Bristol R&D tax credit consultancy ForrestBrown has appointed Andy Yeo as finance director to help accelerate its growth plans following its acquisition earlier this year by a leading US tax incentive group.
Andy, pictured, joins from Clifton-based specialist recruitment firm SmithCorp, where he was chief financial officer. He has considerable experience in helping fast-growing businesses in the recruitment, health and the legal sector scale-up.
ForrestBrown said he would not only bring financial rigour and management to the business but would provide staff with the right financial systems and processes so they can continue to grow the business.
His arrival at ForrestBrown, which was established in 2013 by entrepreneur Simon Brown, coincides with a new period of rapid growth in staffing levels as a result of its acquisition in March by Texas-headquartered alliantgroup, with 19 new hires so far this year, taking its total headcount to 70.
ForrestBrown is the UK’s only firm of chartered tax advisers (CTA) wholly specialised in research and development tax credits. It has worked with thousands of innovative UK businesses across all sectors and last year delivered more than £75m for its clients.
Andy Yeo said: “I was attracted to the role as the business is just about to significantly accelerate its growth.
“My professional services experience is perfectly suited to ForrestBrown at an exciting point in the company’s development. Beyond financial management, my new role is ultimately about understanding the key drivers of the business and ensuring the employees are motivated to achieve them.
“The fact that ForrestBrown is not a traditional tax consultancy makes it a dynamic and fun place to work – the relaxed dress-code and collaborative environment help foster a can-do attitude where everyone works extremely hard to deliver fantastic results for ForrestBrown’s clients.”
Managing director Simon Brown added: “Our growth plans for ForrestBrown are ambitious and now is the perfect time for us to take on an experienced finance director. Andy’s focus on financial management will help us to accelerate as the number one R&D tax credit consultancy in the UK. It’s a very exciting time for us all, and we’re delighted that Andy is coming on the journey with us.
The other new joiners at the firm this year include eight tax associates (Charlotte Daniels, Max Brough, Harry Jones, Julian Ford, Zoe Rose, Kiran Joshy, Isaac Greenbury and Stephanie Ward), three tax consultants (Oliver Clapp ACCA, Helen Warren and Charlotte Alexander), two tax managers (Joe McGurk ATT and Alex Cornelius), a sector specialist (Rob Lowe), a talent acquisition manager (Sarah Rogers), a marketing executive (Lauralei Chapman-Ludgate), a client relations associate (Jenny Crosby) and an office administrator & PA (Emma Morgan).
Under its acquisition by alliantgroup, financial details of which have not been released, ForrestBrown is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the US group, although. The ForrestBrown brand, all employees and its Bristol headquarters have all been retained.
Pictured: Andy Yeo, centre, with ForrestBrown’s latest recruits
