Meet the team

I was brand new to tax. Before joining ForrestBrown I was actually a primary school teacher, but decided I wanted to make the move into accounting. I heard ForrestBrown was a place I could develop my accounting skills and get qualifications in a fun, supportive environment, so it seemed like a great move.

I am now a tax manager, having graduated from the Learning Lab and the tax associate programme and built my portfolio of clients. In my role, I advise our clients, who undertake research and development in a whole range of different industries, helping them to claim strategically to fund their growth. My part in the process can involve anything from writing reports detailing clients’ innovation, to analysing a company’s accounts and calculating the tax benefit due, to going out meeting clients to see their work firsthand – every day is different. Having never worked in tax before, I’ve had to learn a lot quickly, but thanks to the Learning Lab that hasn’t been a problem. I’ve felt supported the whole way and I was really proud when I completed my first R&D tax credit claim.

I had been practising law for nine years and was working as an international tax and trusts solicitor at a large commercial law firm. It was a lovely place to work, but I came to realise that I wanted something different: a role which had more day-to-day natural interactions with people, and one that offered a bit more flexibility. The opportunity I found at ForrestBrown gave me this. And better still it was a new role which I could really make my own.

As part of the partnerships team, I am responsible for building relationships with accountants and partners to help them deliver value for their clients. This is a role with real purpose – I’m working to educate accountants on the benefits of the R&D incentive, challenging misconceptions and helping them bring tangible value to their clients. One thing I love about my job is the personable contact I get with so many different people: colleagues, clients and staff at partner firms.

ForrestBrown continues to grow so quickly that every day there is an exciting feeling of newness. There’s so much possibility to make a contribution and have an impact.

When I came for my interview here, I immediately knew this was not your normal professional services firm. When I saw the bright, open-plan office and felt the energy in the business, I was drawn to ForrestBrown immediately.

But my choice to come here is so much more than aesthetic. ForrestBrown has supported me all the way through my accountancy qualifications. The company empowers me to balance my work with my studies: we can dedicate 20% of our week to our studies and get the day off work before exams.

I’m in control of my studies, too. Unlike the Big Four, for example, ForrestBrown doesn’t force me down a route or plan things out for me. Instead, the company helps me to flourish in an area suited to my skills.

Day-to-day, the work is challenging and fun. As a tax consultant, I’m involved in the entire claim process from start to finish and support the tax managers. You can focus on your clients and get to know them. It’s not just an anonymous numbers only process.

That’s ForrestBrown in a nutshell: We work hard, we get things done – but it’s the best atmosphere I’ve worked in. It’s never dull and there are no suits. Along with Christmas parties, team lunches, and away days: it’s an exciting place to learn and work.

After almost nine years on the Global Mobility Team at PwC, I was ready for a new challenge. ForrestBrown’s fast-growing, ambitious culture really appealed to me. It was somewhere I could see myself making an impact.

My role is varied, but my mission is always the same: to help innovative businesses grow by harnessing the benefits of R&D tax credits. Day-to-day, I do whatever it takes to deliver great service; whether that’s meeting with clients, spending time in their organisations, or crunching numbers. I really enjoy the difference my work can make to an emerging business’s growth. I actually helped one client adjust their original claim and they were able to benefit from 10x the amount of credit they’d originally identified.

We work hard here, but the culture is still fun and relaxed. It’s a very social workplace, helped by our Bristol location. I’m Bristol born and bred, so a little biased, but I’m always amazed by the number of things there are to do here – from sports teams and events, to restaurants, pubs, clubs and outdoor pursuits. It’s buzzing.

I’m a chemistry specialist and, before ForrestBrown, had been working in aerospace and defence. I wanted to apply my skills and experience to a different sector but without starting at the bottom of the ladder. I heard of R&D tax credits through a friend and they resonated with the kind of practical work I was experienced in. After a Google search, ForrestBrown came onto my radar. What stood out was the prestige of their chartered tax adviser (CTA)-led approach. I was looking for an ethical, reputable company and ForrestBrown ticked those boxes. It looked fun too!

At ForrestBrown, I’m responsible for adding my industry expertise where required to any claim. For example, projects involving innovation in food, materials and manufacturing. I get out and meet clients, am a technical lead on telephone calls and am on-hand to support our tax team as they prepare our clients’ claims.

My favourite part of the job is meeting clients and getting on their wavelength. Seeing their eyes light up when they realise they can talk at a highly technical level with their R&D tax credit advisers is a real highlight.

I studied Accounting and Finance at the University of Exeter; however, I found early on that accounting was not for me. Having taken a taxation module in my second year, I found the subject really interesting as it is something that impacts us daily, but not everyone has a great understanding of this. After graduating from university, I was still unsure of what to do, but after my coursemate had found a job in tax, I reflected on the module and realised it was something I quite enjoyed learning about, and I also did well in the module itself. I then started applying for jobs in tax, before finding ForrestBrown.

The initial part of the application process requires you to do some research about the company, and this straight away looked like a great place to work. The ‘Our People’ page, where everyone has a picture with a prop, highlighted that the company allows you to be yourself and express yourself, which is further shown by the casual clothing work policy.

When I first joined, I was working alongside lots of different members of my team, which allowed me to gain great insight into R&D tax relief and draw on people’s experiences to build a solid foundation of knowledge. Everyone is happy to help you, and people will be happy to share tips with you that can help you improve your presentation of time efficiency on complicated tasks. You also have the opportunity to work closely with all levels of the business, giving you great exposure to the high quality work that our company offers. This has personally helped me to raise the quality of my own work, as this shows the standard of work I should be trying to reach in the future. The people at ForrestBrown are amazing, not just in work but also in supporting you through your professional qualifications and outside of work too. I really enjoy watching and playing football, and we have started a football session on Monday evenings amongst colleagues, which is a great way to see colleagues outside of work and also exercise together. This is just one example of how working at ForrestBrown allows you to meet people with similar interests, book activities around them, or even be encouraged to try new sports with people.

After five years working as a Geophysicist undertaking surveys both on land and at sea, I reached a point where I was ready to hang up the hardhat. My career had been rewarding, but the allure of a role that would allow me to use my interpersonal skills—and keep me out of the cold and wet—grew stronger. I sought a position that would not only leverage my technical background but also offer the interaction and discussion on a variety of interesting topics and the comfort of an office setting.
The journey led me to ForrestBrown, beginning as a Research Associate and progressing to Research Manager, with each role in-between being diverse and rewarding. Here, I engage with clients from various sectors, delving into the intricacies of their innovative work to support their R&D tax credit claims. It’s a role that requires a delicate balance—understanding complex technical details while translating them into easy-to-understand summaries. But most of all, it requires a curiosity to want to learn and engage about new and interesting innovations in science and technology. Having began my role focusing on technical writing, this has broadened with my progression here to include technical interviewing and a host of project, process and personal management responsibilities.
The culture at ForrestBrown was a significant draw for me, the environment here is genuinely welcoming, fostering not just professional teamwork but also personal connections. I’ve formed close friendships through the myriad of social activities on offer. My involvement in organizing charity events, where I have been involved in running lively pub quizzes, table football competitions, charity auctions and foraging trips, have been particularly rewarding. The Bristol setting is great, with a all too tempting selection of food spots, including pubs, markets and restaurants nearby and lots of green spaces within 5 minutes of the office.