Five new hires for Yorkshire wing of Grant Thornton

Following a record year for its Yorkshire tax practice, Grant Thornton UK has recruited five new staff to the successful office. Ben Vaux, Stephanie Holmes, Isfan Hanif, Stacie Nicholls and Daniel Andreca have joined the Leeds and Sheffield offices.

Grant Thornton’s Yorkshire tax team has seen profits grown by 18.8% year on year. In her first year as head of tax for Yorkshire and the North East, Partner Rachel Engwell – who joined the firm from EY in 2016 – has strengthened Grant Thornton’s tax client base in the region, backing it up with headcount growth. The most recent five appointments take the team's size to 35 across locations in Leeds and Sheffield.

Ben Vaux joins Grant Thornton as a Corporate Tax Manager. He brings with him extensive experience in tax management, having held the same role at PwC for the past 12 years. During his tenure with the Big Four firm, he specialised in the provision of corporate tax compliance and advisory services.

Stephanie Holmes arrives at the firm as a VAT Manager, similarly following a long-term engagement with a Big Four firm. Holmes spent the past eight years with Deloitte, where she was most recently an Indirect Tax Manager. That role followed a two year stint as a Graduate Trainee with the Arcadia Group between 2007 and 2009.

Isfan Hanif also takes up a role relating to indirect taxes, joining Grant Thornton as a VAT Executive. Unlike the others, Isfan Hanif spent the duration of his last role outside of the consulting industry. During a five year spell with HM Revenue & Customs, the professional eventually rose to the rank of VAT Compliance, before leaving for a new challenge in the consulting sector.

Stacie Nicholls assumes the position of Corporate Tax Associate after spending a year at Deloitte. Working as a Corporate Tax Analyst for the Big Four firm, Nicholls had previously worked with the UK Ministry of Justice, where she worked as a Crown Court Clerk for the best part of her two year spell.

Daniel Andreca joins Grant Thornton as a Private Client Tax Associate. Andreca was most recently engaged as a Personal Tax Semi Senior with professional services firm Saffery Champness. Previously, he had spent three years as a Personal Tax Trainee Accountant with Auker Rhodes Professional Services.

Grant Thornton Tax Partner Rachel Engwell said of the new recruits, "I'm delighted to be able to continue to bring exceptional talent to Grant Thornton as our team goes from strength-to-strength. Three of our latest hires have come from Big Four firms, a testament to Grant Thornton's attractiveness as an employer that is doing something different in the market."

Commenting on why he chose to start a new chapter of his career at Grant Thornton, Ben Vaux said of his arrival, “I was attracted to the role because of the fantastic team spirit, variety of work and growth mindedness which brings with it really good prospects for progression.”