“The satisfaction is from uncovering R&D.” Ben Wyatt on his role as a senior sector specialist

2020 will be remembered as the year that the global pandemic took hold, but for one ForrestBrowner it also marked the start of a new career.

Ben Wyatt, who completed a law and philosophy degree prior to accruing 20 years’ experience in digital agency, decided that it was time for a change. He was aware of ForrestBrown through working on an R&D tax relief claim at a digital agency and was attracted by the opportunity to use his extensive knowledge of technology gained through working as a developer, senior developer and technology director, in a different way.

It was a big change. “I was used to managing large teams of developers, but here you’re working with people that aren’t from the same discipline at all”, says Ben.

However, almost four years into the role, he has no regrets. He enjoys the ability to utilise his writing skills, construct arguments, analyse information and work with a variety of professionals drawn from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to large corporates and across a breadth of sectors ranging from healthcare to fintech.

The essence of Ben’s role as a sector specialist is to work with clients to help support their R&D claims in software engineering. These could relate to innovations across a range of technologies and platforms, including complex system integrations, data processing, web platform development, AR/VR, blockchain, AL/ML, security systems, process automation, computer hardware and electrical engineering.

Day to day, this will involve calls with a technical expert (the “competent professional”) on the client side about projects that they’ve been working on in a particular claim period. It’s a role that he used to fulfil during his time at the cutting edge of software engineering – giving him a unique perspective.

As part of his preparation of the claim, he’ll research the business, understand what they do and review the projects that they’re proposing to claim for. This typically takes the form of an interview on the R&D on those projects to ensure that they meet the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Guidelines.

“You’re looking to establish whether you’ve got a strong basis that the project meets the core requirements.” If it does, Ben works alongside the technical writing team, which constructs the technical project description for the report and provides ongoing support from a technical perspective. “It’s about making the whole process as frictionless as possible.”

As Ben’s time with ForrestBrown has evolved, so too has his role. In addition to his core responsibilities with the R&D Practice, Ben also assists FB Consulting (FB’s tax advisory division) with their work supporting companies – typically advised elsewhere – with their R&D tax disputes.

Initially, he’ll work with the client to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their case, enabling them to make an informed decision on how to proceed. Once in progress, he liaises directly with HMRC to answer any additional – more in-depth – questions that might crop up as part of the enquiry process. This often means turning highly technical concepts into accessible language that a non-technical person can understand and has been hugely beneficial to his core role, enabling him to spot areas of additional risk.

Fundamentally though, whichever part of the business he is supporting on any given day, it’s helping clients – particularly SMEs, who rely heavily on the funding to reinvest in their business – that he finds most rewarding about the role. “The satisfaction is from uncovering R&D.”

• Research and analytical skills
• Deep understanding of and substantial experience in the sector specialism
• Ability to communicate with a range of professions – both internally and externally
• Report writing, including the ability to explain technical concepts to a non-technical audience

• Gaining insights into different sectors and technologies such as blockchain and AI
• Opportunity to collaborate with a range of professionals
• Playing a part in innovation across a broad range of sectors
• Sharing expertise to help support businesses