Who I help

High-net worth individuals, international clients, business owners, families & related trust structures

How I help

Manage tax affairs and reporting requirements for clients, advise on tax and succession planning to support their short- and long-term goals.

Sectors/ Support

Private Client, Family Business, Tax Investigations

“We deliver a bespoke personal service.”

Gunhild Dam is a Private Client Partner. Based in our Leeds office, she leads and oversees the work of the Private Client Team. Ensuring that the team is set up for success with the right people in the right places to help our clients achieve their goals.

Gunhild helps a wide range of clients, advising on a variety of personal tax areas. One of the greatest challenges for Gunhild is the complexities of the UK tax systems as it’s constantly changing and evolving. To help her clients she ensures the are armed with knowledge of any changes and the most up to date tax advice to enable them to prepare for those changes and get the best outcome.

Knowing my clients

“It’s important to me that I get to know my clients really well. To know their family dynamics and financial affairs and to know what their long term financial goals are and what they want their situation to look like in the future. If I don’t have insight into these aspects, it is more difficult to help my clients plan and prepare for the future”.

A sounding board

“If my clients view me as someone who will help them, someone that can be a sounding board, someone they can go to with anything then I’ve done my job well. I want them to come to me with challenges and ideas so we can work together to achieve their goals. If they view me in this way that means they trust me, that means they value my advice and know that I have their best interests at heart.”

Improved accessibility through technology

“The implementation of technology in the business has really come on leaps and bounds in recent years and the way in which it helps us do our jobs is amazing. It’s really improved accessibility of our services meaning we can work with clients around the world more easily and have regular communication and meetings with them. Being tech-enabled is great and has so many benefits.

With what I do, however, I think having a balance of both virtual and in person is key. Often the matters I’m discussing with clients are complex and sensitive, and they are also really personal to them and their situation. It could be about their finances or about their family problems so being able to meet hem in person is important. Meeting in person also helps to build those all-important strong relationships with clients.”

Supportive environment

“I feel very privileged that I get to work with such a diverse range of people here at AAB. There’s a real variety and mix of strengths and interests at all levels of the business so there’s a wealth of opportunity to learn, develop and also help with the development of others. It’s a really supportive environment that’s a truly rewarding place to work and I love working with the team and see them develop in their careers.

Post-merger there’s so much opportunity in the air/ there’s a real opportunity for us to come together as a group and be able to develop and deepen our expertise and capabilities to expand the service we provide to our clients. Meaning we can offer so much more to our clients and become better and stronger advisors. We didn’t have the same capacity to pursue all of these opportunities before so now that we do, I’m excited to see what we can achieve together.”

Common misconceptions

“There’s a common misconception around tax advisors. People either think we’re there to help HMRC steal their money or that we help people evade paying tax. Our role is very different! We’re here to help people comply with tax rules and regulations and understand how they apply to them and their circumstances. We help them report what’s required on time and make sure their tax affairs are in order. We’re not there to help them break the law.”