The Team
We recognise that our solutions are only as good as the people who deliver them. It is here that our team of highly experienced tax specialists make all the difference.
Built around a core of Chartered Accountants, Chartered Tax Advisers and Solicitors, each team member is a trained professional with a passion for delivering excellence.
We pride ourselves in providing an open, friendly and responsive approach, ensuring that you receive a truly first class service at all times.
Karin Mountain Bsc ACA CTA - Partner
Karin is a qualified accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser, who began her career at KPMG. Karin has since then worked for other ‘Big 4′ and top ten accountancy firms, specialising firstly in Tax Investigations and then in tax planning for both corporates and individuals.
Karin’s experience in Tax Investigations, advising and assisting family run companies and high net worth individuals who were the subject of Special Compliance Office enquiries has proved invaluable in her career to date, enabling her to use her knowledge to achieve tax settlements for many clients who have previously participated in tax strategies.
Michelle Mauro BA ATT CTA - Partner
Michelle began her career at Andersens before qualifying as a member of both the Association of Taxation Technicians and the Chartered Institute of Taxation. She then joined a top ten accountancy firm where she was heavily involved in the creation, implementation and defence of new tax strategies suitable for both individuals and companies.
Michelle’s skills lie particularly in establishing and maintaining strong relationships with both accountants and clients. Her proactive approach enables her to quickly understand the key issues and then identify and implement appropriate solutions.
Kim MacDonald BA FCA CTA - Partner
Kim is a qualified accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser with a broad based tax consultancy background from two top ten accountancy firms. Her experience includes advising on tax efficient structures and reorganisations, share and investment schemes and remuneration planning to profitable UK companies and entrepreneurs.
Kim manages the relationships between the implementation team, clients and other professionals and provides technical support. She also heads up our Tax Partner Service, using her wealth of tax knowledge to assist and add value to accountants and their clients.
Iain Macleod MA CTA FCMI - Senior Manager
Iain is a Chartered Tax Adviser and was a fully trained Inspector of Taxes for 26 years. While with HMRC he conducted investigations and enquiries ranging from small businesses to multinational oil companies and banks and represented HMRC in cases before the Commissioners. He was also a District Inspector, Officer in Charge and Area Director leading teams of Inspectors and managing enquiry and investigation work.
For the last 4 years he has worked as a tax investigations specialist with a ‘Big 4′ firm. He has worked closely with clients on a variety of enquiries, including cases with Special Civil Investigations (now Specialist Investigations) and Civil Investigation of Fraud - obtaining many excellent solutions.
Combining inside knowledge of HMRC and a detailed understanding of Inspectors’ thinking and approach, with a sympathetic awareness of clients’ needs and the pressures on them Iain brings an ideal mix of skills to get the best results possible.
Iain heads up our Tax Investigations service.
Craig Hughes FCCA CTA - Senior Manager
Craig is a qualified accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser. Craig began his career in general practice before moving to PwC and KPMG. More recently Craig worked for BDO Stoy Hayward LLP. Throughout his career Craig has advised companies and their shareholders on a wide range of tax issues including profit extraction, MBOs, acquisitions and disposals, group reorganisations, Enterprise Investment Scheme, share schemes and R&D Tax Credits.
Craig has advised clients of varying size from new start-ups to listed plcs in a variety of sectors. This broad experience means that he has a wide knowledge of the tax issues which impact those businesses.
Craig joined EDF Tax in June 2009 to expand the range of tax advisory services to our clients.
Paul Merrell BSc ACA CTA - Senior Manager
Paul is a qualified accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser with a broad based tax consultancy background following 15 years with a leading regional firm. During this time he was responsible for managing the tax compliance team and advising clients on a variety of tax issues in particular with regard to remuneration planning.
Paul joined EDF Tax in July 2009 to manage the relationship between the implementation team, clients and other professionals and to provide technical support to accountants.
James Morley ATT - Senior Manager
Prior to joining EDF Tax, James began his career in general practice where he worked for 8 years before moving to a top ten accountancy firm to specialize in a tax planning role advising and assisting a wide range of companies and individuals with tax efficient profit extraction and tax mitigation strategies.
James is responsible for managing and co-ordinating the implementation team as well as providing implementation advice and ongoing technical support to clients and their advisers.
James offers a wealth of experience in successfully managing, providing support and delivering tax solutions to his clients.
Jagrup Bahia ATT - Senior Manager
Jagrup began her tax career over 20 years ago with HMRC before moving into Practice where she became a member of the Association of Taxation Technicians. During this period she gained considerable experience in all areas of Direct Taxation.
Before joining EDF Tax, Jagrup went on to work for other leading providers of specialist tax strategies, thereby obtaining a wealth of knowledge in this very specialist area.
Jagrup is responsible for working closely with accountants and other advisors and assisting them to provide tailored tax solutions for their clients.
John Feaster LLB, Solicitor (non-practising) CTA – Senior Manager
John qualified as a solicitor in 2005 specialising in the field of real estate tax. John became a Chartered Tax Advisor in 2008.
Prior to joining EDF Tax, John worked for 6 years at Eversheds LLP where he advised a wide range of clients on all aspects of real estate tax with a particular specialism in SDLT.
John provides tax planning, compliance and advisory services in the field of SDLT to high net worth individuals, businesses and corporate clients. His experience as a solicitor coupled with technical SDLT expertise enables John to provide professional and rounded SDLT advice on both residential and commercial land transactions.
Gareth Costello BSc CTA - Senior Manager
Gareth began his professional career as a graduate to undertake tax training with a top ten accountancy firm. After gaining experience from a grounding in both personal and corporate taxes, working on a wide range of tax consultancy projects, Gareth has in recent years worked in a number of specialist tax teams, focussed on the development and delivery of Tax Counsel led solutions for high net worth individuals and owner managers.
Gareth joined EDF Tax in 2009 to help develop and deliver new planning solutions.
Julie Wall ATT - Assistant Manager
Julie began her tax career working for HMRC, before moving to a top ten accountancy firm in 2005. Julie is a member of the Association of Taxation Technicians.
Julie is instrumental in the implementation of tax planning strategies, providing assistance and advice to clients throughout and beyond the planning. Julie also plays an integral part in the EDF Tax team by not only providing assistance to her own clients but also providing support to colleagues in their training and development within the team.
Lindsey Sherman - Consultant
Lindsey began her career at BDO Binder Hamlyn in London, after qualifying as a Barrister, where she specialised in UK and international personal tax compliance and advisory services. She then joined Baker Tilly, before moving to Yorkshire in 1998, where she joined Ernst & Young.
Whilst at Ernst & Young Lindsey headed the expatriate tax services in the North east and worked closely with the Private Client partner on clients’ personal tax issues, both UK and international.
Lindsey then joined Deloitte, leading the UK and international personal tax compliance and advisory services in the North east.
During her time with Binder Hamlyn, Ernst & Young and Deloitte, Lindsey was also responsible for managing and co-ordinating a team of staff providing both compliance and advisory services to clients, and was very much involved in the tax planning marketplace.
Lindsey provides UK and international personal tax compliance and advisory services to high net worth clients and entrepreneurs and works closely with accountants, solicitors and other advisors.
John Harling - Consultant
John has more than 20 years’ experience in working with employers in all aspects of PAYE, National Insurance and benefits in kind. He previously worked as an Inland Revenue PAYE Auditor before spending 15 years working in the “Big 4″specialising in advising employers in all sectors.
John has vast experience in employment tax and related areas, such as HMRC Employer Compliance reviews (PAYE/NIC Audits), PAYE/NIC health checks, dispensations, PAYE Settlement Agreements, employment status issues, termination payments and employment cost reduction planning.
Andrew Rimmer - Consultant
Andrew worked as a VAT Assurance Officer for HM Customs & Excise for fourteen years, in VAT Registration and Enquiries sections and in Headquarters’ “Policy” units, working closely with HMCE’s Solicitors Office on litigation matters. He has since then worked for over 20 years in the accountancy profession, working for both ‘Big 4′ and top ten accountancy firms.
Andrew has a wealth of VAT experience and is able to advise all types of trades, businesses and professions with particular experience in retail, hotels and leisure, international transactions, land and property, care homes, partial exemption and business/non-business supplies.
Rob Harrison LLB ATT- Consultant
Rob graduated with a degree in Law from Durham University in 2006, before beginning his tax training with a top ten accountancy firm.
Rob is involved in the implementation of tax planning for both corporates and individuals.
Rob is a member of the Association of Taxation Technicians and is now working towards obtaining his Chartered Tax Adviser qualification.
Rob Morgan ATT - Senior Tax Analyst
Rob began his career working for HM Revenue & Customs where he was a key member in both the Self Assessment and PAYE Tax teams, before moving to a large firm of Chartered Accountants.
Rob later joined a top ten accountancy firm where he assisted clients through the implementation process with his hands-on, professional manner.
Rob is a member is the Association of Taxation Technicians, and is part way through his Chartered Tax Adviser examinations.
Lauren Bilton - Tax Analyst
Lauren began her tax career in 2007, and joined EDF Tax as a Tax Analyst in the summer of 2008. Since joining EDF Tax she has proved invaluable in her role implementing tax solutions and providing support on HMRC enquiries.
Lauren is now working towards her Association of Taxation Technician exams.
Kabita Tank ATT - Tax Analyst
Kabita graduated in Management Studies from the University of Leeds in 2005 before joining PwC. Kabita began her career in the private client tax team for 18 months before joining the International Mobility (expatriate tax) team for 2 years. During her time at PwC, Kabita passed her Association of Taxation Technician exams.
Kabita joined EDF Tax in 2009 as part of the implementation team.
