Frank qualified with Deloitte Haskins and Sells (now Pricewaterhouse Coopers) and has over 25 years of experience in general practice. Frank joined Haines Watts as a Partner in 1996 and is now responsible for a diverse portfolio of clients, including owner managed businesses, professional partnerships, large charitable organisations and wealthy individuals.

Frank believes that by being proactive in his approach, which is both practical and pragmatic, his clients can, and indeed do, gain a competitive advantage to develop and strengthen their business.

Frank acts as a non executive finance director for a number of clients, ensuring that they have timely, up to date advice on all business matters.

Frank spends much of his time on a day to day basis, meeting with and speaking to his clients and provides a hands on, shirt sleeves approach.

Frank was president of the Liverpool Society of Chartered Accountants for 2005⁄2006.

Outside work Frank enjoys family holidays and generally playing chauffeur to his two sons, who seem to have a better social life than he does! He is a keen Liverpool supporter and enjoys watching many sports, and despite only recently recovering from a dislocated ankle, is back playing 5 a side football. He appreciates a nice glass of red wine as well as enjoying the occasional beer with his mates.

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Russell has over 30 years experience in the industry having commenced his training in 1978. Russell originally became an accountant as he vaguely knew it was something to do with numbers, and his friend, whose father was an accountant, lived in a very large house. However, part way through his degree, he discovered that the big house had come courtesy of an inheritance received by his friend’s Mother! Undeterred, he continued with his Accountancy studies having learned enough by then to realise that this was the career for him.

In 1978, with an Honours Degree in accountancy, he joined a firm called Tansey Witt, which at the time was a similar firm to Haines Watts, providing day to day advice to owner managed businesses with a turnover of up to approximately £50 million.

During the course of Russell’s training, Tansey Witt merged with Arthur Andersen. At that time Arthur Andersen was the largest firm in the world and specialised in audit of large companies and multinationals. This then gave Russell the opportunity to work on household names such as Michelin Tyres, Cadburys Schweppes and Gulf Oil, and he gained a vast amount of knowledge and experience in a short space of time. By the end of the training contract, in 1981, he had dealt with companies ranging from corner shops to international businesses.

In 1981 he then joined Gruber Levinson Franks, which was a North West based practice, and he started at the Liverpool office a couple of years after it had opened. GLF became one of the largest practices in the North West and Russell, having built up a portfolio of clients, was made partner in 1987. The Liverpool office continued to grow and in 1999 the firm split amicably and Russell, Des and their team joined the HW Liverpool office, and the size of that office then doubled.

Russell’s typical day is spent advising owner managed businesses as they progress through life, ranging from start ups to long established businesses. Some of the long established businesses were start ups when Russell first became involved with them. He has literally seen some clients go from rags to riches. He is comfortable dealing with any type of business and, as well as ensuring they keep up their compliance requirements and mitigate their tax liabilities, is able to provide practical solutions to any challenge facing the business or business owner. If he doesn’t know the answer he will find it! He also works with clients to decide on the best way of adapting the solutions to their particular situation, and is regularly helping people to run their lives.

Russell prides himself on a friendly, practical and down to earth approach with clients and always takes into account the fact that a business decision has an effect on the personal lives of the directors and employees of that business.

Russell has been in business for 25 years so has experienced many different situations, either in his business , or clients` businesses, and uses that experience in the advice that he provides to his clients.

Outside of work Russell describes his main interests as football, socialising and gambling (or all three together). He has been a season ticket holder for Liverpool Football Club since 1971 and considers one of the benefits of his age is that he has seen Liverpool win the league several times!!

One of his other interests is rock music, he regularly attends concerts and the occasional music festival, though sadly is no longer able to grow his hair to the length displayed by the bands he watches!!!

Russell has been married for 22 years and has 2 children who are now grown up but still keep him very entertained and also ensure he will not be able to retire for many years.

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Mike qualified with KPMG and has over 20 years experience in general practice. With a career background predominantly with national firms of accountants but also including regional firms and independent practices, this brings an extremely diverse range of general practice experience.

Mike specialises in advising owner managed businesses, from new start-ups, right through to large and complex enterprises. Over the years, Mike has helped and advised businesses from practically every business sector, ranging from agriculture to yacht builders (not quite A – Z, but nearly there!) Indeed the outcomes achieved for clients have often exceeded their expectations.

Mike has a close day-to- day working relationship with his clients, and places an importance on building long term professional relationships with clients. In some cases this extends to advising second generation owners of a business.

He has the knowledge and breadth of experience to advise on all aspects of regulatory and taxation matters. With perhaps a slightly relaxed, though very much a hands-on approach, the available options, tax position, and other general advice is provided in a friendly, helpful, and pragmatic way.

Experience in recent years also extends to the not- for- profit sector, with an involvement in charities, charitable foundations, churches, colleges, members organisations, and the voluntary sector. Input and business advice has included; involvement on initial set up, right through to operational matters, vat issues, and long term strategy.

Mike has considerable experience in the agricultural sector within Lancashire. With a family background in farming, this has given a great affinity to the farming community. The links now also extend to numerous other businesses as the sector has undergone diversification and consolidation.

On general accounts and audit, Mike’s client base includes large private companies with high net worth owner-managers. More specialist advice in recent years has included advising on corporate restructuring, exit strategies, and sources of finance including grant funding.
Typically though, Mike is just as happy in providing practical and relevant business and tax advice to smaller enterprises. He is appreciated by clients for his personal and straightforward approach, and ensuring they have peace of mind, despite the ever increasing burden of regulation being imposed on businesses.

Outside the office, Mike is Chair of Governors at a local school, is involved in supporting local charities, including a wife and three children, and enjoys chilling out occasionally in establishments that specialise in the retail sale of alcoholic beverages.

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Des began his working life in H M Revenue & Customs and rose to the rank of Senior Inspector where he was in charge of a team of Inspectors who were used to investigate businesses. His role was to select businesses that needed to be enquired into. Here he worked in London for 5 years having moved from Liverpool.

In 1988 he joined Russell Silverman at one of the largest independent practices in the North West, GLF, where he created and then managed the tax investigations department for the whole of GLF, as well as managing the Liverpool tax department. In 1996 Des was made a partner. This was a very proud moment for Des as he was the first non Chartered Accountant to be made partner in the firm.

In 1999 Des, Russell and their team merged with Haines Watts Liverpool office where the business has grown over the years.

During the course of the last 20 years, Des has developed a formidable team to assist clients, and at times non clients, and indeed other accountants, in a wide variety of circumstances including tax investigations up to the highest level (Specialist Investigations). He is ably assisted by his Senior Manager, Gillian Edwards and over the years both Des and Gillian have dealt with overseas issues and currently they are assisting clients who are making disclosures under the Liechtenstein disclosure facility.

Des and Gillian also work closely with Solicitors in numerous cases including high net value divorce cases, giving tax advice as and when needed. They also specialise in personal tax, corporate tax, capital gains and inheritance tax.

Outside of work Des enjoys spending time with his family and is a keen football supporter and avid golfer. He is also proud to be a member of, in his opinion, one of the best golf courses in the area, Hillside Golf Club.

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