Award-winning accountancy and tax advisory firm, HaysMac, is delighted to announce fresh leadership for its Social Purpose sector group, effective today.
Steve Harper, Partner, will take the helm of the Social Purpose team from 1 April 2025. Advising charities, educational organisations and professional institutes and membership bodies, Social Purpose is a key sector for the firm, accounting for 30% of HaysMac’s turnover in 2024.
Steve has been integral to the success of HaysMac’s Social Purpose sector, driving significant growth and securing key clients. His leadership has helped shape the firm’s strategy for International Charities and Further and Higher Education Institutions. With strong relationships across sector bodies, Steve ensures that not for profit organisations stay informed on technical and regulatory updates, supporting clients navigating a challenging compliance landscape and providing valuable insights.
As part of the refreshed Social Purpose strategy, Tracey Young will hand the reins of the Education team to Jane Askew, Partner, after nearly 10 years at the helm. Under Tracey’s leadership, the Education sector at HaysMac has seen significant expansion, thriving even through challenging periods including the introduction of VAT on School Fees. This growth is a testament to Tracey’s vision and resilience. Moving forward, Tracey will transition to a Senior Partner role within the Education team, continuing to contribute to the sector’s ongoing development and success.
Jane Askew, who joined HaysMac as a trainee in 2008 and became Partner in 2023, is a trusted expert in the Education sector. She leads HaysMac’s annual Schools Management Survey, a benchmarking tool which enables independent schools to benchmark against their peers. Jane is focused on leveraging her technical expertise and deep sector knowledge to drive growth while helping schools navigate financial challenges and maintaining excellence.
A focus on ‘for business, for people, for good’, HaysMac’s change in leadership underpins the firm’s ambitious plans to reach £100m in turnover by 2028 and further cements HaysMac’s dedication to investing in the future generation of leaders, whilst excelling in delivering best-in-class services to over 800 clients across the Social Purpose sector.
In addition to HaysMac’s change in sector leadership, HaysMac is excited to announce the promotions of Isabelle Shepherd and Tom Brain to Partner, and Stephen Patey to VAT Director. The promotions, also taking effect 1 April, are the latest of nine Director and Partner promotions and appointments to over the last 12 months, and further underscores the firm’s continuous investment in its people.
Isabelle and Tom both sit within HaysMac’s 300+ strong audit team.
Isabelle – who joined HaysMac as a trainee 11 years ago – specialises in advising a wide range of restaurants, bars and pubs, as well as large hotel groups. She is a go-to technical specialist for several Hospitality trade titles, and a regular attendee at key industry events.
Tom has specialised in advising charities and professional institutes and membership bodies for over 20 years. Alongside his client work, Tom has had a key role in developing and managing the firm’s audit quality monitoring policies and processes and providing best-in-class support to audit teams on accounting and audit matters. As Partner and Head of Audit Quality and Compliance, Tom will support HaysMac’s growth strategy by ensuring that the compliance and quality management functions are robust and effective, and that they continue to support our audit teams in delivering the high-quality services that our clients expect.
Stephen, who joined HaysMac from HMRC in 2008, specialises in VAT advisory for both commercial and not for profit organisations. His expertise covers a broad range of VAT issues, including partial exemption, property developments, and overseas transactions.
Commenting on the exciting changes at HaysMac, Natasha Frangos, Managing Partner, commented: “I’m excited to support these milestones and well-deserved promotions, which reflect the exceptional talent and expertise within our team. Our senior leaders play a crucial role in driving the firm’s ambitious growth, delivering unmatched value to our clients, and shaping the future of HaysMac. These leadership changes further demonstrate our commitment to excellence, innovation, and investing in our people across all departments.”
These appointments follow the news that 100% of HaysMac’s audit files reviewed by the FRC and ICAEW in the past two years passed their inspections, demonstrating that our unique culture leads to excellent results.
Over the last 12 months, HaysMac has been named as one of the 2024 eprivateclient ‘Top Accountancy Firms’ – an annual listing of the best UK tax advisory firms providing advice to domestic and international private clients, their businesses and their families. This accolade is the latest in a series of achievements that HaysMac has celebrated, including being recognised as one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024, one of LinkedIn’s Top 15 Midsize Companies in the UK and the firm’s influential Managing Partner, Natasha Frangos, being named in INvolve’s global Empower Role Model Lists 2024.
For Business. For People. For Good.
