South West accountancy firm Old Mill has appointed tax specialist Stephen Martin as its new senior tax adviser as it steps up its ambitious growth plans.
Stephen, pictured, qualified in 2008 and went on to join accountants Moore Stephens in London, where he trained in its business tax team.
During his 10 years at the firm, he progressed through to associate director working primarily with owner-managed SMEs across the financial services, shipping, and hospitality sectors covering a wide range of sectors.
In 2016, he moved to the West Country to join Bishop Fleming as a director in its tax team, focusing on high-growth small and medium-sized enterprises in the manufacturing, retail and food and drink sectors.
He said he was drawn to Old Mill, which has offices in Melksham, Wells, Yeovil and Exeter, because of its talented and respected tax team, ambitious growth plans and people-centric culture.
In his role at the firm he is using his experience and expertise in share valuation, share schemes, research and development, mergers and acquisitions and start-up advice to add to Old Mill’s already extensive client offering.
He said: “Right from my very first conversation with Old Mill it was clear to me that culture really meant something to the firm,” he said.
“Everyone was passionate, genuine and honest and I knew it would be a lovely place to work. The current tax team is incredibly talented and clearly take great pride in their work, and I am really looking forward to working with them – team comes first for me.
“It’s really exciting to be part of Old Mill’s growth ambitions over the next five years. There will naturally be a need to recruit, and recruitment is a tough market at the moment, but Old Mill has a great reputation for attracting and retaining top talent and has continued to do so, even through the pandemic.
“This says a lot about what a friendly yet professional and successful business Old Mill is, and I think that comes through loud and clear to any potential recruits – it certainly did for me!”
Old Mill head of tax David Maslen said it was clear right from their first ‘online’ meeting that Stephen’s values were perfectly aligned with those of Old Mill and that he would be an excellent addition to the team.
“We were delighted when Stephen applied for the role, because it’s quite rare to find someone with so much relevant experience, whose beliefs and values are synonymous with Old Mill’s, but also has the drive and ambition to take the company forward,” he added.
“In his career so far, Stephen has used his coaching and mentoring skills to help others progress. At Old Mill, we’re proud of the way we support our people in their career progression through training programmes, mentoring and buddy schemes; Stephen’s skills, experience and passion in this area will also be a huge asset to Old Mill.”
