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Articles by Sophie Wainwright
Tax Planning for AIM-Listed Businesses: What Could Be Hiding Beneath the Surface?
Growth creates opportunities. But for AIM-listed businesses, it also creates significant tax complexity. One overseas hire becomes a potential international tax issue. A share scheme designed to reward key talent becomes a due diligence risk. A debt structure that worked perfectly three years ago starts attracting uncomfortable questions. For AIM-listed businesses, tax planning is key to protecting value, reducing risk, and making sure the business is ready for what comes next.
Preparing AIM Audits and Accounts: Key Reporting Changes for Finance Teams
For AIM-listed businesses, reporting requirements are evolving fast, and for AIM-listed finance leaders, your ability to keep building a growth company rests on your understanding of the landscape and its shifts. Some changes are designed to make AIM more attractive and flexible. Others will demand action from finance teams now, long before they become mandatory. And some aren’t technically required for AIM companies at all, yet they’re still reshaping investor expectations.
Academies Accounts Direction 2025/26: Key Changes Every Academy Trust Must Know
Academies Accounts Direction 2025/26: Key Changes Every Academy Trust Needs to Know The Academies Accounts Direction 2025/26 signals another step change in how academy trusts are expected to report, explain and evidence their performance. This year is less about incremental compliance updates and more about raising the bar on transparency, accountability and insight.
Cyber Risk and the Academy Trust Handbook: What the DfE Expects and How Trusts Should Respond
Cyber Risk and AcademIES: What the DfE Expects and How Trusts Should Respond Cyber risk is no longer a technical issue confined to school IT teams. For academy trusts, it’s now a clear governance, financial and operational priority. Ransomware and phishing attacks on schools are increasing, placing greater pressure on systems and staff.
Healthcare Hacks Event: Trends, Growth and Insights
CP’s eighth annual Healthcare Hacks event brought together healthcare leaders, operators and investors to share real-world experience of building businesses, navigating sector challenges and understanding current market dynamics. Discussion spanned personal leadership journeys, scaling healthcare organisations, and the broader economic and regulatory backdrop shaping the sector today. A Sector Full of Opportunity.
The AI and M&A Trends Shaping Professional Services
Bringing together senior leaders from across the professional services landscape, our latest Professional Services Roundtable in Manchester, jointly hosted with HSBC, created a space for open, honest conversation about what’s changing in the sector – and what comes next. Hosted at 20 Stories, the session gathered a curated group of leaders, operators and decision-makers for a candid discussion spanning AI adoption, talent strategy, audit and M&A dynamics.
What CFOs Can Learn from Scotland’s Whisky Industry About Growth and Strategy
CFOs are operating in an increasingly complex landscape – balancing growth, risk and financial control. At Cooper Parry’s first CFO Sessions event in Glasgow, we brought together finance leaders for an afternoon of insight, discussion and real-world perspective – set against the backdrop of one of Scotland’s most iconic industries.
AN EVENING WITH LUTHER BURRELL: STANDARDS, SETBACKS AND THE TRUE MEANING OF TEAM
Sometimes the most powerful conversations don’t come from highlight reels or polished success stories. They come from honesty. From the moments in between. From what happens when things don’t go to plan. At the latest Meet for Good event, former England international rugby player Luther Burrell delivered exactly that. A conversation that went far beyond sport and into leadership, culture, resilience and what it really means to be a teammate.
NEW CHARITIES SORP 2026: WHAT THE CHANGES MEAN FOR TRUSTEES’ REPORTS
Our first webinar for charities focused on the headline changes to income recognition and leases. Alongside this the new Charities SORP 2026 also delivers a major reset for Trustees’ annual reports which was the focus on the webinar presented by myself and Glen Bott. And while much of the content may feel familiar, the way charities are expected to tell their story has fundamentally shifted. The focus now is sharper, more structured and far more joined up with the numbers.
Cooper parry partners with Potentia to empower women in accountancy
Potentia is a great organisation that supports women at every stage of their leadership journey through mentoring, curated networking events, CPD-accredited learning and a thriving online community. It’s all about helping senior women in finance achieve their full potential, increasing female representation in senior leadership roles, and create a more level playing field across the profession. Excitingly we’re Potentia’s first official corporate partner within the accountancy sector.
New Charities SORP 2026: what the changes mean for income and leases
Our recent webinar, Mastering Income Recognition & Lease Accounting with Confidence, unpacked the most significant updates in the new Charities SORP – with practical insight on what charities need to do now to prepare. Led by myself and Andy Jones, Associate Partner and Head of Education, the session focused on two areas set to have the biggest accounting and operational impact: income recognition and lease accounting.
Retail Finance Forum: From AI Hype to Real-World Impact
We recently brought together finance leaders from some of the UK’s best-known high street and consumer brands for our latest Retail Finance Forum.
DRY POWDER, DISCIPLINED BUYERS AND AI CAUTION.
Against the dramatic backdrop of a hail-hit Manchester city centre we welcomed a hand-picked group of private equity investors and alternative lenders to 20 Stories for an intimate roundtable lunch on the outlook for the mid-market. With snow visible on the tops in the distance and global uncertainty looming over the economy the setting was striking. But the conversation itself was even sharper.
AN EVENING WITH ED CHAMBERLIN: BRAND, BROADCASTING & BACKING YOURSELF
We recently welcomed a gathering of Meet for Good at our Sky View offices, bringing together a room full of curious minds and big hearts. Meet for Good is where personal growth meets professional ambition, and where high performance and sport aligns with high purpose in life and business. It was the ideal setting for Ed Chamberlin to share the journey that shaped him into one of Britain’s most recognisable sports broadcasters.
FOREIGN OWNED. FUTURE READY.
Our recent seminar for Finance Leaders Navigating UK Compliance, Tax and Risk at our London superhub brought together a lively crowd who enjoyed not only a tasty breakfast but also insights from of some of our best people. They shared real, practical thinking on the challenges finance leaders are facing right now. If you’re a finance leader in a foreign owned, UK based business, you’ll know the reality.
PRIVATELY OWNED. FUTURE READY: ACTIONABLE TIPS FOR CFOs, FDs & SENIOR LEADERS
Our London superhub recently hosted a high-energy breakfast event for CFOs, Finance Directors and senior leaders from Privately Owned businesses. With the sheer volume of regulatory, sustainability and technological change these leaders are facing right now, cutting through the noise became a key theme. But, as our expert speakers laid out, with the right preparation, these changes present opportunities, not obstacles.
MEET THE NEXT-GEN ADVISERS SUPERCHARGING THE CITIES MOST EXCITING COMPANIES
We’re no newcomers to London. Across the last 6 years we’ve welcomed 500 exceptional people and acquired 9 businesses who have added to our presence in the South market. We’ve onboarded 1000s of new clients across this time. In a city swamped with thousands of accountants and professional services firms, that’s no mean feat.
EIS ADVANCE ASSURANCE: YOUR SECRET WEAPON FOR SMOOTHER, FASTER FUNDING
If you’re a growing, ambitious, “let’s shake things up” kind of business, you’ve probably already heard of the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS). It’s one of the government’s most powerful tools for helping innovative companies raise the investment they need to scale. In return, investors get some tasty tax reliefs for backing businesses that are early-stage, exciting, and a little bit risky.
PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT FOR EIS: KEY RULES FOR UK & OVERSEAS COMPANIES
The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) is all about encouraging investment in small, high-risk UK companies by offering attractive tax reliefs to investors. Before a company can qualify for EIS investment, it must meet several criteria set out by HMRC – one of which is having a Permanent Establishment in the UK. Below, Cooper Parry’s Equity Rewards & Venture Capital Schemes team has broken down the key rules to keep on your radar.
2026 Scotland Salary Guide
Our Aberdeen team (formerly Hutcheon Mearns) has published their annual Salary Guide. It’s a comprehensive look into pay, benefits, and market expectations across Scotland’s finance and accountancy scene. With competition for skilled professionals heating up, this guide arms employers with the insight to craft standout packages that attract and retain the best people. For finance candidates, it’s a confidence boost and a clear benchmark to navigate career decisions in a fast-changing market.
PREMIER LEAGUE REFEREE ANTHONY TAYLOR TACKLES HIGH-PERFORMANCE LEADERSHIP
What can business leaders learn from the most scrutinised role in sport? At December’s Business Club event in Manchester, we explored exactly that with Anthony Taylor—the Premier League and FIFA-listed referee whose job demands split second judgement, psychological resilience and elite teamwork, under a global microscope every week.
A Flexible Approach to Corporate Finance
When doing a deal, whether that involves early-stage fundraising or an exit, it is vital to get holistic advice that focuses on more than just the headline price. That’s the view of Adam Maitland, managing director and leader of the deals team at Hutcheon Mearns. Hutcheon Mearns is a unique professional services firm, operating under the pillars of deals, people and insights, and has offices in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.
Offering Unique Turnkey Solutions to Meet Clients' Evolving Finance Needs
Solving problems for clients is a key part of the ethos of a Scottish professional services firm that provides a range of non-audit services to businesses, including corporate finance, accountancy support, finance automation and finance staffing solutions. The firm, Hutcheon Mearns, Now part of Cooper Parry, with offices in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, operates under the pillars of deals, people and insights. It prides itself on offering a full-service finance solution.
How Collaboration and Resilience Create True Leadership
Our recent She Rocks Business event was an inspiring evening dedicated to collaboration, community, and empowerment for female leaders. Created as a joint initiative between Cooper Parry and Shakespeare Martineau, She Rocks is designed to feel different from traditional networking events. It’s a space that encourages sharing of skills, experiences, and support in a positive, inclusive environment.
PURE REBELUTION. NAE BEIGE
The date: Thursday 13th November. The scene: Edinburgh’s Old Town (Check out the video below!) On a seriously dreich evening, nothing dampened the spirits of the Tartan Rebelution. Under the stunning vaulted-ceiling setting of Greyfriars Hall on the Cowgate, the invites went out and the crowds thronged in. As a statement of our arrival in Scotland, this event had everything. And then some. As if it were needed, the mood was further buoyed by the presence of our newest colleagues, Hutcheon Mearns.
SOUTH AFRICA’S FINEST: BUILDING THE FUTURE OF CP
What started as insourcing resource from South Africa during Covid, utilising a variable workforce through third parties, has grown into something much bigger – and far more exciting. Today, Cooper Parry’s South Africa team is 60 strong and counting. They’re full-time CPers, embedded in our culture, driving our operations, and helping us scale smarter, faster, and more boldly than ever before.
Key Challenges for Private Equity-Backed Businesses
We recently got together a select group of CFOs from private equity-backed businesses at London’s Bocca Di Lupo for an evening of candid conversation, insight-sharing and exceptional dining. This invite-only roundtable was all about connecting peers in a relaxed setting to explore the realities of being a finance leader in a PE-backed environment. The focus? Value creation and how the CFO role is evolving to help drive it.
Professional Services: Deals, Debt, AI & Talent
We brought together some of the brightest minds in professional services for a thought-provoking lunch at 20 Stories in Manchester. Hosted by Cooper Parry’s Corporate Finance Partner, Andy Parker (who also happened to be celebrating his birthday), the roundtable welcomed 15 senior leaders from across the sector – including Managing Partners and CEOs for an open, honest conversation about the realities of executing deals and what’s next for professional services.
FDs & F-WORDS: INSIGHTS GALORE & URGENT UPDATES FOR FINANCE LEADERS
Across three buzzing events in London, Manchester and the East Midlands, hundreds of FDs, CFOs and senior finance leaders gathered to tackle the biggest F-words in business right now. From finance and forecasting to foresight and future-proofing, we tucked into insights galore from a host of exceptional speakers.
3 CRACKING BUSINESSES, 1 CLEAR STRATEGY, ZERO LET UP
As the sun shone brightly for large parts of this summer, Cooper Parry’s dedicated M&A and Integration teams continued their hot streak. No deal drought here. Just sustainable growth. Nourished by an ecosystem of talent, experience and ambition that’s building the UK and Ireland’s next gen professional services group. Fuelled by M&A – absolutely. Strengthened by culture – 100%. The ‘Rebels of Accountancy’ have just completed a trio of groundbreaking deals in the last couple of weeks.
Sustainability Disclosures for AIM-Listed Companies
AIM-listed companies are increasingly being asked to compile and publish sustainability disclosures. For many, this feels like just another administrative task, something to tick off the list as part of the annual reporting cycle. But while the process may seem burdensome, the intent behind the legislation is far more meaningful. The goal isn’t to make reporting more difficult or to add complexity to annual reports.
ACADEMY BUSINESS LEADERS EVENT 25
We brought together the brightest minds in the education sector for a jam-packed morning of updates, insights, and straight-talking advice. No jargon. No waffle. Just what you need to know to keep your trust compliant, confident, and ahead of the curve. Hosted by CP’s Kevin Hodgetts, here’s the lowdown from the day. Financial & Regulatory Update – Andy Jones Andy wore a few hats, not literally sadly, to walk us through the latest from the 2024-25 Academies Accounts Direction (AAD).
DRIVE TO THRIVE: NAVIGATING EMPLOYMENT TAX CHANGE IN THE AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR
CP’s Automotive team recently hosted their Drive to Thrive webinar, bringing together industry leaders and tax experts to explore the most pressing employment tax challenges facing the automotive sector in 2025. With the sector under increasing scrutiny from HMRC and grappling with rising employment costs, the session offered timely insights and practical strategies to help dealerships stay compliant, competitive and cost-efficient. We’ve summarised all the key talking points below.
Buy & Build Roundtable: M&A Nuggets, Fresh Perspectives & Impeccable Food
The CP Deals team recently joined forces with LDC to host their much-anticipated Buy & Build Roundtable Lunch at Cleaver & Wake, one of Nottingham’s premier fine dining venues. The event brought together a select group of business leaders, investors and M&A professionals for an afternoon of candid conversation, strategic insight and exceptional cuisine. The focus? The opportunities and pitfalls of Buy & Build strategies – especially in today’s fast-moving, people-centric business environment.
Group Audit Timelines: Why Subsidiaries Shouldn’t Be an Afterthought
When you’re preparing for a group audit as an AIM listed company, timelines matter. There’s a market announcement date locked in. Everyone is aligned around the delivery deadline. Audit teams are focused. Clients are mobilised. And typically, the group audit gets signed off right on schedule. So far, so good. But what happens next, with subsidiary audits, is where things often go off course. The Momentum Drop Once the group audit is done, attention shifts.
Most of the jewels stolen from the Dresden museum in late 2019 have been recovered
Three years after the spectacular theft of the Dresden museum, a comeback: A “substantial” part of the priceless stolen jewels has been recovered in Berlin, police and prosecutors announced on Saturday, amid the trial of the suspects. This break-in at the Grüns Gewolbe (“Green Vault”) museum, a high-profile Saxon heritage site, fascinated people with its sophistication and loot, with more than €100 million looted at the end of 2019.
Theater in Willingen: a journey through the fairy tale world - Willingen-Schwenningen and surroundings
Marnie Schulz (left) and Meirelis Rissa open “A Suitcase of Miracles” at the Am Term Theater on Jan. 6. Photo: Theater am Terme The following year there was no children’s play in the Theater Am Term (TaT). But with the help of combined forces, “a suitcase full of miracles” finally made it to the program.
A crazy consequence of the success of the series about tourism
“Cine tourism”, a travel trend inspired by series and movies, has been popular for years. This is stated in a study conducted by the international polling firm OnePoll. Tendance Hôtellerie website relayed in November 2022, streaming documentaries, movies and series are now the second most popular source of travel inspiration (20%), now surpassing social media (13%) and ranking just behind recommendations from friends or family. family (42%).
Start the day in a good mood
Final update: December 08, 2022 Getting up early and a A lively start to the day Not for everyone. Late risers who have trouble getting out of bed in the morning are supported by years of research: there are studies and investigations that show that everyone’s internal clock ticks differently. Larks love to get up at sunrise. You can start the day faster. Owls have a harder time. You can’t get out of bed in the morning and it’s hard to fall asleep at night.
Damien Bourguignon (TBHC): For him, hockey is an adventure
essential This excellent passer was quickly embraced by the locker room and supporters. Damien Bourguignon, also a Moroccan international, looks back on his career and successful debut at TBHC. “Hockey is important, but most of all I’m looking for good people who come together in the locker room.” This phrase, uttered by TBHC’s coach-player Eddie Martin, was enough to convince Damien Bourguignon during an interview for his recruitment.
Hoyerswerda: Paper is not just paper
Paper is not just paper A new exhibition at the State Museum for Modern Art in Cottbus shows what happens when a piece of paper becomes a poster. 2 minutes Poster for the 1968 play “Kesselflicker’s Wedding” at the Tübingen Room Theater by Renate and Frieder Grindler. © Photo: BLMK Cottbus By Beowulf Kaiser Cottbus A very unique poster recently attracted interest at the State Museum for Modern Art/Diesel Power Plant in Cottbus.
US critics choose "Tàr" as the best film
Los Angeles / New York (dpa) – The drama “Tàr” received more awards in the USA, thus increasing its chances in the current trophy race. The New York Film Critics Association NYFCC (New York Film Critics Circle) named director Todd Field’s best film of the year. Also, leading actress Cate Blanchett was named Best Actress. In “Tàr” she plays the fictional chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, whose life spirals out of control.
Movies, series, prices... what does this new Netflix rival have to offer?
A new player is entering the streaming landscape in France. After Universal+, available from November 21, another historic Hollywood studio, Paramount, is launching the Paramount+ platform in France, joining an ultra-competitive field. Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Canal+, Apple TV+OCS, French jump over Already in fierce competition.
US critics choose "Tàr" as best film
Tàr leading actress Cate Blanchett was named best actress The drama “Tàr” bagged more awards in the USA, thus boosting its chances in the ongoing trophy race. The New York Film Critics Association NYFCC (New York Film Critics Circle) named director Todd Field’s best film of the year. Also leading actress Cate Blanchett was chosen as the best actress. In “Tàr” she plays the fictional chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, whose life spirals out of control.
Reporting from a depressed country
Rust eats away at the beach, it attacks the iron balustrades of the northern promenade, the lamp stands, the benches where good British society sat to enjoy the spray from the Irish Sea. Even the gates of the Imperial Hotel, a Victorian edifice built in 1867, have been attacked by inexorable destruction and are nothing more than crumpled pieces of scrap metal. The Imperial Hotel was home to Charles Dickens, sister and daughter of Queen Elizabeth, and Princesses Margaret and Anne.
Prices, movies and series about this new streaming service
Platform – Paramount + SVoD service arrives in France this Thursday After MyCanal, OCS, Netflix, Main videoLionsgate +, Disney+Apple TV+ or Encore Salto, Paramount + Arriving in France this Thursday! A year after Pluto TV launched in France, its ad-supported streaming service Paramount (formerly ViacomCBS) is continuing its offensive.
"Matilda the Musical" Reverses "Black Panther 2" or Box Office Britannic
An adaptation of a musical about a studious schoolgirl is over the top Black Panther: Wakanda Forever From the top of the UK box office. Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical It earned $5 million in its opening weekend for Sony Pictures, more than half of the box office total. The film earned 50% more than director Matthew Warchus’ own best-selling Royal Shakespeare Company production (based on Dahl’s beloved children’s book). Virgo panther Straight, five times that of another new opener Strange world.
'Cyborg' and 'Sword and Sorcerer' director Albert Pune (69) passed away.
Albert Pune, director of low-budget B movies The sword and the sorcerer, Cyborg etc Nemesis, died. He was 69 years old. Pune died on Saturday, his wife and producer Cynthia Curran said. He was previously diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and dementia. In 1982, the filmmaker released his first film. The sword and the sorcerer, starring Leigh Horsley, Kathleen Bellor and Simon McCorkindale.
Doctor Who: New episodes from season 14 onwards only on Disney+ - valid from 2023
Season 13 of “Doctor Who” is about to start in Germany, when the BBC surprises with another message going into the future: in the future, all new episodes of the series will be available exclusively on Disney+ (except Great Britain. Ireland, of course , where the BBC publishes itself). So the new doctor introduced by Nkuti Gathwa (We have reported about him in detail here), is experiencing its first adventure, which will take place under the Disney+ umbrella.
South Africa defeated England at home
The South Africans won clearly at Twickenham against a very tender Rose (27-13) fifteen men. A year before the World Cup in France (September 8 to October 28, 2023) the English have very few benchmarks. South Africa thrashed Twickenham this Saturday, imparting a lesson in realism and skill to Ross’ fifteen. A week later A wonderful draw against the All Blacks (25-25), the English hoped to make this remake of the 2019 World Cup final a confirmation of a comeback.
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