Chris Wilkins FCCA

Over 40 years ago, Chris Wilkins, who was a trainee accountant at the time, bought his first car for £10. The car, a Morris Minor, had a second hand bonnet (which was a different colour from the body of the car), did not start and had to be towed to Chris’ house by his friend, where Chris repaired the car and got it going. He took the car for its MOT and in the queue in front of him Chris met a chap who became his first client. That client had a son that needed an accountant, that son had work colleagues that needed an accountant, his daughter had a boyfriend that needed an accountant etc — you get the drift.

Chris now acts for three generations of that family and the only way he gets business is by word of mouth. He has used this approach for over 30 years and on the basis that you only get recommended by satisfied clients, then our approach is simple. We do the best we can for all clients because whilst we have hundreds of clients, you only have one accountant and you want the best. This is what Chris has always strived to be and this is the Wilkins Southworth approach. Whether we are acting on behalf of our client in H M Revenue & Customs’ enquiries or in tax planning, we always get the best result for clients.

Chris Wilkins FCCA is a Chartered Certified Accountant, Registered Auditor and the founder of the firm. He has run accountancy practices for thirty years and has extensive experience as a practising accountant. He leads in all services provided by the firm. He has gained his accountancy and tax training from two of the largest firms of Chartered Accountants in the City of London. He qualified in 1988 with Robson Rhodes, Chartered Accountants, in their head office in London and was then an audit manager with Pannell Kerr Forster, Chartered Accountants, in their head office in London, before forming Wilkins Southworth. He brought with him such diverse experience as:

• At the age of 31, he went to stay in Toronto for a period of time to reverse a group of 15 UK property companies into a company quoted on the Toronto Stock Exchange, with the assistance of Canadian auditors, by re-auditing the group of companies in accordance with Canadian legislation and restating the UK audited financial statements to comply with Canadian accounting legislation.
• At the age of 32, he took a due diligence team to Guyana with Lord Beaverbrook and dealt with the purchase of the Demerara Sugar Company, a timber mill and 250 sq miles of Guyana. This included liaising with the eventual purchaser which was a Dutch Antilles quoted company.
• He was appointed the Chief Financial Officer of a company quoted on the Canadian Stock Exchange at the age of 35. This company had:
  
  • Gold mines in China.
  • A gold field in Tanzania.
  • Gold licences In Zambia.
  • Diamond fields in Tikhvin, Russia.
  • Timber mills in Lusaka.
  • Offices in London, China, Lusaka (Zambia).

He dealt with the financial and regulatory matters in connection with the group’s worldwide assets.

• He has been accredited by The Law Society and The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants as an Expert Witness.
• He was the international tax advisor to the largest land owner in Bucharest, Romania.
• He was the international tax advisor to a group of English and Italian companies that were the subsidiaries of a Bermudian Trust Structure that had group assets of €50million.
• He represents clients at hearings with the General Commissioners of Income Tax and has been doing this for 30 years. In that time, he has not lost a Commissioners hearing.
• He advises on worldwide trust structures, including those in New Zealand, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and Bermuda.
• He has travelled widely on behalf of clients in the former Soviet Union, Romania, Mauritius, Canada, United States of America, Guyana, Italy and Switzerland.
• He deals with the international tax aspects of the firm, including advice on residence, ordinary residence and domicile in connection with such offshore jurisdictions as Canada, South America, Kazakhstan, Russia, Romania, Cyprus, Ireland, Italy and Luxembourg.
• From time to time, Chris participates in Tax Seminars around London, illustrating how when the correct principles are applied, tax can be saved and profits increased.