Council

ATT is both a charity and a company limited by guarantee. As such, members of Council serve as both Company Directors and Charity Trustees.

The Articles of Association allow for Council to be made up of up to 24 elected members who must be members or Fellows of ATT.

As trustees, Council members are responsible for the control of the management and administration of ATT. As directors, Council members must exercise the fiduciary duties expected of any director of a company. Like ordinary directors, members of Council are required to retire on a rotational basis every four years but they may offer themselves for re-election subject to a maximum of 12 years, or two years after serving as President, whichever is longer.

Council's role is to provide:

  • Strategic direction
  • Performance management
  • Compliance
  • Management of assets
  • Governance

Council meets four times a year, either virtually or at the ATT's head office in London. Council members also serve on at least one Steering Group.

Council Members

Simon Groom
Simon Groom
President

Simon joined Council in 2018 and is the Association's President. He serves on Finance Steering Group and Nominations Committee. Simon is a former member of Business Development and Member Steering Groups and Audit Committee. He became a member of the Association in 2003. Simon qualified as a chartered accountant in 1987 and as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 1991. Simon has worked at Lexis Nexis since 2006, where he headed up their newly formed Tolley Exam Training.  Having had various roles along the way he now enjoys a part-time role as a Senior Tutor.

Senga Prior
Senga Prior
Deputy President

Senga joined Council in 2017. She is the Association's Deputy President. She chairs Technical Steering Group. Senga is ATT’s spokesperson for Scottish taxes. She also represents ATT at the Scottish Devolved Taxes Collaborative and attends quarterly meetings between ATT, CIOT, ICAS and the Scottish Government. Senga is the ATT Representative on the Issues Overview Group and the Representative Bodies Steering Group. Senga became a member of the Association in 2002 and a Fellow in 2017. She works in practice as a senior tax manager for Johnston Carmichael specialising in personal tax. She has a particular interest in technology and accounting software.

Graham Batty
Graham Batty
Vice President

Graham joined Council in 2012 and he is the Association's Vice President. He chairs Examination Steering Group and serves on Audit and Risk Committee. He is a former Chair of both the Leeds and Birmingham and West Midlands Branches. He became a member of the Association in 2005 and was appointed a Fellow in 2015. Graham qualified as a chartered accountant in 1983 and became a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation in 1986. He is a former Associate Director at RSM, where he specialised in the taxation of charities and other not for profit bodies.

Paul Benton
Paul Benton
Council Member

Paul joined Council in 2023. He became a member of the Association in 2015 before qualifying as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2016. He serves on Examination Steering Group and also chairs the CIOT/ ATT Sheffield Branch Committee. Paul works in practice at Haigh &Co Accountants in Doncaster as Head of Tax and acts as treasurer to a local youth charity. 

David Bradshaw
David Bradshaw
Council Member

David joined Council in 2015. He is the Association's immediate past President. David is a former Honorary Treasurer and chair of Finance Steering Group. He still serves on Finance Steering Group as well as the Joint Branches Sub-Committee. At various intervals over the past 15 years David has been Chair, Treasurer and Secretary of the North East England Branch. He became a member of the Association in 2015 and qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 1984. He has spent time with all four of the world’s largest accountancy practices and has specialised in taxation in both the SME marketplace and large corporate tax departments. He now provides corporation tax administration services to a number of North East businesses.

Richard Freeman
Richard Freeman
Council Member

Richard joined Council in 2015. He chairs Nominations Committee and also serves on Finance and Member and Business Development Steering Groups. Richard currently chairs the HRMC Branch and is a former Chair of Birmingham and West Midlands Branch. He became a member of the Association in 2015. Richard qualified as a solicitor in 2000, and as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2003. Richard works for HMRC as a Deputy Director Compliance, for the Large Business Directorate in the Customer Compliance Group. Prior to joining HMRC he has worked in leading legal and accounting firms.

Jackie Hall
Jacqueline Hall
Council Member

Jacqueline joined Council in 2016. She serves on Examination Steering Group and is a former Chair of Hull Branch. She became a member of the Association in 2016 and is also a Chartered Tax Adviser and chartered accountant. Jacqueline is a Partner with RSM, providing business and tax advisory and compliance services to owner managed businesses, large employers and individuals.

Georgiana Head
Georgiana Head
Council Member

Georgiana joined Council in 2020. She chairs Member and Business Development Steering Group and serves on Tax Adviser and Nominations Committee. Georgiana qualified as an ATT in 1997 and trained with Price Waterhouse before moving into tax recruitment. In 2007 she set up Georgiana Head Recruitment Ltd. Georgiana specialises in recruiting tax professionals across the North of England. She is a committee member of 'Women in Tax' for Leeds and Manchester Branches. She is also a frequent contributor to the tax press.

Jamie Hooper
Jamie Hooper
Council Member

Jamie joined Council in 2023.  He became a member of the Association in 2000 before qualifying as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2008. He serves on the Finance Steering Group and chairs the CIOT/ATT Essex Branch Committee.  Jamie has experience in personal, corporate and international taxes and in 2009 took over management of his family firm providing taxation and accounting services to SMEs and HNW families.

Barry Jefferd
Barry Jefferd
Council Member

Barry joined Council in 2021. He serves on Exam Steering Group and is a former chair of Mid-Anglia Branch. Barry trained with a City of London practice where he qualified as a chartered accountant and a Chartered Tax Adviser. Barry became an ATT member in 2009 and he is also a member of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners. 

Barry is Senior Partner with George Hay. He advises on the complete range of taxes although he particularly enjoys Capital Gains Tax, Inheritance Tax and property and land transactions.

Katharine Lindley
Katharine Lindley
Council Member

Katharine joined Council in 2012. She is the Association's Honorary Treasurer and chairs Finance Steering Group. Katharine is also a former chair of Member Steering Group. She became a member of the Association in 1999 and was appointed a Fellow in 2012. Katharine is a Chartered Tax Adviser, a Chartered Financial Planner and a Chartered Fellow (Financial Planning) of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments. She is Head of Advice at EQ Investors and provides financial planning advice.

Banin Ooxeerally
Banin Oozeerally
Council Member

Banin joined Council in 2021. She is Vice Chair of Member and Business Development Steering Group and serves on the Joint Professional Standards Committee. She became a member of the Association in 2015. Banin is also ACCA and CTA qualified. She works in practice and has all-rounder experience in accounting and tax matters for individuals, owner-managed businesses and start-up companies.

Toyin Oyeneyin
Toyin Oyeneyin
Council Member

Toyin joined Council in 2021. She chairs the CIOT/ATT New Tax Professionals Committee and also serves on Tax Adviser Magazine Committee. She became a member of the Association in 2012 and qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2014. Toyin has experience across practice and industry, accounting, tax and finance. She is a Tax Specialist and Product Manager for Octopus Investments, having joined Octopus from her previous role as a Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Hayley Perkin
Hayley Perkin
Council Member

Hayley joined Council in 2014. She serves on Member and Business Development and Technical Steering Groups. Hayley is vice chair of the joint CIOT and ATT Crypto Asset Working Group. She also represents ATT on HMRC's Employment and Payroll Group. Hayley became a member of the Association in 2009 and a Fellow in 2020. She works in practice as a senior tax manager at KPMG, specialising in employment taxes.

Jon Stride
Jonathan Stride
Council Member

Jon joined Council in 2016. He is vice Chair of Technical Steering Group. He is a member of the Somerset & Dorset Branch Committee. Jon became a member of the Association in 2005 and was appointed a Fellow in 2016. He is also a Fellow member of the AAT and holds the ACCA CAT qualification. Jon is an Accounting and Tax Senior with a firm in Dorset.

Eleanor Theochari
Eleanor Theochari
Council Member

Ele joined Council in 2023. She became a member of CIOT in 2020 and a member of ATT in 2023. Ele serves on the Joint Professional Standards Committee. Ele is a Corporate Tax Adviser, specialising in R&D Tax Credits. She leads the R&D tax function as a Partner at Blick Rothenberg, where she is responsible for overseeing the delivery of all clients' R&D claims. Ele was a finalist in Tolley’s Taxation Awards 2022 and 2023 in the Taxation’s Rising Star category, and was awarded a coveted place in the 2022 Accountant Age’s 35 under 35.

Richard Todd
Richard Todd
Council Member

Richard joined Council in 2013 and is a past President of the Association. He is a former chair of the Joint Professional Standards Committee and of Northern Ireland Branch. Richard became a member of the Association in 1996 and qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 1998. He began his tax career with the Inland Revenue in London and Central Scotland, before returning to Northern Ireland in 1998. He currently works in practice in Belfast.

George Ritchie
George Ritchie
Lay Public Interest Observer

George was appointed Lay Public Interest Observer in April 2023. Having started his career as a criminal defence advocate and duty solicitor in police stations, George most recently worked for BT where his last role before retirement in 2022 was Community Assurance Director, a unique, independent oversight role, the purpose of which was to hold BT, and especially its senior leadership team, to account to live up to its commitments. 

George now has a broad portfolio which includes Board Member of a Guernsey Competition and Regulatory Authority, an independent member of the Health Research Authority Audit and Risk Committee and has recently been appointed to a quasi-judicial role as a Lay Member of the Medical Practitioners' Tribunal Service.