Managing Director

Sarah Alexander FCCA FCA

Sarah has worked in the accountancy profession for in excess of 25 years, and been a partner/director for over 15 years.

As Managing Director of Lewis Brownlee, Sarah has a large and varied portfolio.  Her passion is working with owner-managed SMEs to ensure they get the best out of their business and not pay a penny more in tax than absolutely necessary!

Clients have described Sarah as “professional and straight-talking”, and said her “approach is both refreshing and informative”.

Expertise:

• Virtual FD/FC
• Accountancy
• Management accounting and bookkeeping, including budgeting and cashflow forecasting
• Occupational pension schemes
• Solicitors and professional firms
• Charities
• Subsidiaries of foreign parent companies

Director of Tax

Tom Foster BSc (Hons) MSc ATT CTA

Tom is the Head of Taxation at Lewis Brownlee. Having joined Lewis Brownlee from a top 20 firm in March 2014, he was promoted to the position of Tax Director in April 2017.

He has over 20 years’ experience as a general tax practitioner, during which time he has assisted both individuals and businesses to ensure their tax affairs are operated in an efficient and legitimate manner.

In his spare time, Tom enjoys sea fishing, playing cricket and spending time with his family.

Expertise:

• Capital Gains Tax
• IHT Planning
• EMI Share Schemes
• Property taxation
• Personal tax planning
• EIS and SEIS
• Trusts and Estates
• Research & Development
• Tax investigations

Audit & Assurance Director

Sam Ede FCA FCCA BFP

Sam gained his AAT qualification at 18 and then achieved ACCA, as well as ACA, with a large independent West Sussex firm where he was a Senior Statutory Auditor.

Following 20 years in practice Sam then moved into industry as a Finance Director and business owner and then onto his own accountancy and taxation consultancy business.

Now returning to practice, Sam has the unique skills to see the business world from different perspectives which places him with the strongest attribute to help advise you and your business. Sam heads up the Audit & Assurance department and specialises in the technical aspects of accounting and auditing. He can advise SMEs and individuals on strategy, accountancy, tax planning together with general business support. Sam lives in Worthing and therefore connects our Chichester and London offices and everything in between.

Expertise:

• Virtual FD
• Accountancy
• Audit & assurance
• Large and small corporates
• Tax planning
• Strategic planning

Outside of work Sam spends his spare time with his young family, his wife and twin boys. He does manage to fit in watching Liverpool FC and the very occasional game of golf.

Tax and Business Services Director

Andrea Todorov CTA

Andrea is head of the Whiteley office and has a background built on an initial foundation of tax planning but has expanded into being the sounding board and trusted adviser for small and medium sized businesses.

Andrea loves getting involved with the nitty gritty of running a business and learning all about the client companies. She brings her business acumen alongside her many years of tax efficient structuring to the table, and has recently joined the firm after working with a top ten practice.

Expertise

• Tax efficient structures for small and medium sized businesses
• Remuneration Planning
• Investment strategies/Wealth Planning/Retirement Planning
• Exit strategies
• Growth and business development
• Virtual Financial Director
• Cashflows and Forecast

Outside of work Andrea enjoys participating in a variety of Sports including Netball, Boxing and Ski-ing.

Director of Tax

Michael Merritt MA Oxon FCA

Michael is a local man, educated in Chichester and then at Oxford University. Having qualified in 1983, Michael has concentrated upon all aspects of tax and is one of the firm’s specialist tax directors, dealing primarily with personal tax and VAT issues. Michael’s mission is to help both business and personal clients minimise their tax liability. He also advises on estate planning, Inheritance Tax, trusts and enquiries that may be raised in connection with a client’s tax affairs.

Michael is a keen mountain walker and orienteer and is also a leader of a local cub pack.  He has also traced his family tree back to the 17^th century.

Expertise:

• Corporate tax
• Not for profit organisations
• Payroll
• Personal tax planning
• Self-assessment
• Trusts and executorships
• VAT

Associate Director

Melanie Welsh FCCA ACA CTA

Originally from Chichester, Melanie studied Accountancy and Finance at the University of Warwick and graduated with first class honors. Melanie joined Lewis Brownlee in 2005 and qualified as an ACCA Chartered Certified Accountant in 2011. Her interest in taxation led her to qualify as a Chartered Tax Advisor in 2012. Then in 2023, Melanie achieved her ACA qualification and practicing certificate to complement her ACCA certification.

Aside from managing a large client portfolio and a team of accounts staff, Melanie heads our Midhurst office as well. As part of her role, she performs audit assignments, prepares statutory financial statements, and prepares corporate tax returns. With her nearly twenty years’ experience and extensive knowledge, she is able to give her clients the accounting and tax advice they need.

Her particular interests include tax planning, undertaking calculations for several scenarios, and advising her clients on their tax, accounting, and financial matters. She enjoys working with a wide range of clients, but especially those where she can help with their tax advice and planning.

Outside of work Melanie plays on the Bognor Amazons Ladies Basketball team and has done since school and enjoys spending time with her young family.

Expertise:

• Corporate tax
• Owner managed businesses – Accounts & Tax planning

Associate Director

Jayne Tressler BA (Hons) FCCA ACA

Jayne joined Lewis Brownlee in 2008 having previously worked in corporate finance gaining experience in both advisory and transaction services.  She qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2011 and has a degree in Business Administration.  Jayne is experienced in both accounts preparation and audit, covering a wide range of sectors with particular attention on the hospitality and technology sectors, giving her a solid grounding from which to provide proactive advice.

Her main focus is on helping her clients, listening to their needs and tailoring the service she provides.  Jayne likes to remove the burden that clients feel to allow them to focus on their business.  Providing advice to minimise tax liabilities and make positive changes.

Jayne is a competent user of cloud-based accounting packages including Xero and QuickBooks Online.

Expertise:

• Management Accounts
• Statutory Accounts
• Corporation Tax
• VAT
• Cashflow forecasting
• XERO

Business Services Group Manager

Vicki Smith FCCA

Vicki has been working in practice since 2010, and became ACCA qualified in 2017.

Vicki deals with small and medium sized business in a variety of sectors. She really enjoys building strong relationships with clients and becoming a part of their team and business to help them progress.

Vicki has a broad accounting knowledge having started as a trainee from college completing AAT and then moving on to complete ACCA. She therefore has expertise in accounts preparation, corporation tax returns, VAT returns, payroll, management accounts, CIS, personal tax returns and bookkeeping.

In her spare time, Vicki enjoys baking, walking and spending time with family and friends.

Audit Manager

Megan Like ACA

Corporation Tax and Business Services Manager

Christopher Webb BA (Hons) FMAAT ACCA

Chris joined the Lewis Brownlee Business Services Group in 2015 and since joining has qualified as a Charted Certified Accountant (ACCA) after qualifying as an Accounting Technician (MAAT). Chris has always had a passion for accountancy, studying the subject as a GCSE, then at A-Level and then graduating from the University of Chichester with a BA (Hons) degree in Accounting and Finance in 2014.

Chris is also currently a student with the Chartered Institute of Taxation and hopes to qualify as a Chartered Tax Advisor in the next few years.

Chris enjoys working with small to medium-sized, privately-owned companies and specialises in assisting them in all aspects of their business needs. He strives to ensure all of his client’s regulatory compliance needs are under control so that they can focus on what they enjoy doing most. However, Chris prides himself on providing more than just a regulatory compliance service and tries to impact his clients so their businesses can grow.

Chris is involved all manner of accounting and tax work for his clients but specialises in the following areas:

• Corporation Tax
• Preparation of financial statements for sole traders, partnerships and limited companies
• Consolidation and group financial statements preparation for UK groups
• Audit of financial statements
• Solicitors Accounts Rules audits

In his free time, Chris enjoys going to the gym and plays rugby for Bognor RFC 1st XV. Chris also enjoys going out walking and spending time with his family and friends.

Business Growth Services Manager

Karina Parker MAAT BFP ACA

Karina joined Lewis Brownlee over 10 years ago and quickly became an invaluable source of knowledge to clients. She is a Chartered Accountant and experienced Business Growth Services Manager, with a wealth of experience working with businesses from start-ups to multi-national organisations. Specialising in helping businesses develop and succeed, from profit improvement and investment funding, to establishing and training in-house finance teams.

In her free time, Karina enjoys spending time with her family and friends and has a passion for a wide range of sports especially wakeboarding and mountain biking.

VAT Compliance Manager

Yvonne Collings BSc

Yvonne is originally from Scotland and attended Glasgow University where she gained a BSc. Yvonne moved to Chichester in 2014 and joined Lewis Brownlee as a trainee accountant in the Business Services Group. In 2020, Yvonne moved back to Scotland, but stayed working for Lewis Brownlee on a remote basis, and has became our VAT Compliance Manager. As part of her role, Yvonne oversees all the VAT compliance work for our clients, and is our resident expert in all things VAT!

In her spare time, Yvonne enjoys spending time with her husband and son.

Tax Manager

Shaun Dodson BA (Hons) ATT

Shaun joined the Lewis Brownlee Tax team in 2020, however prior to this he worked for several accountancy firms across Hampshire, including a top ten practice. He has completed a BA (Hons) degree in an Accounting and Finance, a qualified ATT, part qualified ACCA and currently  studying CTA.

Shaun is our Senior Tax Adviser with a varied portfolio of clients which include sole traders, partnerships, trusts, and high net worth individuals. He is involved with all manner of tax queries as they arise, but he specialises in overseas tax queries and Stamp Duty Land Tax, and has experience in corporate taxes and payroll having previously worked in these areas.

Shaun spends so much time working, thinking and studying areas of tax that he thinks it almost qualifies (sadly) as a hobby!  He continues to attempt to learn the French language, but the skill level demonstrated, fluency appears to be a long term goal.

Tax Compliance Manager

Lewis Pridgeon IAAP MIAB MAAT ATT

Lewis joined the tax team in 2013 and has become a full member of the Association of Taxation Technicians.  Lewis has knowledge of many areas of tax and accountancy and particularly enjoys working with personal tax clients, he has a specialisation in non-resident landlords.

In his spare time Lewis enjoys playing football and tennis.

Expertise

• Personal tax
• Personal tax planning
• Managing the tax team and processes

Client Relationship Manager

Adrian Sharp

Adrian joined Lewis Brownlee as part of the Midhurst office (formerly Harrison Renwick) where he worked with Mary Renwick for many years.

Adrian has built a long-term business relationship with many of the clients in Midhurst. He heads up the accounts department there and prepares annual accounts for sole traders, partnerships and small companies.

In his spare time, Adrian plays cricket in the summer and is involved in managing the junior section of Midhurst Cricket Club. During the winter he plays 5 a side football and Table Tennis in the Guildford League.

Client Relationship Manager

David Willis ACA

Having been with Lewis Brownlee for over 9 years after joining straight from college, Dave works in the Business Services Group as a Client Relationship Manager and qualified as an ACCA Chartered Accountant in 2018.  He enjoys working with small businesses and specialises in cloud-based software such as Xero.

In his spare time, he plays and watches a variety of different sports, including Golf, Tennis and Football. Dave’s biggest personal achievement to date was buying his own home in June 2018.

Client Relationship Manager

Brenda Strudwick

Brenda is originally from Ireland and has worked with the company for nearly 30 years! Brenda’s areas of expertise are the preparation of statutory accounts for Limited Companies, Sole Traders and Partnerships, along with Corporation Tax Returns and tax planning. She has experience of a variety of accounting systems including Xero and Sage.

Brenda enjoys building relationships with her clients and assisting them with any problems they may have. Her biggest professional achievement to date was becoming a Client Relationship Manager in the Business Services Group.

When she is away from the office, Brenda enjoys spending time with her husband and children, walking in the local countryside and swimming.

Client Relationship Manager

Karla Gray ACCA

Karla joined Lewis Brownlee in 2018 as an Accounts Senior in the Business Services Group. Having started her career in Accounts in 2005, Karla completed her self-studies and became ACCA qualified in 2018.

Karla likes working with a variety of clients, but her expertise is in the building/property development sector. She enjoys Accounts and Tax based work, meeting different clients, learning new skills and building her knowledge base.

Outside of work Karla enjoys spending time with her family and travelling.

Senior Personal Tax Adviser

Pam Sabin

Pam joined the Lewis Brownlee Tax team in 2019 and has been involved in Taxes since the age of 18 when she started working as a Revenue Officer with HMRC.

She worked in many roles with the Revenue, until she studied and achieved an accountancy degree at Portsmouth University in 1998.   Following this, she returned to the Revenue for a short while to familiarise herself with the then new Self-Assessment system, before going into practice to help from the other side. She is qualified by many years of experience.

Pam had a short deviation from Taxes and taught maths and technology for a few years, before coming back to Taxes.

She manages a large portfolio of varied clients, sole traders, partnerships, trusts and high net worth individual. She aims to provide solutions and answers and Pam is always available to help.

Pam’s hobbies are sailing, motorcycling, socialising with friends, crafts and most recently potting (the clay throwing type).

Client Relationship Manager

James Wong MA

James is a Client Relationship Manager responsible for a diverse portfolio of clients. He primarily works as part of a team for audit engagements, but also provides other services such as management accounts and VAT return preparation.

James was a chemistry graduate who joined Lewis Brownlee in 2015 and is training to be a chartered accountant. In days gone by James was an avid badminton player, however today he quenches his competitive thirst in online gaming.

Assistant Audit Manager

Joe Neal BSc (Hons)

Joe joined the company after University in 2017 and has is now qualified with ACCA!

Joe works in the Business Services Group and his areas of expertise are bookkeeping, VAT returns and small company accounts preparation. He enjoys working on audits and his biggest professional achievement has been assisting in the audit of a firm’s first Plc.

In his spare time, Joe enjoys playing football.

Tax Adviser

Steven Cameron BA (Hons)

Steven joined Lewis Brownlee in 2016 as a Tax Trainee after graduating from the University of Chichester with a BA(Hons) degree in Accounting and Finance. Steven is currently studying towards professional qualifications at ATT level and on completion plans to further his studies towards the CTA qualification.

In his spare time, he enjoys playing and watching a variety of sports, with a keen interest in American Football and Horse racing.

Accounts and Audit Trainee

James Parkhouse BA (Hons)

James joined the company in 2019 having achieved a first-class degree in Accounting and Finance. He is currently studying towards his AAT qualifications with the plan of advancing to ACCA in the future. James’ areas of expertise are in small company accounts preparation and audit. He also has received a certificate of higher education in aerospace engineering.

James is an avid skier and has skied competitively for his university. He was also the President of the university’s snowsports club. He is a big football fan and enjoys following Southampton FC and playing football. Other sports James enjoys playing are tennis and golf.

James also enjoys travelling and experiencing new cultures, with his favourite excursion being a 2-week visit to Hong Kong and is currently learning Mandarin.

Accounts Trainee

James Campbell MAAT

James joined Lewis Brownlee in January 2019 as part of the internal finance team, but has since moved in to our Business Services Group as an Accounts Trainee.

James travelled around the world for many years in his youth, visiting and exploring over fifty countries before moving to the UK permanently in 2016 to embark on a challenging new career in accounting and finance. Having successfully completed all levels of the AAT qualification and gaining MAAT status, James is currently studying the prestigious ACCA qualification in order to achieve his goal of becoming a chartered accountant.

Outside of the office, James’ hobbies and interests include learning languages and sports.

Accounts and Audit Trainee

Oliwia Gluchowska

Oliwia joined Lewis Brownlee in 2021 as an Accounts and Audit Trainee, and enjoys auditing and preparing VAT returns. She enjoys working with a wide range of sectors, because it keeps the job interesting.

In her professional career to date, Oliwia’s greatest achievement has been completing AAT Level 4 and entering the accounting profession.

In her spare time, Oliwia enjoys going to the gym and travelling, and her greatest personal achievement to date is attaining fluency in English as her second language.

Expertise:

• Audit
• Bookkeeping

Accounts Trainee

Emma Sanders

Emma joined Lewis Brownlee in 2018 as part of the Business Services Group. Emma enjoys the variety of working on Bookkeeping, VAT returns and accounts as well as working with a variety of client types such as Limited Companies, Sole Traders and Partnerships.

As a trainee, Emma is yet to gain experience in audit or payroll but is looking forward to participating further in these areas once she’s established her knowledge base.

Emma has found that having a puppy is similar to having a child! Outside of work, her time is constantly taken up with it, whether they are out walking, playing or training in the garden!

Accounts Trainee

Toby Nugent BSc

Toby joined Lewis Brownlee in April 2021 having achieved a 2:1 in Maths and Statistics. He is a trainee accountant and is studying towards his AAT qualifications.

In his spare time, Toby enjoys playing football, tennis and cross country running. He also enjoys travelling, with his favourite experience being a teaching assistant in Ghana.

Audit and accounts trainee

Jake Steer

Jake joined the Lewis Brownlee team in 2022 and is an Audit & Accounts trainee. He enjoys working on Audits and especially enjoys working in the technology sector.

To date, Jake considers passing his AAT level 2 and working at Lewis Brownlee his biggest professional accomplishments.

He is most proud of passing his driving test, and his interests include kickboxing, gym workouts, and driving.

Payroll Administrator

Theresa Forsyth

Theresa joined Lewis Brownlee in 2006 and has worked for the payroll department for several years, during which time she has gained knowledge and experience running a variety of different payrolls, in an ever-changing payroll environment.

Theresa is thankful to have been in the same position for many years and is pleased to have met some lovely people and clients along the way! She enjoys her life outside of Lewis Brownlee, eating and drinking out with friends and family, and regularly attending 80’s music events.

Payroll Administrator

Sue Stevens

Sue joined the Lewis Brownlee team in 2006 and has now been part of the Payroll team for over 10 years.

Outside of work, Sue enjoys gardening and walking at weekends and also likes spending time with her family and friends.

Payroll Administrator

Sam Dean

Sam joined Lewis Brownlee in 2017 after Lewis Brownlee merged with Harrison Renwick, where she had been working since 2009. Sam has a varied role, with expertise in payroll, small income & expenditure accounts, and personal tax returns.

Outside of work Sam enjoys walking, swimming and spending time with her family.

Company Accountant

Jane Blaber

Jane trained as a Chartered Accountant with Moore Stephens, subsequently moving from practice to industry.  She spent 10 years working for the BUPA healthcare group in London and Madrid.  She has also held roles with KPMG and with the Lex group of motor dealerships.

Since 2013 Jane has been running her own Chichester-based bookkeeping practice.  She now combines this with a part-time role in the Practice Support team at Lewis Brownlee, where she helps to ensure that the internal finance and support services run smoothly.

Outside work Jane enjoys walking, Pilates and trying to keep on top of the reading list supplied by her village book club. Jane is also a qualified secondary school mathematics teacher but has decided that she prefers accounting to the classroom!

Practice Manager

Leah McGarvey

Leah joined Lewis Brownlee in 2015 as an Office Junior and in the last ten years has steadily advanced through various roles here. Her keen aptitude for marketing saw her promoted to Marketing and Events Coordinator in 2016 and later took on the role of Marketing and Resources Manager in 2021. In 2023, Leah stepped into her current role as Practice Manager.

In her role as Practice Manager, Leah is responsible for managing the Practice Support Team and overseeing operational functions, including Marketing, HR, Administration, and office management.

Leah’s professional development includes a Level 3 CIM Foundation Certificate in Marketing (2017) and then to a Level 4 CIM Marketing qualification (2020).

Outside of work, Leah enjoys spending quality time with her two beloved dogs, Oscar and Colin, and relaxing with some of her favourite TV series.

Practice Support & Company Secretarial Administrator

Hannah Phillips

Hannah joined Lewis Brownlee in 2018, bringing a wealth of experience in financial services, including banking, insurance, and auditing. In her role as Practice Support & Company Secretarial Administrator, she collaborates closely with the Business Services Group to execute administrative and reporting tasks, while predominantly overseeing and managing the Company Secretarial Services alongside other administrative responsibilities within the Practice Support Team.

Hannah’s expertise is in organisation, attention to detail and being a great team player. She gained a Customer Service Award at a previous role in a nationwide based company and has also self-studied to achieve a Level 2 Bookkeeping qualification.

Outside of work Hannah’s a regular gym-goer and enjoys running and going out with friends.

Finance Officer

Suzanne Sutton

Suzanne joined the Lewis Brownlee team in 2020 as a Finance Assistant within the Practice Support Team. She enjoys bookkeeping and payroll as the corner stones of internal finance, although Suzanne loves learning new facets to add to her role. As part of the excellent Practice Support team, she helps to ensure that the internal finances and support services run smoothly.

Her expertise is in organisation, attention to detail and being a great team player, and she is currently studying her AAT Level 4 – Professional Diploma in Accounting.

Outside of Lewis Brownlee, Suzanne is working on curbing her addiction to nail polish, baking supplies and Mexican telenovelas.

Practice Support Assistant

Elise Saunders

Having joined the team in 2022 as a Practice Support Assistant, Elise contributes to the day-to-day support of the practice, primarily within the Whiteley office, which involves various tasks including HR responsibilities. She particularly enjoys the variety and opportunity to continuously learn and expand her skills and knowledge.

Elise’s most significant professional achievement to date is successfully completing her Level 3 Business Studies qualification, and plans to further enhance her skills and knowledge by starting a CIPD Foundation Certificate in People Practice for Adults HR Course.

Aside from work, Elise likes playing sports, such as netball and Irish dancing. She enjoys going out with her family/friends and spending time with her dog.