HaysMac, the award-winning accountancy, tax and advisory firm, has strengthened its corporate tax and property offering with the appointed Ben O’Neill as Tax Director, effective 11 May 2026.
Ben is a tax specialist with 14 years’ experience advising real estate clients across the UK and internationally. His expertise includes UK REITs and complex property transactions, supporting a broad client base, ranging from FTSE 100 groups to privately owned property developers. He has led on numerous transactions, overseeing tax due diligence and structuring projects.
Prior to joining HaysMac, Ben spent most of his career at a Big Four firm, working within their Real Estate tax team. He also spent two years at M7 Real Estate as its first external tax hire, supporting the business on complex advisory matters and gaining valuable in‑house experience.
At HaysMac, Ben will work closely with clients operating across the real estate sector, supporting them through the full lifecycle of their businesses and assets, spanning structuring and transactions to ongoing compliance and long‑term planning.
Ben O’Neill, Tax Director at HaysMac, commented: “I’m really looking forward to joining HaysMac. The firm has a strong reputation in both corporate and real estate tax, and I’ve been impressed by its collaborative culture and clear sense of purpose. It’s an exciting time to be joining as the firm continues to grow and invest in its people and proposition.”
Jake Pearlman, Partner and Head of Property at HaysMac, added: “The property sector continues to face increasing complexity, from evolving tax legislation to heightened scrutiny around transactions and structures. Ben’s experience advising UK REITs and property‑focused businesses across the market will be invaluable to our clients, and his arrival further strengthens our ability to support them through both day‑to‑day challenges and major strategic decisions.”
Natasha Frangos, Managing Partner at HaysMac, commented: “Ben’s appointment reflects our continued strategic investment in lateral hires who strengthen our technical and sector capability while adding to our culture. At HaysMac, our purpose – For Business. For People. For Good. – underpins how we grow the firm, support our clients and create an environment that enables our teams to perform at their best. Ben brings deep sector knowledge, sharp technical expertise and a collaborative mindset that aligns strongly with how we operate.”
This announcement follows an exceptional 12 months for HaysMac. Most recently, the firm was named ‘DEI Champion of the Year’ at the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards, recognised for the second consecutive year as one of The Sunday Times ‘Best Places to Work 2025 – Big Organisation’, and highly commended in the ‘Best Places to Work for Women’ category. These achievements build on HaysMac’s inclusion in eprivateclient’s ‘Top Accountancy Firms’ for 2025, ranking the leading UK tax advisory firms serving domestic and international private clients, their businesses, and families.
In January 2026, HaysMac celebrated its 25th anniversary, marking a quarter century of delivering exceptional service, fostering talent, and making a lasting impact across the business and social purpose community. This milestone year also saw the acquisition of Moore DM’s US Tax team, strengthening the firm’s international tax compliance offering and enhancing its Private Client Tax team to provide seamless cross-border support for entrepreneurs, business owners, and high net worth individuals.
