Southampton: Smith & Williamson headcount rises as tax team adds two

Chris Williams has joined Smith & Williamson, the accountancy, investment management and tax group’s business tax department as a senior manager. Williams joins from EY’s corporate tax team where he worked previously as a manager.

He commented: “I am thrilled to join the business tax team at Smith & Williamson at a time of local growth. The depth and breadth of advice they offer clients, including the investment management business makes the firm unique and was a huge appeal for me. In particular I have always admired their reputation for client relationships and service.”

Williams specialises in managing company tax profiles throughout a business’s entire lifecycle, from day one to exit. He said: “Feedback from my previous clients has indicated that they value how I feel like part of their team and have their interests at the heart of what I do; an ethos shared by the team at Smith & Williamson. Although I personally specialise in UK corporation tax compliance and advice, I look at a business as a whole and will ensure our clients get maximum value from all the different service offerings we have.”

Rico Harris has also joined the same team as a tax assistant, having moved from Smith & Williamson’s London office.

Rebecca Combes, head of business tax, South Coast office, said: “I’m thrilled that Chris and Rico have joined Smith & Williamson. Chris brings with him a great deal of experience of both large international corporates and mid-market clients across Southampton and Reading. Rico brings further experience in intellectual property and a great client-first attitude. They both further strengthen our local team.”

12 partners and directors are based at the Southampton office of Smith & Williamson, which recently relocated to Cumberland Place.  The total headcount in the Southampton office now exceeds 60.