A distinctive blend of accounting, management information and tax specialists with a commercial perspective on business.
Our unique team use cloud based software, digital and analytical tools to help clients to get a better understanding of their key numbers, trends, and their future choices and options, enabling them to make better decisions key to creating sustainable growth. This is our raison d’etre.
After a very positive first year of trading as the new merged business, we achieved an initial growth in turnover of around 5% with a further 10% in the converted sales pipeline / in process of being onboarded.
This growth has mainly come about due to the increased range of business and tax advisory services we can now offer to our compliance only clients. This is a road that has further to travel and will provide even more opportunities for us.
We are targeting further growth through key service offerings by winning new clients / growing existing base through our: business advisory: MI, management accounting, digitisation and virtual FD services; tax advisory – transactions, planning – business and personal; and the traditional year-end accounting + tax services. Find out more about what we do here.
Our overriding aim is to develop new income from new clients and new income from existing clients – expanding service footprint into compliance base and vice versa for advisory clients. Tax advisory – covering property, succession planning, transactions (buying / selling businesses), as well as the impacts on the Directors personally from their business activities.
As a newly merged practice we are aiming to increase the profile of the firm, our offering and our key individuals’ expertise and capabilities. We have an inherent west coast bias due to our offices in Glasgow and Ayr, with a client base centred around these locations. We do however wish to broaden beyond our west-coast bases to raise our profile across the central belt, and we have also recently been working on increasing the profile of firm in manufacturing and engineering sectors UK wide.
The position is for a senior tax specialist who will be responsible for all tax department functions and staff, including compliance, advisory and responding to tax correspondence.
A key part of the role requires you to be up to date with latest technologies and regulatory policy in alignment with HMRC. The specialist role also requires a high level of competency in corporation and personal tax rules. As ammu’s tax specialist we require you to understand well, tax exposures/disclosures and in particular where our clients have residency overseas. To support our clients you need to be aware of the implications related to inheritance and capital gains tax and help clients where required on investment decisions.
For the role we expect you to have strong analytical skills with eagle eye attention to detail and the ability to manage your team and time efficiently. We are looking for a person who will lead the tax department in line with our values and the strategic direction of our company. The successful candidate will demonstrate leadership qualities and the ability to grow the tax business in an innovative manner.
Bruce Wilson was Simon’s business partner for seven years prior to the merger; Simon and Bruce had worked together for 20+ years prior to this, and it follows, many of the tax clients which Bruce was responsible for servicing were longstanding 20+ year relationships.
Bruce retired in Summer 2020 and was replaced by an experienced Tax Manager from a mid-tier Scottish accountancy practice. A well thought through handover process was put in place to ensure the new Tax Manager was given the right support to manage and grow the tax client base. This included an significant client communication effort – email communications re new person’s skills and capabilities; introducing regular tax updates issued by email to clients following Budget, Spending Reviews, Government announcements re Covid support/furlough, as well as promoting business and personal tax planning ideas via our new Tax Matters publication.
Take a look at our Tax Planner
View our Tax Hub
Read our Autumn Overview
We are now entering our second year of tax filings following Bruce’s retiral and we are delighted to report that we secured a good number of additional tax advisory assignments following the introduction of the new tax expert (our client base has warmed to the experience of having someone who can look at their business and personal finances and tax affairs in the round), and we have experienced minimal client defections since Bruce left less that 1-2% of the overall tax base.
The tax manager we appointed in Sept 2020 has moved on and we are now actively seeking someone new who enjoys working in tax, solving problems – spots them too, saving clients’ money (for investment in even better things). Someone who is experienced, capable and looking for the next step up. Someone who wants more responsibility, is ready to shape their own department and is open to discussing opportunities at a higher level within the Practice.
Objectives of this role
Experience & Requirements
In one year – we are aiming to stabilise and reaffirm our commitment to continuity of service for our clients and for our skilled staff who are currently providing support during the busy tax return season. Also develop additional tax advisory assignments from our existing client base.
In three years – our aim is to have attracted a number of new accountancy, tax and advisory clients and to have doubled the income of our business. We want our tax expert to provide additional commercial acumen and experience on client matters, especially around business change events: e.g. buying/selling, succession/retirement, future options appraisal (business + directors), transactions – buying and selling, making business investment and the timing of such; and the main private client tax matters – IHT, CGT, trusts, property.
If you would like more information about working with ammu, please contact Denholm Associates today.
BrandBox, sits at the heart of our successful hiring strategy. To find out more about our creative approach to attracting talent please contact us on 03303 359 818 today.
Haider recently graduated with a degree in Accounting and Finance and has gathered experience in the finance industry through internships and previous jobs. He will be using all the skills he has acquired through his previous experiences to assist the finance department with gathering data and providing analysis that will help the business expand.
Our people are our most important asset, and their mental well-being and happiness are core to our success. We love our diverse workforce, actively embrace flexible working (even pre-pandemic!) and encourage a healthy work-life balance. We have been recognised as one of the most diverse SME workplaces in the UK and are holders of the Scottish Business Pledge which exists to promote a fairer Scotland. We have also just been included in the 2021 Culture Leaders Top 25 – an accolade of which we are very proud!
We are a fully inclusive and nurturing employer and, despite being in tech, the majority of our team are women, leading to accolades in the Computing Magazine Women in IT Awards and the Amazon Growing Business Awards. We currently represent 15 nationalities and speak 20 languages. Age is no barrier, and we recruit for attitude, providing and encouraging appropriate learning and training for each and every role.
We are also proud members of IP Inclusive, a network of professionals working to make the intellectual property industry more diverse.
We’re a passionate and professional team who thrive in issue-rich environment and we’re looking to add a Communication Lead to our fast-growing team. You’ll be a trusted advisor to clients across several sectors in all aspects of communication, external affairs, marketing and issues management. Coming from an agency or consultancy environment, at Account Director level or above, you’ll report directly to the Managing Director and be responsible for a small and busy multi-disciplinary team. You’ll have first-class project management skills, be solutions-driven and excellent commercial acumen too. Alongside the senior team, you’ll work to drive the strategic growth of Aspect.
Your core duties will include:
You’ll be a skilled communicator, interested and knowledgeable about the key issues shaping the external environment. In addition, to be considered for this role, you must be able to demonstrate:
We’re a passionate and professional team who thrive in issue-rich environment and we’re looking for Senior Communication Advisors, Communications Advisors and Communications Executives to join their fast-growing team.
You’ll have previous agency experience at Senior Account Manager or Account Manager level and be passionate about delivering excellent results for clients. You might be a specialist in PR and media relations who produces compelling editorial content across a range of topics and sectors or you might be a public affairs expert who understands the policy landscape and helps clients build influential relationships. Whatever your specialism, you’ll be an excellent writer, full of creative ideas, with proven client management experience and the ability to provide expert advice our clients.
Your key duties will include:
In addition, to be considered for this role, you must be able to demonstrate:
Our aim is to combat illicit online trade by identifying and removing counterfeits for sale. Counterfeits not only damage brands, their reputations, and revenues, but can cause significant harm to the end customer – whether as a fake toy or a fake medicine – and the consequences can be life threatening.
Counterfeiting is a significant economic and social issue.
The OECD reports that counterfeit and fake goods make up more than 3.3% of the world’s global trade. Those involved in the trade of counterfeits have been linked to people trafficking, prostitution, and drug dealing.
As such, reducing illicit trade is about much more than brand protection but also about human rights, safety, and social equity.
And this is what we do, every day.
We deliver purpose-driven work from an extremely welcoming environment near the City Centre. We actively encourage the responsible use of resources, from using public transport to reuse, recycling, and, of course, a minimal impact office environment. We have benefited from the advice of the Energy Saving Trust and Resource Efficient Scotland. Our waste contractor also provides us with a monthly report on volumes and types of material and the carbon emissions avoided through recycling.
Over 80% of our employees can walk or cycle to The Lair and, pre-pandemic, 10% were using public transport as their normal daily commuting mode. Without doubt, online meetings will replace considerable miles, going forward, saving resources, time and energy. Where possible, when possible, the train remains our preferred option.
Zoe joined Denholm in 2022 as Recruitment Administrator, after working in administration roles for nearly a decade. Most recently within the recruitment industry, she joins us with experience of supporting consultants, clients and candidates at all levels. Zoe has a passion for helping people and applies her positive attitude and approachable manner to support our team and deliver the best possible service to our clients and candidates at all times.
As well as working in close collaboration with our clients, and the online marketplaces, we are active members of groups that have been established to combat illicit trade. These include the Scottish Anti-Illicit Trade Group, the European Intellectual Property Office, The Scottish Business Resilience Centre, the Anti-Counterfeiting Group, and the China Britain Business Council. Members of our senior management sit on the boards of ACID (Anti-Copying in Design), the Scottish Ministerial Trade Board, and the European Union Intellectual Property Office’s Observatory Panel for SMEs, amongst others.
Each team member nominates good causes or charities that are supported on both an individual and corporate basis. Wherever possible, we support the employee’s involvement whether through time or fundraising events.
James has a decade of experience within the FMCG sector where he has partnered with a wide range of businesses placing key appointments at all levels including Director/ Board level. Driving growth across our Manufacturing & Engineering function, James specialises in Production, Operations, Engineering, Quality, HSE, Technical, NPD and Supply Chain. With his passion and expertise in these areas, James supports candidates and clients by working closely to understand their needs and wants providing exceptional service.
Andy has been recruiting in Technology, Change & Transformation since 2001. Delivering tailored resource solutions as trusted advisor to clients ranging from start-ups through to global blue-chip organisations across contract, permanent, fixed term, and managed service/statement of work solutions. He has experience providing candidates for Helpdesk through to CIO and takes great pride in providing excellent customer service and ensuring each candidate journey is a positive one. An expert in his market he can provide guidance across current market trends.
Scott started his career working for one of the leading Advertising & Comms agencies in Edinburgh where he spent 7 years before moving in to recruitment in 2011. As such, he is well-networked in the Marketing & Comms space across Scotland. With a friendly and consultative approach, Scott is genuinely passionate about providing a positive journey to both candidates and clients alike and believes communication plays a big part in this. A “thinking-outside-the-box recruiter”, he is known for helping candidates portray the best version of themselves and helping clients find talent for those hard to fill roles.
David started recruitment at the age of 23 and while it isn’t for everyone, it was for David. What he really enjoys is looking beyond the CV and really getting to know the people sitting across the table, learning all about them and building relationships with new people. And that hasn’t changed to this day. David loves solving the puzzle of balancing the needs and wants clients and candidates to reach a point where everyone is happy. Based in Glasgow, he covers the B2B market for sales and marketing roles across Scotland.
Liz has over 14 years’ experience in recruitment working across primarily the high-tech, pharmaceutical and FMCG sectors. She joined Denholm on December 1st 2021 following a relocation from Ireland to focus on Marketing recruitment. Liz’s experience ranges from high volume recruitment to executive search and she prides herself in her ability to fully understand a brief and her accurate matching skills. Frequently praised as being a clear communicator with a strong customer service ethic, Liz is well suited to the culture here at Denholm, where the client and the candidates’ needs are paramount.
Euan has been working in the world of recruitment since 2012, working to deliver bespoke services to both clients and candidates. Prioritising ‘future-fit’ candidates for clients, he works as an extension of his client’s business ensuring great representation in the market. He consults with each client to ensure excellent candidate journeys. Euan works focuses primarily on business analysis, project management and technical support opportunities.
Callum has been working in recruitment since 2018 where he has solely focussed on the Technology, Change and Transformation market across the UK and ROI. He works closely with his clients and candidates to build long-lasting relationships across several industries, including Technology, Financial Services, Professional Services, Healthcare, Education, Public Sector and more. He specialises in engineering roles across Software, Infrastructure, Systems, DevOps and Cloud, along with Software Testing.
Drew arrived at Denholm as an award-winning creative, having headed content strategy teams for marketing/advertising agencies in the UK/USA before a successful career in HR, people and culture. He has years of marketing experience and building teams on both sides of the Atlantic, priding himself on going the extra mile for clients and candidates alike. Drew always works with passion as our specialist in account management, planning and strategy, digital marketing, full-spectrum creative and traffic/studio management.
