Our Team

With a regular team of forty professionals largely ACA or ACCA qualified, we make best use of individual skills and areas of expertise to search out the most beneficial solutions to meet the majority of our clients’ businesses needs.

Our approach is informative, candid and courteous which, coupled with a company-wide work ethic to exceed client expectations, encourages clients to get to know and rely on individual members of the team.

Honest, diligent and ambitious

We are passionate about our clients’ businesses and constantly strive to improve our service by every means that technology and industry can offer us.

Our Directors

David Webb

David Webb

Director

David has gained a breadth of knowledge in many areas of business and has been a partner since the age of 28.He provides specialist business and strategic…

Neil Taylor

Director

Neil is an experienced business compliance and advisory director with over 20 years experience in general practice. Neil’s clients encompass a wide range…

Steve Holden

Steven Holden

Tax Director

Steven is an experienced Tax Director with over two decades of expertise in personal and corporate tax planning, bringing a wealth of knowledge to Edwards…

Paul Tonks

Paul Tonks

Director

Paul is a Chartered Accountant and Registered Auditor. He joined Edwards in 2007 and headed up the audit department for a number of years before…

Rob Kempson

Rob Kempson

Director

Rob is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Registered Auditor with over a decade of experience in general practice, specialising in audit, accounts, and…

Our Team

Priya Chadha

Priya Chadha

Audit Manager

Priya is a qualified chartered accountant with 10 years’ experience in general practice within audit, accounts and corporate taxation with significant experience in…

Anne Ward

Anne Ward

Audit Manager

Anne is a qualified accountant with extensive experience in general practice areas such as audit, statutory and management accounts preparation, personal and…

Sam Whitehouse

Sam Whitehouse

Audit Manager

Sam joined Edwards in March 2017 as an accounts and audit junior and has since worked his way up to his current position as Audit Manager. He has a first-class…

Mark Rowley

Manager - Business Advisory

Mark is an experienced Senior Accounts Manager with over 25 years’ experience in general practice, advising clients in a wide range of industries including…

Kirsty Grimes

Kirsty Grimes

Manager - Business Advisory

Kirsty joined Edwards in 2005 and specialises in advising owner-managed and growing businesses across a broad range of industry sectors. She manages the…

Holly Hughes

Holly Hughes

Tax Manager

Holly is a Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA) with over four years of experience in tax. She joined Edwards Accountants in May 2023 and, in her…

Andrew Palmer

Andrew Palmer

R&D Tax and Accounts Manager

Andy joined Edwards in 2014 and specialises in assisting science and technology companies which are involved in R&D. He manages the…

Helen Tolley

Helen Tolley

R&D Tax and Accounts Manager

Helen is a qualified certified chartered accountant with 14 years experience in general practice within audit, accounts and corporate taxation. She joined Edwards in…

Alex Smith

Alex Smith

Manager - Managed Services

Alex is in charge of our managed services department and has over 5 years’ experience in business advisory services. She…

Elaine Field

Elaine Field

Compliance Officer

Our Compliance Officer Elaine joined us in September 2023, with a decade of experience in Commercial Banking. Currently overseeing onboarding at Edwards…

Karen Batts

Karen Batts

Payroll Manager

Our Payroll Manager Karen joined the Edwards team at the end of 2023 and is involved in overseeing the operations of our payroll department. Her…

Insights

Chancellor, Rachel Reeves delivered her Autumn 2025 Budget Speech. We've digested the facts and summarised our thoughts....
April 2026 sees a significant change to UK self-assessment, when Making Tax Digital (MTD) is introduced....

The manufacturing industry is continuously evolving, with many businesses driving innovation through smarter processes, advanced technologies, and continuous improvements to...

Payroll taxes are the taxes employers and employees pay on earnings, including Income Tax and National Insurance contributions. These taxes...

Living our values and being part of your business

Shared core values build trust and loyalty between both individuals and businesses. Our values are an essential guide to how our team interact with each other, our clients and our business associates.

Our core values are:

David Webb

Director

David has gained a breadth of knowledge in many areas of business and has been a partner since the age of 28.

He provides specialist business and strategic advice to a wide range of owner managed commercial, manufacturing and professional services businesses and recognises the implications of decisions made across the whole of a business rather than just one aspect.

David’s client portfolio includes all business structures, sole traders, partnerships, Limited Liability Partnerships and Limited Companies and he likes to work closely with the businesses to listen, understand and make a valuable contribution to his clients.

Neil Taylor

Director

Neil is an experienced business compliance and advisory director with over 20 years experience in general practice.  Neil’s clients encompass a wide range of industry sectors and, in addition to technology start-ups which is his specialism, he has particular expertise in the leisure, advertising/media, manufacturing and IT sectors and extensive experience of businesses trading internationally. At all times Neil seeks to understand the dynamics of businesses and to direct his experience and commerciality to actively supporting and focusing client growth and development.

Neil heads up Edwards Technology, our research and development team which looks after the needs of the firm’s numerous technology clients. He and his team have helped deliver over £10m in research and development tax credit refunds for clients over the past 5 years and in recognition of his wealth of experience and expertise in the area, Neil was in 2014 invited to sit on HMRC’s R&D consultative committee which meets on a regular basis to discuss proposed changes, policy and guidance in relation to R&D tax credits.

Steve Holden

Steven Holden

Tax Director

Steven is an experienced Tax Director with over two decades of expertise in personal and corporate tax planning, bringing a wealth of knowledge to Edwards Chartered Accountants.

Having worked at national accountancy practices and legal firms, Steven offers comprehensive advice on a wide range of issues affecting both businesses and individuals. His areas of specialisation include trusts and estates, inheritance tax, corporate reorganisations, employee incentive schemes, and more. Additionally, Steven is skilled in specialist company valuations for probate, employee share schemes, and general valuation purposes.

Beyond tax advice, Steven provides holistic business and family office services to companies and high net worth families, offering integrated solutions that address both financial and personal objectives. He advises on the establishment and management of family investment companies, ensuring that they are structured in a tax-efficient manner.

He also advises international clients on UK tax matters, assisting those coming to and leaving the UK. Furthermore, Steven offers guidance on managing offshore trusts and corporate structures to ensure compliance with UK tax law.

Steven’s passion for taxation drives him to help businesses and individuals arrange their affairs in the most tax-efficient manner possible. His commitment to achieving outstanding results consistently exceeds client expectations.

A Fellow and member of the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) since 2002, Steven has also served as a council representative. He is a proud member of STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners), underscoring his dedication to his field and his clients.

Paul Tonks

Paul Tonks

Director

Paul is a Chartered Accountant and Registered Auditor. He joined Edwards in 2007 and headed up the audit department for a number of years before being appointed director in 2012.

Paul trained and qualified with a top 10 firm in the East Midlands and his background is principally compliance based, providing audit and tax services for all sizes of corporate clients ranging from owner-managed SMEs to large AIM listed plcs and international groups.

During his 25 years in the profession, Paul has developed a number of specialist advisory services including due diligence and business valuation and has more recently played an active role in the development of the Edwards Technology team who provide specialist advice to new start-ups on R&D tax credits and patent box.

Rob Kempson

Director

Rob is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Registered Auditor with over a decade of experience in general practice, specialising in audit, accounts, and corporate taxation.

He joined Edwards in 2010 as a school leaver, completing both his AAT and ACA training with the firm. Rob quickly became a key member of the audit team, earning a promotion to Senior Audit Manager in 2020 before being appointed Director in April 2025.

Alongside fellow Director Paul Tonks, Rob oversees the audit department while managing his own corporate client base across various industries, including sports and leisure, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, construction, and aerospace. He also plays a strategic role in driving Edwards Accountants forward.

Priya Chadha

Priya Chadha

Audit Manager

Priya is a qualified chartered accountant with 10 years’ experience in general practice within audit, accounts and corporate taxation with significant experience in pension scheme audits as well as industries including manufacturing, aerospace, recruitment and financial services.

Since 2013 she has been a key part of the Edwards audit department as a senior manager, managing clients ranging from owner managed SME’s to PLC audits as well as carrying out a corporate taxation function.  Priya prides herself in being open and approachable whilst providing a comprehensive and professional service.

Anne Ward

Anne Ward

Audit Manager

Anne is a qualified accountant with extensive experience in general practice areas such as audit, statutory and management accounts preparation, personal and corporate tax, and not-for-profit organisations including pension schemes, charities and academies.

Since joining Edwards in early 2021, Anne has focused on auditing companies and groups across various sectors, as well as not-for-profit organisations. She also handles statutory accounts and tax preparation for larger corporate clients, ensuring high-quality service and compliance.

Sam Whitehouse

Sam Whitehouse

Audit Manager

Sam joined Edwards in March 2017 as an accounts and audit junior and has since worked his way up to his current position as Audit Manager. He has a first-class degree in Mathematics and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2021.

He manages a large portfolio of audit clients, from small owner-managed businesses to international groups, having industry expertise in entertainment, IT, recruitment, manufacturing and construction with a focus on contract accounting. He also completes corporate tax engagements regularly, including capital allowance claims.

His role includes liaising with internal and external stakeholders and maintaining firm standards. As part of a leadership team overseeing 15 staff, he is dedicated to ensuring continuous professional development and delivering a high-quality service at Edwards.

Mark Rowley

Mark Rowley

Manager - Business Advisory

Mark is an experienced Senior Accounts Manager with over 25 years’ experience in general practice, advising clients in a wide range of industries including professional practices, information technology and sole trader/partnership businesses.

Mark deals with the personal tax matters of all his clients as well as the accounts and is therefore well placed to identify tax planning opportunities, he sees helping clients grow their business and manage their tax affairs as paramount.  He also has significant experience in solicitor’s accounts rules.

Kirsty Grimes

Kirsty Grimes

Manager - Business Advisory

Kirsty joined Edwards in 2005 and specialises in advising owner-managed and growing businesses across a broad range of industry sectors. She manages the compliance needs of her clients and provides day to day support for the financial function.

Kirsty is a keen advocate of cloud based accounting solutions for both start-up businesses and established enterprises. She sees cloud based accounting software as the ideal tool to help her support her clients by providing timely and accurate advice to make effective investment decisions.

Holly Hughes

Holly Hughes

Tax Manager

Holly is a Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA) with over four years of experience in tax. She joined Edwards Accountants in May 2023 and, in her role, works with individuals and small businesses on a wide range of tax advisory matters. Prior to joining Edwards, she worked in a corporate tax role gaining experience with corporate tax compliance and advisory work.

Supporting our Tax Director, Steven, Holly works on projects involving trusts and estates, corporate restructures, employee share schemes and company valuations. Holly also manages a portfolio of personal tax clients, handling self-assessment tax returns and capital gains tax notifications and providing tailored advice when required.

Andrew Palmer

Andrew Palmer

R&D Accounts Manager

Andy joined Edwards in 2014 and specialises in assisting science and technology companies which are involved in R&D. He manages the year-end compliance needs for his clients including statutory accounts and R&D tax credit claims.

Andy is also involved with completion of grant audit assignments and SEIS/EIS compliance which are a regular requirement for new companies raising finance.

Andy is keen to provide the business support services to enable new innovative companies to grow and fulfil their potential.

Helen Tolley

Helen Tolley

R&D Tax and Accounts Manager

Helen is a qualified certified chartered accountant with 14 years experience in general practice within audit, accounts and corporate taxation. She joined Edwards in 2016 as part of the audit team, before being promoted to one of the managers within the R&D department.

Within this department, Helen manages the accounting needs of high technology companies. This includes the preparation of statutory accounts, R&D tax credit claims, and grant audit assignments.

As innovative companies start to grow and raise finance, there are also filing requirements for SEIS/EIS compliance, of which Helen is also involved in.

Alex Smith

Alex Smith

Manager - Managed Services

Alex is in charge of our managed services department and has over 5 years’ experience in business advisory services. She provides client support with the production of tailored management information, assistance with financial forecasting and oversees the day to day operations of the managed services department. She is a keen advocate of cloud based accounting and is involved in the set up and training of cloud accounting systems.

Elaine Field

Elaine Field

Compliance Officer

Our Compliance Officer Elaine joined us in September 2023, with a decade of experience in Commercial Banking. Currently overseeing onboarding at Edwards, she manages this process and sets up new clients, conducts KYC checks, and ensures client information is current. She also keeps the team updated on AML training and communicates procedural changes.

Prior to Edwards, she spent nearly 5 years as a Customer Due Diligence Manager, completing safeguard reviews for KYC compliance among commercial and corporate customers. Her diverse background includes roles in KYC, Remediation, Invoice Finance, Credit Control, Customer Relationship Management, Commercial Credit Cards, Technical Support, and Customer Services within the banking sector.

Karen Batts

Karen Batts

Payroll Manager

Our Payroll Manager Karen joined the Edwards team at the end of 2023 and is involved in overseeing the operations of our payroll department. Her day-to-day role involves taking exceptional care of our client payrolls and team queries, as well as advising on payroll legislation.

She is a CIPP member and brings with her a wealth of experience, having worked within payroll over the past 30 years, mainly in a bureau setting but she did work within industry in her earlier years.

In her spare time, Karen enjoys gardening and has been an allotment holder for the past 5 years. She also enjoys spending time with her friends and family, whether that be going for a nice meal or enjoying a lovely day out in Wales visiting her son who is studying at University in Aberystwyth.