Our Team

Named the UKs Most Inspiring Accountant and featured in the book The World’s Most Inspiring Accountants for his dedication to helping clients grow and develop their businesses. Despite his ‘youthful good looks’, Neil has over 30 years of experience advising businesses throughout the UK. His proactive advice ensures that our full range of business clients continue to prosper through even the toughest times. A former WRU International Rugby Referee Neil applies the insights and principles from the pitch to great effect in business (without a whistle!). Off the pitch Neil has gained further expertise by training with some of the world’s leading business and marketing experts, including, Keith Cunningham, Tony Robbins, Michael Heppell and Peter Thompson.

Using this unique blend of skills and experience to quickly identify the challenges for business in any industry, he guides you to better performance. Ensuring you gain greater reward now, more time to enjoy it and the security of a prosperous future.

As an active member of the South Wales Chamber of commerce committee and through many years in business and sport, he has developed a very strong network of links with banks and financial institutions, to utilise fully for your benefit.

As a Dental and Health Care Specialist he has guided our dentists, doctors and pharmacists from university to practice ownership and management, right through to succession planning and retirement. At each stage ensuring they maximise opportunities to get the rewards their hard work deserves.

Sian joined us as graduate 9 years ago and quickly qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant. She is now an active member of the local ACCA committee. Through the last decade Sian has gained a reputation as a business development expert and also a dental specialist. She has been invited to speak on accountancy at several ACCA events as well as on business development at the 2015 Dentistry Live event in London. Sian became a company director on 1st November 2013.

Joining her first practice straight from school 18 years ago, Johanna has trained from the grass roots up. After working in variety of practices she joined us as a Chartered Certified Accountant in 2010 and successfully completed her Chartered Taxation exams, taking over as our senior tax advisor and a senior client manager. Johanna is on the local Chartered Institute of Taxation Committee, where she keeps up to date with the latest tax trends. She also attends specialised tax courses to ensure that she gives the most proactive tax advice available. Johanna became a company director on 1st November 2014.

Starting off in an admin support role in 1996 Janet has shaped the systems which underpin the standards of expertise and service in the practice. She has acted as HR manager for the last 5 years, gaining her Level 5 CIPD associate membership in Human Resource Management along the way. She actively recruited the brightest, service orientated team possible, whilst providing them access to the professional training to complement this. Through this team focussed development programme, all our Client Managers are ACCA qualified, our Accounts Technicians are AAT qualified or ACCA part qualified and our payroll manager is Payroll Alliance qualified.

Graduating with a Degree in Accounting from Cardiff University, Rhys moved easily into his first practice. He now has roughly just over 10 years of accounting experience. A Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualified team member, Rhys is a core contact for many of our clients, and well on his way to having been at Lewis Ballard for 10 years, a core member of our family.

Rachel is a family member of the Lewis Ballard team on multiple levels. Ballard born, she is a social force of nature, having personally known many of our clients for years. Having received a degree in Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics, Rachel is a powerful addition to the team. Despite only having started at the practice in 2011, Rachel’s existing client knowledge, and her innate nature of charming clients, makes her one of the faces of Lewis Ballard.

Lee is THE accountant. He knew at a young age that numbers worked for him, and at 12 years old already knew he wanted to be an accountant. Having graduated in Accounting and Finance from Plymouth University, and going on to get a Masters in Accounting and Finance from Cardiff University, Lee is a font of number knowledge. ACCA qualified, and with 10 years of experience, Lee is always ready and able to help.

With an abundance of technical experience in accounts, Sam is AAT qualified (Association of Accounting Technicians). The back bone of the Accounts production department, she gives training and support to the Accounts Technicians ensuring that the work they produce is technically accurate and up to our exacting standards
Over recent years Sam has become a Cloud Accounting expert and somewhat of a Xero Guru. So much so that she is invited to present on their behalf to local businesses. She’ll use this expertise to find bespoke cloud accounting solutions for your business and will provide the training and support you need to use it to your best advantage.

On top of this Sam also manages the practice workflow ensuring you receive your accounts on time every-time. One very busy lady

Rebecca’s first job was as an apprentice in an accountancy firm. So good they wouldn’t let her go, she now has over 6 years of experience within the field. AAT and ACCA qualified, Rebecca is constantly striving to improve herself. Rebecca is an experienced Welsh language learner but is always happy to practice.

Kojo is an Accounting and Finance graduate from Swansea university, but during his time here has far developed to become an experienced member of the team. Working towards becoming ACCA qualified, Kojo has built and built his responsibility, becoming a pillar of the AT team, and an invaluable member of the Lewis Ballar team.

Patrick joined the team as an Accounts Technician in August 2018 after completing his Accounting and Finance degree at Swansea University. Patrick completed his work experience over seven years ago, and has enjoyed coming back to see both new and old faces. Patrick is very conscientious and enjoys nothing better than providing a first class services. Although working towards becoming ACCA qualified, Patrick is also keen to experience all the different activities that the Lewis Ballard team provide their clients.

When not in work, Patrick keeps himself busy spending time with family and friends. He enjoys travelling, eating good food and tasting various wines.

Tom is an out-and-out go-getter. Having graduated from Cardiff and Swansea with a combination of Accounting and Finance, and Biomedical Science, he’s an excellent learner and strong individual. Currently tackling ACCA accreditation, Tom won’t stop until he’s mastered all the challenges he faces. When not in work he pushes his body and mind with marathon running, not yet having come across a wall he can’t break through.

The money lady, Jo is a finance wizard. With 10 years of finance experience, with over half of that at Lewis Ballard, Jo is the person to talk to about money. Detail oriented, hard working, ever driven, Jo sets the standard we’ve come to expect here. On top of her responsibilities, Jo is AAT qualified and well on her way to her own ACCA qualification.

Having graduated from Bath Spa university with Creative Writing and English Literature under his belt, Sean is more interested in words than numbers. Not afraid of new experiences, Sean lived abroad for a year in the colds of Scandinavia. Though much of the written work we put out goes through him, Sean is also heavily involved in making sure that our materials always looks great!

If anyone is the smiling face of Lewis Ballard, it is Karyn. A high yellow through and through (ask her, she’ll tell you all about it at length), Karyn brings her years of Customer Service experience forward to make sure our clients feel as looked after as they deserve to be. With 30 years in finance, with a keen insight into personal loans  and mortgages, Karyn knows her stuff. The only thing she’s done for longer is competitive sport, which is where her unbreakable team spirit comes from.

Over 40 years as an accountancy professional has led me to this – Chairman and Strategic Director of our family firm. It seems (it is!) a far cry from my early days as a trainee accountant in Bridgend and my time with Deloittes in Cardiff.

During the latter part of my career I’ve been involved in a number of Director/Owner positions, both at Chartered Accountancy practices and also within industry. I’ve also served on the European and International Committees of the prestigious International Association of Practising Accounts (IAPA).

These days I concentrate on delivering specialist advice to corporate businesses, sole traders and commercial partnerships on issues such as restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, and selling.

Among a number of high profile pubic appointments, I am a Trustee of Diverse Cymru, where I advise on the financial reporting process and oversee their compliance requirements.

Away from the office I can be found on the golf course, or serving as a Deacon for Llanishen Baptist Church.

Together with my husband, Mervyn, I founded Harris & Co in May 2011, with the ambition back then of growing a tax practice. This role has evolved into one of tailoring an overall package to meet each client’s business needs.

My background is in auditing, having spent my early years with Ernst & Young, then moving to a mid – tier independent local practice for 10 years. I increasingly specialised in owner managed, multi million pound groups, becoming experienced in all aspects of company and group taxation, particularly complex tax planning for company structures, and capital gains tax planning including holdover and rollover claims.

I gradually moved into corporate tax, qualifying as a Chartered Tax Adviser in January 2005, before moving to Holingdale Pooley in Bristol for 6 years, where I expanded my practice area into personal tax.

Away from life as a business owner I juggle raising a growing family with growing a better society, and am an active member of my church parish.

I’m confident that Harris & Co is more than capable of giving a high quality service, with a strong and proactive tax mitigating bias – at an affordable price.

I joined Harris & Co in April 2013, where I’m responsible for all aspects of our accounts and taxation services. Before joining Harris & Co I trained with Ernst & Young before moving to an independent practice in Cardiff, where I spent 24 years specialising in the provision of accounts and taxation services for small and medium sized entities, becoming a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants in the process.

I’m particularly experienced in financial forecasting and developing bespoke models for clients. I am fully certified in SAGE accounts, and have good knowledge of other accounting software packages such as Quick Books and VT Accounts.

Tax and Payroll Administrator

Sandra joined Harris and Co Consultants Ltd in April 2016 after over 30 years working at HMRC Cardiff.

Sandra’s role is varied and she looks after processing of a number of company payrolls, as well as assisting with a portfolio of self-assessment tax returns.

Outside the office, Sandra is usually catching up with family and socialising with friends. She has recently joined a female military choir after serving over 30 years as a Royal Naval Reservist.

Building on her background in administration, in 2017 Jo decided to take on a new challenge. Having recently completed the AAT Level 2 Bookkeeping Qualification and Pitmans Sage 50 Payroll course, Jo is looking forward to continue gaining knowledge and qualifications during the forthcoming years.

Charlotte has recently joined the accounting world, bringing with her six years’ experience in pensions and the Financial Services industry. Currently studying with AAT, Charlotte is determined to achieve her goal of becoming ACCA qualified.

In her spare time Charlotte enjoys keeping fit and running, being an avid park runner and hoping to one day complete a marathon. She is also violinist and Deacon for her Church.