James Clothier

I wanted to be a tax adviser for as long as I can remember, it was my childhood dream. Well….not quite, like with most tax advisers, it kind of just happened. 

Initially starting my career as a trainee accountant, mainly in the world of audit, I qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant. However, after one too many stock takes, I began to feel there was something missing. When an opportunity arose to switch departments to specialise in tax, I decided to take a risk as I had always been intrigued by the political drama surrounding tax policy. I jumped in headfirst and studied towards becoming a Chartered Tax Adviser; it turned out to be a great decision.

I subsequently immersed myself within the tax world, working in a mixed tax department, a private client tax department and a corporate tax department.   This gave me a good grounding. However, after reaching a point where nothing was new, I decided to join Marcussen for a fresh challenge and perspective.

I’ve always loved the technical side of tax and Marcussen and its clients offered me the opportunity to indulge that passion creatively, in a way that would change my outlook on tax. I am now our teams technical expert in many of the areas we specialise in, including EIS and employee share incentive plans.

I wanted to be part of a small team where there was a genuine passion for the sector and energy amongst my colleagues. We are a team that challenges and collaborates with each other; we appreciate and recognise the strengths and personalities of each individual.  This allows us to achieve greater results for our clients.

At Marcussen I get a buzz knowing that I make a tangible contribution to my clients, actually solving problems for them. At the same time, I can be myself, there are no suits and none of the corporate nonsense I was used to.

Outside of tax, I love to travel, having completed the “30 countries by 30” challenge. But now with two young children, travelling mainly consists of exploring the UK (which usually results in me crawling through a soft play area). I also enjoy cycling, drinking coffee and eating cake - sometimes all at once.