford colleges, on a range of systems, process and reporting projects. Her recent specialisms are the charity and education sectors and she particularly enjoys working with any clients where there is an opportunity to add value and problem-solve. In her spare time Kathryn enjoys spending time outdoors, including hiking and running.

Jane arrived at Wenn Townsend in 2009 as one of our indispensable managers and has since progressed to the position of Director of Accounting. Jane heads our accounts department, managing her accounting and outsourcing clients, leading the training of our associates, and she particularly enjoys working on Xero, Sage and Quickbooks Online along with other more bespoke software. With a background in audit she utilises her expert attention to detail within her role, she recently reviewed consolidated accounts under IFRS for a parent audit of a multinational group and its significant industrial subsidiary, suggesting detailed systems improvements. Outside work, Jane enjoys cycling and hiking, landscape watercolour painting and crafts, and is treasurer of her children’s school PTA.

Michael joined our team in 2016 and has proved a vital asset as Audit Senior, working adeptly with clients across a variety of sectors including charities, schools, corporate manufacturing businesses and owner-managed entities. The majority of his time is spent working on statutory audits, but Michael also has significant experience working on accounts preparations and independent examinations. He recently completed a successful first-year audit of an Oxfordshire-based charity, working closely with management to understand their systems, how they were operating and how any audit risks arising could be addressed. Michael is a keen sportsman, enjoying playing and watching football, cricket and tennis, and is an active runner and cyclist.

Capable and efficient accounts manager Laura has been part of our team since 2004, providing accounts support to a wide variety of clients, both corporate and individual, including assisting with year-end accounts, VAT work and ad hoc requests. She is proficient at Xero, QuickBooks and Sage accounting packages, and particularly enjoys helping clients who are not the most confident with their accounts - such as one recent company who were having difficulty moving their VAT returns on to a software package to meet digital tax requirements: they benefitted hugely from Laura’s expertise and patience. When not at work Laura enjoys drawing, writing, computer games, and board games.

As Accounts Manager, Joy has been a linchpin in Wenn Townsend’s operations since 2014. Her client portfolio includes small companies, charities, sole traders and partnerships from a wide range of industries. She excels at reviewing statutory accounts, bookkeeping, management accounts and VAT returns, as well as independent examinations for charities. Proficient in accounting software packages, she also has previous auditing experience. She recently assisted a new business by introducing bookkeeping processes and preparing VAT returns, providing VAT advice on the second-hand margin scheme and VAT filing requirements. Joy is a member of two local churches and enjoys cooking and watching tennis.

Charles Gurr has been our resident corporation tax expert since 2017, deeply knowledgeable in areas including corporation tax, capital allowance claims, R&D claims, Creative Industry Tax Reliefs, and company valuations. He recently helped with the valuation of an owner-managed company with a view to employee share ownership, and in another area assisted a charity client in making claims under both Theatre Tax Relief and Museums and Galleries Exhibitions Tax Relief schemes. When he isn’t in the office Charles enjoys reading, Lego, board games and films, and is a passionate OUFC season ticket holder.

Gemma joined Wenn Townsend in 2016 and is a talented member of our Audit Management team, experienced in auditing a range of clients including charities, membership clubs, SMEs, AIM listed clients and groups. She gets satisfaction from learning about the different processes and software used by different entities and the varied knowledge and insight that this brings. Gemma sees audit not just as a statutory requirement, but as a way to help clients ensure their systems work in the most beneficial way possible. She recently led the audit of a group with overseas subsidiaries, dealing with foreign currencies and foreign accounting, and complex consolidation. In her spare time, Gemma enjoys going to the cinema and theatre, reading, travelling, and is a pub quiz enthusiast.

Hermione joined us in 2021 and has proven to be a valuable member of the audit department. With a wealth of knowledge that includes qualifying as both a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Tax Advisor Hermione enjoys working with smaller companies, including understanding tax for owner-managed businesses, but also working with a variety of industries. She has experience undertaking assignments for a wide range of businesses from metal trading and construction to property management companies, and has previously undertaken specialist audits including borrowing base and client asset assurance engagements. In her spare time Hermione enjoys walking, especially in the National Parks, trying to find the ideal rom-com or space-opera novel, and watching films.

Hannah joined our Abingdon office in 2023 as one of our accounts managers. With extensive experience Hannah works with a wide range of clients, from sole traders to large company audits, and she enjoys the variety this brings. Hannah thrives in both one-off projects, such as her recent work with a client producing and analysing financial reports to aid the sale of their business, as well as regular work, such as the management reporting she does for several clients to assist with cash flow and projections. In her spare time Hannah enjoys going on long walks with her dog, socialising with her friends, and broadening her knowledge of the world through travelling.

Peta joined us in 2023 working within our accounts department. Peta oversees a range of clients and assists with training staff members. Since qualifying in 2019 Peta has built up a range of skills and knowledge working on accounts for clients including solicitors, investment companies, manufacturers, and consultants. She particularly enjoys the variety of her work, for instance she has recently been completing several SRA client money audits and has enjoyed the process for these. In her spare time Peta is a whizz at a board game, enjoys crocheting, and has been known to partake in video games.