Forrestbrown names David Byrne as head of London office

R&D tax consultancy ForrestBrown has further strengthened its senior team with the appointment of David Byrne as director of its London office.

Byrne will lead the capital’s team with a focus on supporting local, national and international companies. 

After spending nearly 20 years as an IT professional, designing and developing global platforms and leading international teams within ‘blue chip’ financial services and media organisations, Byrne helped establish EY’s R&D tax team before joining Deloitte as innovation tax director. 

He now joins ForrestBrown from global professional services firm, Alvarez and Marsal, where he created a new team, building a client base of high profile listed and private companies across multiple sectors.

According to the firm, Byrne has worked on some of the UK’s largest R&D tax relief claims in sectors including software, media, telecoms and financial services, building a strong working relationship with HMRC in the process.

Commenting on Byrne’s appointment, ForrestBrown’s managing director, Sara Brigden, said: “David’s appointment bolsters ForrestBrown’s capability to deliver robust R&D tax relief claims for large and complex companies. His strong focus on client service aligns with our ethos of developing bespoke methodologies to maximise the benefit of investment in innovation while protecting businesses from risk.”

Byrne added: “I am really excited to be joining ForrestBrown at such a pivotal time for R&D tax, both in terms of opportunities in the market and responding to government changes to better target reliefs and reduce fraud. 

“ForrestBrown is perfectly positioned to play a leading role in shaping the future of the incentive and I look forward to adding to their passion for innovation with a strategic approach to helping clients navigate this changing landscape.”