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Speak to us today for professional and impartial advice on UK’s Venture Capital Tax Reliefs.

    Call: 020 3141 9108

    Office Address: Bridge House, 181 Queen Victoria Street, London, England, EC4V 4EG
    (please call to make an appointment)

    Open: Mon-Fri 9am – 5pm

    Expert, Impartial Advice

    Philip Hare
    Partner
    Andrew Lennie
    Senior Manager
    Mike Budd
    Associate
    Gareth Hewins
    Associate
    Tom Hopley
    Assistant Manager
    Jane Williams
    Office Manager
    Jerry Main
    Tax Adviser
    Owen Pickles
    Tax Adviser
    Tim Hare
    Trainee
    Ed Maycock
    Trainee
    Asher Bentham
    Tax & Outreach Assistant
    Joshua Wigley
    Trainee
    Luke Kilsby
    Trainee
    Philip Hare
    Partner

    Philip founded the firm in 2014. He is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser who spent 25 years with PwC, 15 as senior tax manager. From 2006 to 2014 he led PwC’s venture capital tax reliefs team, advising companies, investment fund managers and investors. Philip is a board member of the EIS Association (EISA) and chairs the EISA Tax Committee. He advises the VCT Association, is a member of the VCT Forum of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), and is in regular contact with Government officials regarding the SEIS, EIS and VCTs. He enjoys making a positive difference to entrepreneurs and their businesses, many of which would not exist or grow without the funding which these tax reliefs encourage. 

    Andrew Lennie
    Senior Manager

    Andrew joined Philip Hare & Associates in September 2015. He is a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) who trained and qualified with PwC in London, working within PwC’s asset management, private business, and venture capital tax teams where he advised funds, private equity firms, early-stage companies and their investors. Andrew has advised exclusively on the SEIS, EIS and VCT legislation since 2013 and has worked with thousands of companies and their investors over his years in practice. He enjoys meeting and working with founders of disruptive and innovative businesses and their investors. 

    Mike Budd
    Associate

    Mike qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2003 and has over 27 years experience in the profession advising on various aspects of taxation. Following his training with Smith & Williamson, he spent 4 years working at a private bank. In 2011, Mike set up his own consultancy practice focused on both the practical and technical aspects of HMRC’s Venture Capital Schemes – primarily the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme – an area he had gained a vast amount of experience in whilst working in his previous commercial and technical roles. Mike is a member of The Chartered Institute of Taxation and Fellow of the Association of Taxation Technicians.

    Gareth Hewins
    Associate

    Gareth joined Philip Hare & Associates in November 2019. He is a Chartered Accountant who trained and qualified with EY LLP, working across their Wealth and Asset Management audit and corporate finance departments. After leaving EY LLP, he worked at a venture capital trust fund manager which managed two VCTs, where as CFO he was responsible for all aspects of finance and operations, including detailed oversight of the VCT investment process and ongoing VCT monitoring activities. With over 10 years’ experience in the Venture Capital Schemes, Gareth particularly enjoys talking with new and existing clients to understand their circumstances and help confirm eligibility under the S/EIS and VCT schemes. 

    Tom Hopley
    Assistant Manager

    Tom joined Philip Hare and Associates in 2022 having previously worked at Octopus Investments where he gained experience as a VCT Management Accountant and later worked for Octopus Property, a lending division of the Octopus Group. More recently, Tom worked for Citco Custody UK as a Senior Depositary Analyst where he was responsible for depositary and custody services for a number of private equity, real estate and hedge fund clients.

    Jane Williams
    Office Manager

    Jane joined Philip Hare & Associates in September 2020 as the Office Manager. Prior to joining the firm, Jane spent 25 years working for PricewaterhouseCoopers as a PA in the Tax Team. Jane worked for Partners and Directors mainly in the Private Business and Private Client Department dealing with private individuals, family businesses, entrepreneurs and large companies.

    Jerry Main
    Tax Adviser

    Jerry joined Philip Hare and Associates in February 2023. In his role as a Tax Adviser, he is actively involved in advising and supporting entrepreneurs and throughout their fundraising journey from start-up to scale-up and beyond. He also enjoys advising Venture Capital Trusts on their investments and ongoing compliance with the legislation.

    Owen Pickles
    Tax Adviser

    Owen joined Philip Hare & Associates full-time in June 2023 after having worked for the firm part-time since October 2022 during his final year at university. He graduated with an LLB (Hons) in Law from King’s College London in July 2023 and is an Associate of King’s College. Owen enjoys advising high-tech and fast-growing companies raising investment in the UK to scale their businesses. 

    Tim Hare
    Trainee

    Tim joined Philip Hare and Associates in September 2024. He previously worked as a data analyst in the retail and food sectors, where he was responsible for generating insights and providing strategic advice to major stakeholders. Tim holds a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Bath, which he attained in July 2023.

    Ed Maycock
    Trainee

    Ed joined Philip Hare & Associates in January 2025 having previously worked at a Private Client practice where he specialised in advising High-Net-Worth individuals on a range of tax matters. He is a part-qualified Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) and holds a First-Class degree in Accounting from Durham University. He enjoys working with innovative, high growth businesses across sectors such as technology, life sciences, retail and consumer and helping those businesses understand their eligibility under the schemes. Ed also enjoys advising Venture Capital Trusts on maintaining compliance with relevant legislative requirements and ongoing qualifying conditions. 

    Asher Bentham
    Tax & Outreach Assistant

    Asher joined Philip Hare & Associates in 2025. Until 2022, Asher worked at Hargreaves Lansdown, where he led a team that helped clients understand the technical aspects of their investments and pensions. More recently, Asher worked in media, where he combined creativity with a flair for problem solving and project management. He enjoys building strong working relationships and brings a people-focused approach to everything he does, with a particular interest in helping clients navigate complex processes with clarity and confidence.

    Joshua Wigley
    Trainee

    Josh joined Philip Hare & Associates full-time in March 2026, having worked for the firm part-time throughout his A-level and university studies. Josh holds a First-Class BA (Hons) degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Greenwich, which he attained in July 2025.

    Luke Kilsby
    Trainee

    Luke joined Philip Hare & Associates in March 2026. He previously worked in the finance team of a growing UK SME where he developed an interest in the success of entrepreneurs and expanding UK businesses. Luke has attained a BA Hons in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Exeter, and will be working to become ACA qualified.