R&D in construction: funding innovation

Jenny is one of the UK’s leading R&D tax policy experts having specialised in the field since 2007. A highly skilled chartered accountant with almost 20 years of experience, she leads client-facing teams and helps us deliver high quality advice to clients and is a respected and influential voice within the industry.

Throughout her career, which includes over a decade spent with KPMG, Jenny has worked on R&D tax relief claims for some of the UK’s best-known innovators, ranging from big pharma companies to F1 teams and household FMCG brands.

Jenny has actively contributed to numerous groups involved in the operation of R&D tax reliefs, R&D tax policy and the future of the incentive. In her role as ForrestBrown’s Head of Policy, she has worked with the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT), Nesta’s Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre and the Confederation of British Industry to inform responses to the government’s wide-ranging consultation on R&D tax reliefs and shape thinking on the future of the incentive.

She also helped to secure a significant victory for one of ForrestBrown’s clients in the first-tier tribunal, challenging HMRC’s interpretation of subsidised R&D expenditure.

Jenny is a regular author of technical articles, as well as contributing commentary on R&D tax in Tolley’s 2021 Finance Act Handbook and joining the judging panel for Tolley’s Taxation Awards 2022.

Passionate about raising professional standards for R&D tax advice, Jenny initiated a cross-industry working group that drafted the Professional Conduct in Relation to Tax (PCRT) guidance for R&D tax advice, led by the CIOT and the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT). This has been endorsed by all major UK accountancy and tax bodies and sets the standard for professionally qualified R&D tax advisers, which in turn ensures that UK businesses can access R&D tax relief with confidence. 

Jenny brings insight from these high-profile roles to benefit ForrestBrown’s clients, helping businesses maximise the benefit of their investment in innovation while minimising risks to cashflow and reputation.

Mike is an expert in structural and mechanical engineering with more than 35 years of industry experience. Part of our sector specialist team, his knowledge helps to ensure we deliver technically robust R&D tax credit claims.

For Mike, it all started at Imperial College where he studied Mechanical Engineering with a special focus on structures and polymers.

He then spent much of his career working in ports, harbours and offshore, building a niche specialism in the ship-to-shore interfaces. His career has spanned the Middle East, Asia, North America and Europe.

Mike has a wealth of experience with materials and structures in some of the harshest environments. This has given him a clear understanding of how their nuances are explored during critical problem-solving phases of the R&D process – something which our clients value highly.

He has worked on many high-profile projects, including the CaTRo project in Kazakhstan for Chevron. This involved designing some of the facilities for the precision navigation of large barges along a purpose-built 80km canal in the Caspian Sea.

He has co-founded his own successful engineering company which was later acquired by Swedish industrial giant Trelleborg. After various engineering roles over the next decade, Mike became an independent consultant providing forensic engineering expert witness services to the port and shipping sectors. He joined the ForrestBrown team in 2019.

Mike is ForrestBrown’s renewables specialist and works with our industry partners in the energy sector to bring the value of R&D tax relief to their members. Whether it’s in writing blog articles (such as for Maritime Journal and Construction Industry News) or hosting webinars, Mike’s passion for R&D in this sector shines through when helping businesses gain more value from their innovative work.

Mike’s passion for R&D extends outside of his professional career too. Never afraid of an ambitious task, he project managed the building of his own eco home on the Severn Estuary. Over the course of a year, this immersed him in another sphere of R&D, allowing him to acquire further invaluable knowledge which he also brings to his role at ForrestBrown.

Mark is a former HMRC tax inspector with more than four decades of experience. That includes time working as an inspector in HMRC’s R&D units, providing Mark with indispensable insight on the implementation of the incentive.

Joining HMRC in 1979, Mark went on to specialise in conducting enquiries into companies. He was one of the original tax inspectors assigned to the specialist R&D units in 2006, working in the Croydon unit until 2018.

He joined ForrestBrown in 2019 and his expertise is primarily shared through our enquiry support service, which provides support to clients as well as companies who have prepared claims themselves or through another adviser or partner.

The wealth of experience gained through the combination of public and private sector roles has proved invaluable so far. He helps reassure ForrestBrown’s clients, providing them with a measured viewpoint and advice on their risk profile.

Part of Mark’s drive is the challenge of debating technical issues involving the law. That includes working on Quinn’s landmark tribunal case, which tackled HMRC’s interpretation of the amount of relief available to SMEs for customer-led R&D projects.

In addition to his work in enquiry support, Mark contributes to our in-house development programme, the Learning Lab, which aims to create the next generation of tax professionals. 

Find out about a typical day for Mark Andrew in our meet the expert series.

Gareth is a structural engineering expert with more than 20 years of experience. He joined ForrestBrown’s team in 2020 with the ambition of helping like-minded technical professionals use the R&D incentive to achieve their goals.

Gareth’s work has taken him all over the world, including working on a number of cutting-edge, acclaimed structural projects.

After graduating with a Civil Engineering degree from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Gareth made his first move to the UK. He spent three years involved in the refurbishment of listed buildings and mixed-use developments and schools, then moved on to the warmer climates of Brisbane.

Gareth worked on large, mixed-use developments in Australia, before returning to South Africa where he spent more than a decade working for one of the country’s most reputable civil engineering consultancies. 

As an associate, he led a variety of projects including public buildings, civil infrastructure and commercial and industrial developments. Most notably, he worked on several high-end residential structures, including the award-winning OVD 919 and Kloof 145.

With a keen interest in sustainable design, Gareth picked up further accreditation in green building principles and ran a number of renewable energy projects. 

Gareth then moved over to the healthcare sector and led the structural team designing Kuwait Children’s Hospital. The design incorporates sustainability with cutting-edge technology and is set to be the largest of its kind in the world.

His final step in South Africa was to set up his own independent consultancy, which he ran successfully before moving to the UK and joining ForrestBrown.

At ForrestBrown, Gareth partners with our network of associations in the construction and engineering sectors. Attending members’ meetings, speaking on webinars and networking at events, Gareth uses his structural engineering experience to educate businesses on the value R&D tax credits can have on firms in this sector. With ForrestBrown, Gareth has written content for the UKWA, ACE, and Construction and Civil Engineering publications.

Robin is an accomplished mechanical engineer who has worked for some of the world’s most iconic companies. With two decades of industry experience, his knowledge is integral to optimising engineering claims.

After studying Automotive Engineering at the University of Leeds, Robin began his career with a Tier 1 supplier to the automotive industry. He spent five years at this manufacturer developing sealing systems for companies including Toyotai, Honda and Aston Martin.

He moved to Bentley Motors and broadened his experience to whole closure systems, including bonnets, doors and tailgates. During this time Robin worked on vehicle projects such as the Mulsanne, Flying Spur, Bentayga and continental GT.

Ten years on, Robin moved to Dyson to work on their electric vehicle project, where he was the engineering manager for closures. As part of this role he managed a large team and had ownership of the body test facility. Several uniquely innovative designs were produced, including one which has been registered for a patent with Robin as an inventor.

Robin not only helps our engineering clients, but also works with our wider network of automotive and mechanical engineering industry associations. As a member of the Niche Vehicle Network, Robin draws on his industry experience to support fellow members on the value of their R&D projects; speaking on webinars, joining networking events and participating in sharing insights in industry publications, such as his piece in Automotive Testing Technology International. 

Robin brings this wealth of mechanical and electromechanical engineering experience to ForrestBrown. As one of our sector specialists, he helps client companies to articulate precisely where the activities which qualify for R&D tax relief occur. Robins helps to ensure that the technical part of each claim is robust. 

With a growing interest in innovation, Phil joined ForrestBrown in 2014 to work with our manufacturing and engineering clients. He trained at Cooper Parry in Nottingham and qualified as a chartered tax adviser in 2009. Phil then moved to Burton Sweet and later Hazlewoods, where he advised owner-managed businesses on personal and corporate taxation. He brings over a decade of experience to our team.

Alex is a qualified chartered tax adviser with more than two decades of experience in Big Four firms. A director at ForrestBrown, Alex is passionate about advising UK businesses on how to use R&D tax relief strategically to achieve their business goals. 

Before joining ForrestBrown in 2014, Alex gained extensive experience with Deloitte and worked for nine years as a senior tax manager with PwC. 

At PwC, Alex worked with a range of companies from startups to large brands, all of which were seeking global growth. He specialised in providing tax and social security advice to individuals and companies who operated across international borders.

Since joining ForrestBrown, Alex has played a significant role in the company’s growth, both by supporting our clients and working with our strategic partners.

Alex is responsible for driving forward our relationships with accountant partners. Working with hundreds of accountants from across the UK, Alex helps them identify clients that are suitable for the R&D tax incentive. Alex is driven by supporting businesses to capture the full value of their innovation.

ForrestBrown’s goal is to build long-term relationships with accountants and trade associations based on trust and expertise. Alex also wants ForrestBrown to be recognised as the R&D provider that is the best in the UK, both technically and ethically.