WHO I HELP

Variety of owner-managed businesses with a specialist focus on Family Investment Companies.

HOW I HELP

Manage all the company compliance needs. Advise on a variety of areas including tax remuneration planning, financial performance, and business strategy.

SECTORS/SUPPORT

The Business Advisory team.

“CLIENTS CAN TRUST MY SOUND ADVICE BASED ON EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE.”

As a Business Advisory Senior Manager, Katherine Woodcock works hard to take away some of the stress her clients may have around their businesses, by managing all the company compliance needs and advising on a wide range of areas. These areas include, but are not limited to, business strategy, tax remuneration, and financial planning.

Katherine works predominantly with owner-managed businesses, with a particular focus on Family Investment companies (property and listed investments). She is also a member of our dedicated Construction & Property sector team.

A TRUSTED ADVISOR

“My goal is for clients to think of me as their trusted advisor. I hope they consider me to be friendly and personable. I’m always happy to pick up the phone to my clients, they can rely on me for timely communication, and completion of work well in advance of deadlines.

My clients can also trust that I will offer them sound advice, based on my extensive accounts and tax knowledge and the ability to tap into specialist knowledge from the AAB team. I always strive to fully understand my clients’ various specific needs and adapt my work and advice accordingly.”

DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLIENTS & COLLEAGUES

“Developing strong relationships with clients is probably the most satisfying aspect of what I do. I love getting to know them and their personal interests and also getting to grips with the intricacies of their businesses. I also really appreciate my relationships with colleagues. We’re lucky in that we work in a fun office environment, where we work efficiently as a team and I can rely on my superiors for support and advice.”

CHALLENGES WE FACE

“One of the greatest challenges in my specialist area of Family Investment Companies (FICs) is that due to their complexity, there are always novel issues to tackle each year.

One example is the recent tax legislation changes which have a direct impact on the overall tax treatment of FICs. These changes alongside the already complex challenge of corporate tax mean I never stop learning.

Additionally, whilst the tax tail shouldn’t wag the dog it’s always interesting to liaise with the investment portfolio advisors to ensure any investment decisions are made with full knowledge of the tax consequences, especially where there are more tax efficient alternatives.”

STRENGTHENING SPECIALISMS & OFFERINGS

“I’m really excited to continue expanding my specialism in FICs, and become a key FIC contact in the AAB Group, as well as in the professional network in Leeds. 

It’s also just a really exciting time for AAB in general because we are now a one-stop shop for all finance-related needs for our clients, including the AAB Wealth team, and other specialist areas.”

‘NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR PEOPLE’

“One of the AAB Group Values is ‘Nothing is more important than our people’, and I feel like I demonstrate this in my approach to work. As I have developed my specialism in FICs I have also grown and nurtured a FIC team, so this knowledge is passed on to each new ‘generation’ and shared across the team. It’s important to me that the team is always learning and feels supported. I have also taken this approach in my new role as an appraiser and aim to ensure my appraisees get the best possible learning experience and know they can always come to me for support.”

IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE

“I think the greatest strength I bring to AAB is probably my in-depth knowledge of Family Investment Companies (FICs), from bookkeeping through to corporation tax complexities. I’ve had the opportunity to utilise some coding skills and write bespoke codes to enable client investment data to be imported into our FIC software saving hours. I have also standardised our procedures and am the main port of call in the team for any queries. Moreover, I am currently leading a plan to grow our standing as a FIC specialist in the Leeds network.”