Evelyn Partners hires new head of private client tax services

Tilney Smith & Williamson, the leading wealth management and professional services group, has announced the appointment of Sian Steele to the newly created role of Head of Private Client Tax Services. Sian will play a leading role in helping to bring continued growth to the firm’s tax practice in its professional services business.

Currently a family business consultant, adviser and portfolio NED, Sian was previously a senior Partner at PwC with roles both in the UK and globally. Sian has considerable experience dealing with international families and their businesses, with a particular focus on the design, development and implementation of effective holistic family governance and ownership strategies. She is passionate about supporting families in developing and implementing succession strategies.

Andrew Wilkes, Head of Tax at Tilney Smith & Williamson commented: “I am delighted to welcome Sian to our fast-growing tax practice. Her extensive industry experience gained from working with leading firms will be instrumental to our business as we continue to expand to meet the growing demand we are seeing from private clients for professional tax planning services.

“This is a really exciting time for the tax practice at Tilney Smith & Williamson as we hire high quality talent at all levels. The need for professional advice to help individuals fulfill their obligations from an increasingly complex tax system has never been greater and I look forward to working closely with Sian as we continue to build our team to provide the specialist advice that our clients require.”

Sian added: “This is a really exciting time to be joining the Tilney Smith & Williamson team. Tilney Smith & Williamson is, first and foremost, a private client business providing excellent service to clients in the UK and globally. Tilney Smith & Williamson works with many of the most prestigious and wealthy families in the UK and the combination of exceptionally talented practitioners and a wide range of services available under one roof is a winning combination.

“The Tilney Smith & Williamson team are innovative and entrepreneurial and I am extremely proud to be leading them on this exciting growth journey.”

The group has been investing heavily in bolstering its tax team in recent months by making several important senior hires. Adam West and Clare Halligan joined the group’s Birmingham office with a remit to grow the firm’s tax advisory presence in the North West and build a tax dispute and resolution practice respectively. In addition, Adam Smith was appointed a Partner with a brief to build a new US / UK transatlantic tax team.