COWGILLS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Partner and Head of International
Alex joined Cowgills on our highly successful graduate scheme, and has worked his way up the ranks to Partner. With a background in Audit and Corporate compliance he has a growing list of clients across the North West. He heads up our International team working with clients who are focused overseas, from taking their first steps into exporting, to setting up operations across multiple countries.
Areas of expertise
International audits
Job Titles:
- Partner, Transaction Services
Andrew is a partner who leads our due diligence team and has over 20 years experience in advising companies on completing successful transactions. After 17 years of Big Four experience, Andrew advises on all aspects of due diligence from buy side work to sell side and refinancing assistance with experience across all types of sector. With an approach that focuses on deal value and delivering what you require from a due diligence process, Andrew brings his extensive experience to deliver a successful outcome for your business.
Areas of expertise
Due diligence
Andy is one of our most senior tax experts and manages a portfolio of some of our key clients. He's also our go to guy for expert advice on owner managed businesses and the tax issues affecting them.
Areas of expertise
Tax planning and owner managed businesses
Ben is a Director in our Deal Advisory team with considerable transaction experience including business sales, acquisitions and private equity investments. He works with a variety of businesses across numerous sectors and works closely with shareholders to execute a deal in line with their objectives.
Areas of expertise
Business transactions, MBOs and due diligence
Ben is a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner who specialises in business turnaround and business recovery along with dealing with formal insolvency.
Areas of expertise
Working with lenders, investors, accountants and directors
Ben is our funding guru, offering assistance with sourcing the right funding solution from his extensive network of providers. He has over a decade of experience in all aspects of business funding, most recently specialising in the FinTech Sector.
Areas of expertise
Growth funding, FinTech
Brad joined Cowgills in 2021 and is a director in the Deal Advisory team. Brad has considerable transaction experience advising shareholders and corporates across a broad range of transactions. His primary focus is the technology sector, however Brad has experience in the healthcare, industrials and business services sectors.
Areas of expertise
M&A, Private Equity, Debt Funding
Caroline has a wealth of experience in auditing and company compliance, she helps companies fulfil their obligations to international and government compliance.
Areas of expertise
Audit, Growth and Entrepreneurial businesses, owner managed businesses
Claire heads our marketing and PR function and is the creative one in our technical team! Claire has worked in senior positions across a number of sectors including law firms and national property companies. She leads a marketing team of five who work hard coordinating our marketing strategy, from arranging our very popular events, to developing our marketing campaigns.
Areas of expertise
Marketing, Events, PR
Craig is a Partner in our Business Recovery team specialising in providing assistance to financially distressed businesses across a number of sectors including retail and care homes, as well as providing assistance to individuals.
Areas of expertise
Business turnaround and formal insolvency processes
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager
Danny is business development manager in our business recovery team. He has extensive knowledge of the insolvency process and a fantastic network, ensuring the best outcome for businesses in need.
David is our property finance specialist. He works with property developers and investors assisting them to source and structure debt for residential and commercial schemes, property acquisitions and refinancing. He ensures deals get across the line by presenting proposals to funders and negotiating terms, getting stuck in to understand the deal offering a pragmatic and flexible approach to funding.
Areas of Expertise
Property funding
Georges is a partner in our tax team, he has a broad range of experience in owner managed business tax advisory and transaction services. Georges provides business advisory and transaction support services to growth businesses working closely with our corporate finance team.
Areas of expertise
Transactions, tax planning and efficiency.
Job Titles:
- Partner, Audit & Advisory
Helen is a Partner in our Audit and Advisory Department. She has significant experience supporting a breadth of entrepreneurial and owner managed clients covering a wide range of industries including leisure, distribution, manufacturing and retail.
Areas of expertise
Audit, owner managed and entrepreneurial businesses, groups
Ian joined Cowgills back in 1993. With many years experience he is our Head of Corporate Finance. He works closely with a variety of businesses across numerous sectors. He has extensive experience in all aspects of Corporate Finance work, focusing on a business' current situation, identifying and executing them in line with business objectives.
Areas of expertise
M&A, strategic planning and business reconstructions
James is one of our in house tax specialists and deals with a range of tax related issues for owner managed businesses. Over the years he's developed a deep understanding of the property and construction sector, advising many of the North West's leading property and construction firms. He's also an R&D expert and heads up the firm's specialist R&D Advisory team.
Areas of expertise
Tax planning, capital allowances, R&D tax credits and Property & Construction
James is a Partner in Cowgills Deal Advisory team. He has considerable transaction experience, advising on over £500m of deal value and has been shortlisted for multiple awards, including emerging dealmaker at the North West Insiders and Rising Star at the Dealmakers. James has experience in a variety of businesses and industries across the region, but his key focus is the healthcare sector. James works with shareholders on their respective growth journeys to help navigate some of the challenges and pitfalls in order to achieve best value.
Areas of expertise
Transactions, due diligence and MBOs
Job Titles:
- Deal Origination Director
James joined Cowgills in 2022 as deal origination director, to support both the company's rapidly growing corporate finance team and the wider group.
James is based out of our Manchester office in Spinningfields. He works closely with the corporate finance team and under deal origination partner, Rob Lord.
Jane has been working in our Corporate Finance team for many years and works closely with our Lead Advisory team. She uses her vast experience to really bring value to our clients. In our exclusive shareholder review workshops, she develops financial modelling and reporting systems to ensure clients get the best solution to meet their plan for both their personal and corporate objectives.
Areas of expertise
Strategic support , financial forecasting and MI pack development
As a licensed Insolvency Practitioner and Partner at Cowgills, Jason offers expert knowledge and help to businesses and individuals who are experiencing financial difficulty. With over two decades of experience, Jason leads a growing team offering advice on business turnaround, formal insolvency procedures, corporate and personal insolvency procedures.
Areas of expertise
Business turnaround and formal insolvency processes
Jimmy is one of our Partners in our Business Recovery team. With over two decades of experience he is able to provide assistance to financially distressed businesses across the North West, as well as providing assistance to individuals.
Areas of expertise
Business turnaround, insolvency procedures
Job Titles:
- Partner, Business Recovery
John joined as a partner in our Business Recovery service sector in 2021. He currently heads up our Liverpool office.
Jordan has worked in the Business Recovery and Insolvency sector for almost two decades and has gained vast experience in all aspects of both Personal and Corporate matters in that time. His focus is always to look at continuation over cessation and works with Directors to find solutions to financial problems. Jordan also heads up Cowgills Creditor Protection, our Creditor Services offering.
Areas of expertise
Working with Accountants and their clients
Julie heads our corporate finance research team. She works closely with business shareholders who are looking to grow or sell their business. One of her many superpowers is her sector specific knowledge, this ensures a deal meets the objectives of all shareholders.
Areas of expertise
M&A activity, and sector specific knowledge
As our head of people Lisa keeps our super accountants in check. She provides advice, support, and guidance with an emphasis on colleague communication and inclusion, health, and wellbeing. Qualified as a mental health first aider, Lisa ensures that our team are mentally healthy and happy at work. As our team continues to grow, she is also involved in ensuring that as an employer we are continually delivering excellence and that our staff retention remains high, she also leads our highly successful graduate and apprenticeship scheme.
Areas of expertise
People management, values, internal communication
Lisa is a Partner and Head of Tax and has been instrumental in growing the Cowgills tax team into one of the most specialised in the North West. As a leading tax advisor herself, she helps entrepreneurs and owner managed businesses on all the strategic aspects of their business, and can be often seen as an expert on the speaking network.
Areas of expertise
Tax strategy, entrepreneurial and owner managed businesses
Working alongside our Head of People, Lynne is instrumental to the businesses. Her focus is on ‘our people', she is responsible for delivering excellence, colleague joining process and internal communication.
Areas of expertise
People management, values and internal communication
Michelle is our IHT and trust specialist, providing inheritance tax planning for clients both in the UK and Overseas. She provides specialist tax advice in relation to the creation, administration and cessation of Trusts within IHT planning and lifetime, and has specialist knowledge in the non-dom space. Michelle also provides general personal tax advisory services and acts as personal trustee for a number of Charities.
Areas of expertise
IHT, Trusts, Domicile & Residence, Tax planning
Mike leads on all compliance matters for the firm. He's responsible for practice assurance and quality control for Cowgills too. Mike is one of our longest serving employees.
Areas of expertise
Compliance & quality control
Nilesh is a Partner in our Audit and Assurance team, working with owner managed and entrepreneurial businesses. He's a sounding board for many of our clients, advising them on the best course of action. Nilesh is also a key part of our Property and Construction team and has a growing portfolio of property and construction clients.
Areas of expertise
Property & Construction, entrepreneurial and owner managed businesses and complex group structures
Paul is a partner in our Indirect Tax team who has supported a wide variety of businesses since moving into the profession in 2000. Paul has advised businesses from entrepreneurial and owner managed businesses to large international groups, and from charities to public bodies to listed businesses. Paul has extensive experience across a wide range of industries, helping businesses to structure, optimise and efficiently manage their VAT affairs. He also has dealt with disputes regarding Climate Change Levy, Aggregates Levy, Landfill Tax as well as customs duties. Paul has represented trade organizations in negotiations with HMRC at the highest level, represented the profession in working groups with HMRC (most recently as part of the Brexit working group), and is former Chair of the Manchester branch of the Chartered Institute of Tax.
Areas of expertise
Indirect tax structuring, optimisation and data management
Paul has been here for so many years, we've lost count! Before stepping down as managing partner he led the firm's tremendous growth and had overall responsibility for developing our compliance activity and service levels. He continues to focus on clients and works with a number of owner managed and family businesses, advising them on their growth strategies.
Areas of expertise
Growing & Entrepreneurial businesses, owner managed businesses & growth strategies.
Paul works with growing and entrepreneurial clients. He is an advocate of establishing solid relationships with clients to take them on their journey as a business - and there have certainly been some journeys during his many years at Cowgills. He recognises opportunities getting great results for his clients. His particular specialism is developing growth strategies for businesses.
Areas of expertise
Funding, acquisitions and business sales
Job Titles:
- Partner, Business Development & Deal Origination
Rob heads up all business development/deal origination for the firm. With a strong network of contacts in the legal and private equity sectors, he identifies and works closely with shareholders of growing businesses. As a central point of contact, he helps to deliver our ‘joined up' approach, ensuring clients are connected with the relevant Cowgills team members. As members of the Morison Global International Network, Rob can also help businesses who are looking to expand overseas and connect them with the relevant firms across the world.
Areas of expertise
Relationship building, deal origination, account management and identifying potential in strong/growing businesses, where we can work closely with them on their growth journey
Sam is a partner within our Corporate Finance team. An award winning advisor, he has a wealth of knowledge in the selling of a business as both an advisor and an investor. Specialising specifically in technology, media, telecoms and consumer sectors.
Areas of expertise
Trade sales, acquisitions and debt funding
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Transaction Services
Sorina joined our Transaction Services team as an Associate Director in 2022, helping to build out and lead this newly established team within our Corporate Finance arm.
Stephen heads our Cowgills Tech division. With many years expertise in leading key IT projects and heading our own internal IT team, he established Cowgills Tech to further support other businesses wanting to improve their IT systems. Stephen can ensure that they find the right solution to help businesses work smarter.
Areas of expertise
IT setup, systems and efficient working
Job Titles:
- Audit & Advisory
- Partner and Head of Property & Construction
Stuart works closely with entrepreneurial clients in the property and construction sector throughout the North West. As one of the region's only focused property and construction divisions, Stuart and his team of experts use their specialist knowledge to deliver sector specific advice with a focus on the following:-