Who I help

Business owners and their businesses.

How I help

I solve problems for my clients, helping them with the complexities of tax.

Sectors/ Support

Construction & Property.

“I love what I do.”

Kate Naylor is a Corporate Tax Partner. Based in our Leeds office Kate is responsible for our Corporate Tax offering there. Kate joined us in 2001, becoming a partner just two short years later.

Kate’s main focus is helping clients by getting involved in specific tax advisory projects. With a wealth of knowledge and experience for private and business clients, on any given day Kate might be getting involved with anything ranging from a complex restructuring, to business sales and acquisitions, employee share schemes through to planning for passing a business down to the next generation. Alternatively she might be sharing her knowledge and experience with junior members of the team and helping with their development.

Importance of trust

“Sometimes the issues our clients are discussing with me are confidential and potentially quite personal so it’s important that they are not only comfortable talking to me but also that they trust me. They need to trust me with the information they give and also trust that I’ll provide them with sound advice. I want my clients to know that they can come to me with anything, I encourage them to be open and honest with me. It’s so important because it’s the only way I can know everything that’s going on. The only way I can get to the bottom of the issue and provide the help and advice they need.”

Clear unambiguous advice

“I’ve always prided myself on being able to provide clients with clear unambiguous advice. Advice that is easily understood and not just filled with caveats. That’s not to say that it’s always straight forward, there are grey areas, but I always try to make it clear. I don’t want my clients to do something just because I suggested it. I want them to fully understand any decision they’re making, what it is and the potential impact it has.”

Helping the next generation

“Being able to help junior members of the team develop is brilliant. Having people join the firm just starting their career and watching their journey as they learn, develop and grow is really satisfying. That’s something we do well- support and develop our people.”

Helping hand

“It’s an amazing feeling when a client comes to me and I’m able to help them. It might be something they need or a problem they’re having but I love helping to find the solution. I provide them with a good outcome. A good outcome isn’t always a big tax saving. For me, a good outcome is achieving what they wanted and us being integral in getting them to that end point.”

Not without challenge

“Changing legislation and changing HMRC attitudes are the two biggest challenges that I face. Things can move so quickly. Something that was acceptable last week might not be acceptable this week. Tax has grey areas which are ever expanding so it can be hard to keep up. We are so lucky that within AAB there’s so many brilliant people throughout the group who all have their own experience and knowledge meaning we have a bigger pool of experience to draw on.”

Unrivalled opportunity

“I’m really excited for the future. Historically, in Leeds we’ve been a small but mighty team. Now as part of the AAB Group there’s a bigger world of possibility and vast opportunity available to us. Opportunities that mean we expand our capabilities. The growth of the group means that this really is just the beginning, and I can’t wait to see what is next.”

Holistic service

“As part of AAB, I have access to so many specialists which in turn means I can provide my clients with a holistic service. As an example, just after our merger I had a client come to me needing help with payroll for an employee overseas. A couple of months before I wouldn’t have known who they could talk to. But I was able to tell them that we have a team that do that sort of work. It’s great having so many people available and the breadth of service lines so that we genuinely can give clients a great service. We really add value to every aspect of their business.”