People

Elman Wall - the people

We believe that we should enjoy a close relationship with all of our clients….and we also believe that you should know who you are dealing with.

We intentionally have a very simple structure.

Ian Palmer has direct responsibility for all of our corporate Audit or Accounts clients. His role is to ensure that all compliance aspects are dealt with smoothly and hold the day-to-day responsibility for all areas of the client relationship.

Ian is designated as a Responsible Individual and is licensed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales to sign audit reports. Ian manages our audit and accounts team.

Russell Eisen is our Director of Taxation Services and as well as heading up all aspects of tax planning, compliance and strategic service to our corporate clients (working in conjunction with Ian), has direct day to day responsibility for all personal tax clients, together with sole traders, partnerships and “one man” Limited companies. Russell manages our tax team.

Our Managing Director, Jonathan Wall, along with Russell and Ian form Elman Wall’s management team.

Jonathan has contact with almost every client of the firm. Sometimes, it is occasional, at other times it is intense. Sometimes, at the “coal face” and at others times advising behind the scenes.

Whenever Jonathan needs to be available to a client, for whatever reason, he is.

Jonathan is ultimately responsible for all of the firm’s professional services.

Jonathan also consults on many areas of our “added value” offerings, focusing on; profit and efficiency improvement, strategic planning, and the securing of funding for both start up and established businesses

In addition to the directors, we are delighted to have two very hands on and expert consultants.

Bob Davies is our VAT and Duty Consultant and consults on all aspects of non-routine VAT issues.

Ralph Elman, co-founder of the firm, now consults on corporate governance, business management, routes to market and exits for both private and public companies.

Many of our clients also retain Adrian Ware and his team at Cavendish Ware Limited, who provide a complete range of financial and investment management and planning services. Click here for more information.

We firmly believe the eight people set out above, together with an excellent professional and administrative support team, offer unrivalled expertise, professionalism and service amongst smaller firms of accountants, and compare favourably against firms much larger than ourselves.

Biographies

Jonathan Wall

Jonathan Wall co-founded Elman Wall in 1996 and is now the firm’s managing director.

Jonathan qualified as a Chartered Accountant at BDO Stoy Hayward in 1988 and became a partner in Elman Wall’s predecessor in 1993.

Jonathan is a member of The Academy of Experts and is also recognised throughout the travel industry as a leading advisor to Tour Operators.

His role is to ensure that Elman Wall delivers support, service and advice of the highest quality to all of its clients, many of whom he speaks to regularly. He specifically advises businesses on strategy, growth and development.

Jonathan’s passions in life are Arsenal, Bruce Springsteen, his wife and four children in no particular order and his challenge is to find an hour for himself. jonathan.wall@elmanwall.co.uk

Ian Palmer

Ian qualified as a chartered accountant in 2001 having worked with owner-managed businesses throughout his professional life. He became a director of Elman Wall in 2005.

Ian is responsible for running the firm’s Audit department.

Ian’s role is to not only to ensure that Elman Wall’s clients feel at ease throughout the annual audit process and that all regulatory deadlines are met, but also to help clients deal with any issues they may have as and when they arise throughout the year. ian.palmer@elmanwall.co.uk

Ian, who lives in Surrey, is married and divides his spare time between his young family and watching Chelsea.

Russell Eisen

Having qualified in 1988 as a Chartered Accountant, Russell immediately left Audit for a career in Tax. Whilst in the intervening years there have been considerable changes to the UK tax system, Russell's approach has remained constant. At the heart of this is to plan and protect client's affairs.

Following the introduction of Self-Assessment, both for businesses and individuals, with the attendant interest and penalties, the protection element emphasis is on ensuring clients' compliance needs are handled in a timely manner, providing advice in completing returns and the payment of tax.

Russell's Yorkshire born no-nonsense attitude particularly bears fruit when engaged against the Revenue in dealing with compliance enquiries at all levels, including the Special Civil Investigations Unit.

The planning side incorporates business organisation structure, Capital Gains Tax mitigation and family succession planning. However, as each clients' affairs have their own uniqueness, the real planning comes in applying current tax legislation and Revenue practice to create bespoke solutions.

In heading up the dedicated group that forms the Elman Wall Tax Team, Russell ensures that clients' affairs are net with efficient and confidence.

Do you remember the souvenir pens where a ship sails down a canal or hands run up and down a keyboard (and so on) when the pen is tipped downwards to write with? We also produced an Elman Wall version which included an aeroplane? (Before you ask – sorry – no stock left!).

Russell has been a keen collector of such pens for a long time and started this hobby as a reminder of when he spent a summer in Turkey as a professional belly dancer (but that’s another story!). He now boasts ownership of one of the largest collections worldwide! His passion extends to a website dedicated to lovers of ‘floaty pens’ where the collection can be viewed online – www.floatypens.co.uk – although it is now slightly out of date due to Russell spending most of his time solving tax problems. russell.eisen@elmanwall.co.uk

Bob Davies

Bob has for many years been our VAT and Customs Duty consultant. He spent 26 years with HM Customs & Excise, followed by 8 years as senior VAT consultant to a Top 10 Firm of Accountants.

Bob has particular expertise in VAT aspects of land and property, international trade and the Tour Operators Margin Scheme.

There has been more than one occasion where Bob has trained the officer that our clients have been dealing with!!

Bob is National Chairman of the Institute of Indirect Taxation.

Ralph Elman

Ralph co-founded Elman Wall in 1996 with Jonathan Wall, having previously spent many years at BDO Stoy Hayward and then founding the Elman Wall predecessor firm in 1988.

Ralph now spends much of his time acting as a director or advisor to various publicly quoted or private companies. He is delighted to remain as a consultant to the firm that bears his name.

Adrian Ware

Adrian is the managing director of Cavendish Ware, a leading firm of bespoke Independent Financial Advisors.

Cavendish Ware shares offices with Elman Wall and to many of our clients is “Elman Wall Financial Services”. Cavendish Ware Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Adrian has worked in financial services since 1985, after graduating from Leeds University. For the six years prior to forming Cavendish Ware in 2003, he worked with Kleinwort Benson Private Bank, one of the most prestigious financial service providers in the UK. He was Director of Financial Advisory Services, with direct responsibility for the IFA division, and has significant experience in advising both individual and corporate clients on financial planning issues. He was investment advisor to a major Investment Bank pension scheme, and retains strong ties with a number of leading City institutions.

Adrian is married with three children and lives in Kent. He has recently reformed his schooldays band, and you may well see him playing with 14Carat Grapefruit at a venue near you shortly!