Charities Conference

Clare is a Senior Accountant at the Charity Commission providing expert advisory support to the Commission's regulatory cases and policy work. Prior to working at the Charity Commission she worked as a Forensic Accountant in BDO and Deloitte.

As head of the Employment, Charity, and Education sector teams at Thomson Snell & Passmore LLP, based in Kent (the oldest law firm in the world), Nick brings over 34 years of experience advising clients in the charity, education and social care sectors. Recognised consistently as a ‘Leader in the Field’ by Chambers & Partners (2011–2024) and listed in the Legal 500 directory Hall of Fame section as a leading lawyer, Nick is praised for his professionalism, attention to detail, and pragmatic approach to resolving complex issues.

Nick provides bespoke, strategic advice to navigate the unique challenges his clients face.

He advises extensively on employment, equality, and education governance law, providing practical and innovative solutions tailored to the needs of charities and their professional advisers. His expertise includes:

>Tribunal and High Court Claims: Successfully representing clients in Employment Tribunals and High Court actions, including cases involving restrictive covenants, breach of contract, and governance disputes. Nick takes a robust, outcome-focused approach, securing the best possible results even in challenging circumstances.

>Restructuring and Compliance: Guiding charities through complex business restructuring, governance reviews, and changes to employment terms and conditions. This includes advising on pay and benefits restructuring, grievance handling, whistleblowing, and disciplinary matters.

>Boardroom and Senior-Level Disputes: Advising on managed exits for senior leaders, trustees, and directors, helping resolve sensitive disputes while safeguarding the organisation's reputation and objectives.

>Sector-Specific Advice: Providing tailored guidance to charities on employment law and education governance issues, such as safeguarding, regulatory compliance, and leadership disputes, with a deep understanding of the intersection between governance and operational concerns.

Nick is approachable and reliable, frequently delivering clear, practical, and actionable advice ahead of deadlines. His breadth of experience instils confidence from the outset, making him a trusted adviser for organisations navigating the complexities of the charity and education sectors.

James joined Mercia in October 2022 as VAT trainer and consultant. His role involves writing technical material as well as devising and delivering VAT training courses. James has a wide experience of VAT and indirect tax, beginning his VAT career with HM Customs & Excise (as it then was) before moving to the private sector in 1995 and gaining his CTA qualification. Latterly, he had VAT partner and head of VAT roles in Grant Thornton and Mazars. James was actively involved with the Charity Tax Group for a number of years and has presented on VAT topics for the Charity Finance Group.

Outside of work, music remains a keen interest. Aside from playing jazz on the tenor sax, James is a regular member of the trumpet section of the Leeds Project Big Band.

Sylvia lived and worked in a number of countries before setting up Holder Swan Public Relations in London with fellow trustee Lindsay Swan. It was while in India on a business trip for a travel client that she met Venkat which 15 years later was to change her life dramatically and the lives of many others.She won The Times Sternberg Active Life Award in 2012 and was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2018 New Year’s Honours for “services to education in Kovalam, India”.Together with Lindsay, Sylvia has co-authored a book Accidental Lives which tells the remarkable story that unfolded as a result of the chance meeting. It was published by Black Spring Press in November 2024.

Peter qualified as a Chartered Accountant with an international accountancy firm before working in industry. He has over 20 years of training experience. He writes and presents technical updates for firms of accountants and qualified accountants of private and listed companies. Peter specialises in financial reporting, auditing and practice regulation. Peter also regularly carries out compliance reviews for firms of accountants, which provides him with an invaluable insight into the practical financial reporting and auditing issues that they face.

Gemma jointly leads the team responsible for Mercia’s file and compliance reviews, including performing reviews at client sites or remotely. She also lectures on Mercia’s Early Careers Programme and on specialist areas such as charities and academies, ESG and Mercia methodology, as well as advising clients on technical queries.

Gemma joined Mercia from audit practice in January 2021, where she had worked for 13 years, specialising in not-for-profit and charity clients for over a decade. Gemma has a keen interest in academies and sits on several ESFA working groups.