Colin founded the firm McKnights in 1983 as a business consultancy following a background in private business financial management. With rapid growth over the years Colin is now Managing Director of the office which joined the Haines Watts Group in September 2010.

His diverse portfolio of clients covers many different industries, and one of his interests is helping business start ups deal with the wide range of financial and commercial issues that will confront them in the early years of a fledgling business. He is proud that a number of his most successful current clients originally were business start-ups.

Colin has assisted in business acquisitions and sales for clients over the years and is experienced in advising clients on grooming their businesses for sale and on how to structure an acquisition or sale. He then works closely with Solicitors to help bring the deal to conclusion.

He has many contacts with local and regional Banks and other commercial providers of finance and is very experienced in preparing Business Plans to support requests for finance or for general business planning.

Colin's strategic planning advice has helped a number of clients obtain a clearer vision of the future direction their business should take.

Colin is married and has two daughters and lives in Naunton Beauchamp, near Pershore, Worcestershire.

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Trish joined the Practice in 1991, becoming a Partner in 1998 and looks after a diverse portfolio of clients including GP Practices and Healthcare Providers. She is the Audit Director and, with her team provides a range of audit and accountancy services to clients.

Having had a variety of careers before training as an Accountant, (including education officer at a local zoo and running her own retail business), Trish can empathise with clients taking their first steps towards running and managing their own business. She understands how important it is for clients to have advisors they can trust and converse with on a regular basis, and works closely with clients to assist them in achieving their objectives.

Responsible for recruitment and training, Trish can be contacted with any enquires regarding current appointments or training opportunities.

Originally from Wombourne, Trish now lives at Hunt End, Redditch. Her hobbies include gardening, walking and eating out at good restaurants.

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As Director of taxation services John leads the tax department which provides both a compliance and bespoke tax planning service to business, companies and private clients.

Having spent the early part of his career gaining valuable experience with the Inland Revenue and Ernst & Young John joined the practice in 1995 from Robson Rhodes and became tax partner in 2001.

John has particular expertise in personal and business taxes including corporation tax, income tax and capital gains tax and works closely with clients on a wide range of tax planning issues including incorporation, sale of their business or property, share options, business succession and mitigating personal taxes.

John works closely with his clients advising them over the short and longer term and believes that good advice is best provided when he has established a good personal relationship.

John is married and has three children and lives in Saleway, near Worcester. He is a keen follower of many sports and is a qualified Rugby Union referee.

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Lee heads up the audit team. Not only monitoring the day to day running of this busy team he is actively involved in meeting and visiting clients to impart business advice. This includes forecasts and business plans, development of accounting systems, internal control reviews and most importantly, working closely with clients to achieve their business goals.

With over twenty years of experience, including a time with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Lee has been fortunate to work across a wide spectrum of businesses and industries.

Lee joined Haines Watts (formerly McKnights) in 2006 to focus on his interest and expertise in owner managed businesses clients.

Lee has recently moved to the City of Worcester and has a passion for travelling and visiting new places.

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Ann manages a portfolio of smaller business clients and has extensive experience in the preparation of sole trader and partnership accounts.

Having been with the firm since 1994, Ann has a wide variety of knowledge and works closely with a number of clients. She oversees the control of accounts preparation and staff management throughout the Worcester practice.

As one of our more intrepid members of staff, she was part of the office team that abseiled down the side of Debenhams in aid of the Noah’s Ark charity and enjoys climbing the mountains of Great Brittan.

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With 13 years experience of collating, processing and finalising payrolls Kevin is the payroll manager.

As Manager of this department Kevin has a wide variety of clients ranging from small family run businesses to large limited companies. Kevin’s expertise in this field means that he can work closely with all of his clients to ensure that their payroll meets their own needs and specifications and can offer advice on payroll compliance and legislation.

Kevin is also responsible for the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) services and provides advice on the CIS scheme rules. He is able to calculate monthly payments, issue statements to both contractors & sub-contractors and ensures all returns are submitted online to HMRC within the deadline.

Kevin also manages the IT function in the Worcester office. He is responsible for updating the company server and this ensures that the software and programs are all up to date and comply with government legislation, so that we can deliver a fast, efficient and reliable service.

On a personal note, Kevin lives in Worcester with his wife and daughter. He is an avid sports fan and enjoys playing football for a local team.

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