Group Directors

Group Chief Executive Officer -
Daren Moore FCCA

Daren Moore joined The TaxAssist Direct Group Board of Directors in February 2018. Daren has spent his whole career in the accountancy practice sector, having worked his way up from accounts trainee to a member of the Management Board of Price Bailey LLP, a Top 25 regional firm, where he has an outstanding track record of achievement. Daren’s roles whilst in practice have been varied and include portfolio development, having twice built-up fee banks with different practices as a client portfolio partner, practice management as senior partner in a sizeable office with 5 fellow partners and 50 staff and business development through his role as head of sales and marketing. His Management Board role also involved a number of strategic planning functions, looking at business growth, acquisition opportunities, investment analysis, team building and incentive initiatives, innovation in technology and cloud services and broader operational planning.

In 2022, Daren became Group Managing Director overseeing the entire Group operation, expansion and development of the network and various client services. In 2023 he was appointed as Group CEO. With a solid knowledge of the accounting and taxation industry, in which he is a well-known and respected figure, Daren brings his 30 years of expertise to his role, to ensure the continued success and growth of the network in the UK and internationally.

Daren's LinkedIn profile can be viewed here.

Group Director & UK Managing Director -
Sarah Robertson MSc, Dip M, FCIM, FIDM, Chartered Marketer

Sarah has more than 30 years’ experience in the marketing and advertising industry, working with a broad range of national and regional brands, specialising in financial services. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Fellow of the Institute of Direct Marketing. Sarah joined the TaxAssist Accountants Board in September 2004 and for 12 years was responsible for marketing strategy, brand development, shopfronts, practice management and business development strategies for the UK network.

In 2016, Sarah was appointed as the Group Operations Director with overall responsibility for the operational overview of the UK network and the TaxAssist Academy. She has a vast working knowledge of the network and is fully focussed on the future needs of the business including the utilisation of technologies to improve practice performance and profitability. In 2022, in addition to her Group Director responsibilities, Sarah was appointed as the UK Managing Director with specific responsibility for the support, guidance and performance of the UK network of franchisees and staff.

Sarah's LinkedIn profile can be viewed here.

Group Business Development Director -
James Mattam BSc. (Hons)

James has spent his entire full-time career with TaxAssist Accountants since completing his honours degree in Business Information Systems. After spending five years as our IT Manager building many websites and providing support to the franchisees, he then took on the role as our Marketing Manager in 2004 to face a new challenge. James went on to become Senior Business Development Manager driving a team to deliver record numbers of leads to the network and ensure brand consistency was maintained through online, print media and the shop fronts and offices within the UK network.

In 2018 James launched TaxAssist's national television brand campaign, the first of its kind in the UK for the accounting sector, and has expanded the social media programme for the UK franchise network to drive more awareness in each local territory.

James joined the Group Board in 2016 and is responsible for marketing campaigns, brand development, shopfronts and ensuring client acquisition strategies are implemented across all Group companies to support growth plans for the business. From 2024, James also has responsibility for franchisee recruitment, growing the network to its full potential.

James's LinkedIn profile can be viewed here.

Group Chief Operating Officer -
Mike Melling

Mike Melling was appointed as Group Development Director in February 2022, becoming the first TaxAssist Accountants franchisee to serve as an Executive Director. In January 2023, Mike was appointed to Group Commercial Director, assuming additional responsibility for Group Software, Systems, Operations, Technology, Outsourcing and Onshoring. In January 2024 Mike was appointed as Group Chief Operating Officer.

Mike joined TaxAssist Accountants in 2012, after purchasing a franchise resale covering Harpenden, St Albans and Radlett - the first £1m+ resale for the network. Mike bought a second resale covering the High Wycombe and Beaconsfield area in 2015 and in 2023 acquired a third resale covering Potters Bar, Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City. Keen to continue growing the practices, Mike invested in staff, technology and client acquisition marketing, to build his practice to a growing 25-person team becoming one of the largest TaxAssist Accountants practices in the UK.

In May 2024, TaxAssist Direct Acquisitions Limited purchased a 75% stake in his practice valued at £2m which services over 2,000 businesses, Directors and individual clients from seven shops and offices. Mike is now no longer a franchisee, although he continues to oversee the operations of the business through his role as a group executive director.

Prior to joining TaxAssist, Mike enjoyed a 35-year career as a Senior Financial Services Executive in the UK, USA and Asia for American Express, GE Capital and Marsh & McLennan including board-level roles for subsidiary companies.

Mike's role is to support the growth of the TaxAssist Group and complementary services, drive best practices through the deployment of world class systems and capabilities, integrate and grow targeted acquisitions as well as supporting franchisees using the experiences he has built up since joining the Network. Mike is also a director and investor in TaxAssist Financial Services Ltd.

Mike's LinkedIn profile can be viewed here.

Group Chief Financial Officer -
Nic Redfern BSc ACA

Nic Redfern joined The TaxAssist Group in 2024, as Group Chief Financial Officer, to lead the finance team and support the strategic aspirations of the business. Nic trained with Ernst & Young and then moved into industry where he has spent his career working with fast growing businesses in the financial services and digital sectors.

After 4 years with Virgin Money, Nic spent 12 years with Optimise Media Group growing revenues from £2m to £60m and successfully launching the business in 6 countries. He then moved to a fractional CFO role and worked with a number of high growth businesses as an executive director to devise and deliver strategy for the shareholders. This included the scaling and subsequent sale of Notice Media Ltd to Nerdwallet inc. and the post-acquisition strategy as Nerdwallet UK.

Nic's responsibilities vary from Finance, Legal, Compliance and HR as well as broader strategic planning. He is bringing his experience to support the existing team through TaxAssist's next phase of growth.

Nic's LinkedIn profile can be viewed here.

Non-Executive Director -
Phil Sullivan (BSc. Hons), ACIB

During a 26-year career with HSBC Bank plc Phil achieved Executive Management status and undertook roles covering a wide range of disciplines including retail banking, corporate and commercial banking, credit control, strategic planning, human resources and training. Phil established his own business in 2006 providing corporate and commercial advisory services to selected business clients. His main business interests lie in corporate finance and management/leadership theory and practice.

Phil was appointed as an Adviser to the Board in 2007 and became an Executive Director in October 2008. As a full-time Executive Director Phil's main responsibilities included UK and international finance, internal financial control, company secretarial responsibilities and a major input into strategic planning and management of major projects. In 2022 Phil moved to a part-time Non-Executive Director role. As a member of the Group Board, he chairs the Audit Committee, retains an overview of Group finances and supports the Group MD with strategic planning and talent development.

Phil's LinkedIn profile can be viewed here.