Halifax, England, United Kingdom
I am Director of Public Policy at the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT), heading up our tax technical and professional standards work and acting as a key spokesperson. I was awarded an OBE in the King's Birthday Honours 2026 for my contribution to taxation, and received the Tolley’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Taxation in 2025-26 by an Individual at the Taxation Awards 2026. A main focus of my role is emerging tax policy, keeping abreast of new announcements and proposals and working closely with HMRC and the Treasury. I also strongly believe in sharing my knowledge about and love of tax with others - whether that’s members of the accounting and tax profession through articles and talks, or the general public through media work and school visits. I frequently contribute articles on topical tax issues to leading tax and accountancy publications. I have presented talks and webinars around the country, as well as appearing on Local and National Radio and Television to discuss tax issues and providing oral evidence to committees of both the House of Lords and House of Commons. Outside of my role with ATT, I am also a freelance tax technical writer and presenter. I am a member of the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) and Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT), and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW). I have first time passes in all exams. In my CTA exams, I was awarded the Institute Medal for the candidate with the best overall performance, as well as the Gilbert Burr Medal and John Wood Medal for the highest marks in the Owner Managed Business and Advanced Corporation Tax papers respectively and the Lexis Nexis Prize for the candidate with the highest total marks in two Advisory Papers. Before turning to tax I completed a Doctorate at the University of Oxford based on the molecular genetics of drug resistance.
As Director of Public Policy I am the highest ranked officer concerned solely with tax technical and professional standards for the ATT. I work to deliver the ATT's strategy in relation to tax policy, external relations, professional standards, and AML.
As a Technical Officer my role is to contribute to the ATT's strategic goals by driving forward their technical work and increasing their reputation as a contributor to technical developments. This includes responding to consultations and representing the ATT in meetings with HMRC, HM Treasury and other professional bodies, researching and preparing reports on aspects of the tax system and writing articles for both internal and external publications and websites.
Updating and editing the Making Tax Digital (MTD) tracker - an online toolkit designed for tax practitioners which provides understanding and interpretation of the legislation and regulation around MTD, using a question and answer approach.
I was honoured to be the Chair of the CIOT and ATT Leeds branch for nearly five years, and remain a committee member.
Alongside my main job with the ATT, I also worked part time as Quality Assurance Manager for the Owner Managed Businesses (OMB) papers for the Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) qualification, managing a small team of examiners.
Tax consultant and technical adviser for the Virtual Tax Partner (VTaxP) support service and online editor and writer for the Ross Martin website.