Our People

Damien is a Chartered Accountant who began his career with one of the Big Four accountancy firms, qualifying with them back in 1992. Having gained experience in industry he joined Waters and Atkinson in 1995, becoming a partner four years later. Damien develops and implements tax planning strategies for clients after first gaining a full understanding of their situation and aims.

He is available to provide specific technical advice and presents this in a clear and focused way. He is also primarily responsible for the firm’s statutory audit function. Since joining Waters and Atkinson, Damien has supported several charities at board level, having held positions such as director of the Lancaster and District Chamber of Commerce and governor at a school in the local area.

Chris is a Chartered Accountant who qualified with Waters and Atkinson in 2009, having joined the firm following the completion of his Master’s degree four years earlier. He has a wide-ranging role and splits his time between managing the practice and looking after corporate and private clients.

He can be consulted on a range of company and personal tax matters, as well as giving general business advice. Chris assists clients with a diverse range of problems and takes a practical approach to solving them. He has strong ties to the area and excellent links with local professionals and organisations. Chris was appointed as a director of the Lancaster and Morecambe Chamber of Commerce in 2017 and became president in June 2023.

Agata joined Waters and Atkinson in 2023 as a senior manager, having previously worked at a large accountancy firm in the area. Having completed her degree in Accounting and Finance Studies, Agata went on to qualify as a Chartered Accountant in 2018.

Agata has a broad range of experience in general accountancy and taxation work, and advises clients on various matters. She enjoys working with clients of all sizes – sole traders, limited companies, as well as charities. Agata also attends local events on behalf of Waters and Atkinson regularly and is well known within the professional community.

Theo joined Waters and Atkinson in 2016 straight from Lancaster Royal Grammar School Sixth Form. He successfully completed his apprenticeship whilst working in practice and became a Chartered Accountant in 2023.

Theo has a wide range of experience which he has gained whilst preparing and presenting accounts to a variety of businesses of different sizes. He also performs a wide range of ad-hoc work for both clients and the directors of Waters and Atkinson. Theo represents the firm at various events and is well known locally.

Peter has extensive knowledge and experience in the majority of tax matters and has been consulted accordingly by our clients for over 40 years. Peter feels that as a tax advisor it is important to have a down to earth approach and he speaks a language that our clients appreciate as he guides them through the various complexities of the tax system.

He understands the internal workings and approach of His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and offers himself as a buffer between them and our clients. Peter is available to discuss and deal with a host of different areas of the tax system, including Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) claims. Peter also specialises in inheritance tax and trust work.

Jo joined Waters and Atkinson in 2016 following our acquisition of another practice where she also held the position of tax manager. She has held a variety of tax related positions over the years, starting with the Inland Revenue and taking in accountancy practices large and small.

Jo excels at guiding her clients through the ever-more complex tax system and has a diverse portfolio of personal clients. Jo brings invaluable experience to the firm and is an expert in dealing with HMRC. She is an integral part of our broad tax offering and prepares Research and Development claims on behalf of many of our company clients. Additionally, Jo deals with the majority of our clients’ trust work.

Hannah graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a First-Class Honours degree and joined Waters and Atkinson in 2020. She is responsible for supervising the firm’s administrative function, recruitment, compliance work, as well as managing and organising 101 other matters which need her expert attention to allow the practice to thrive.

Hannah also ensures that our clients receive an efficient and accurate service, overseeing client engagement and satisfaction. She represents the firm at various events and is rapidly becoming well known amongst the area’s professional community.

Nina has a broad range of experience which she has gained at Waters and Atkinson as well as from previous positions. She has a varied and successful career history, with strong ties to the area. As an integral part of the team, Nina brings an understanding of the challenges of being in business from her time working in industry.

She prepares a variety of company accounts and audit work and has gained experience in a range of other areas within the firm. Nina deals with our solicitor clients and their regulatory work. She is available to discuss company accounts and assurance work with new and potential clients. Nina meets with existing clients to discuss their accounts and tax positions as well as discussing business matters generally. She also meets with new clients who are at the start of their business journey and helps them make the leap to self-employment.

Laura is an experienced accountant who is well known for developing very close working relationships with her clients. She has a broad range of expertise and has worked in both industry and practice. Laura understands the many challenges presented to business owners. She enjoys providing solutions and working with them to develop their businesses.

Laura looks after a portfolio of larger owner-managed businesses, identifying areas for business development and tax-saving opportunities. She also attends various networking events in the area and has excellent links with other professionals.

David has over 40 years of experience advising and assisting family-owned enterprises on all aspects of business life. He offers many start-ups a guiding hand through red tape, on registration and throughout the business lifecycle. David has also dealt with Companies House and HMRC for hundreds of new businesses over the years.

David oversees our accounts production system, ensuring clients receive their financial statements on an efficient and timely basis. David also undertakes a range of audit work for both commercial and non-profit enterprises. Internally David reviews the work of other staff and also has a training role.

Kay joined Waters and Atkinson in 2021 from another practice in the area. She is AAT qualified and has worked in general practice for a number of years. Prior to this she worked in industry and also taught English abroad.

Kay’s role as a client manager involves the undertaking of a range of accounts and tax work for her growing portfolio. She looks after clients in many different sectors and can be consulted on various bookkeeping software packages. She also trains and mentors new staff members in accounts preparation.

Sheila arrived at the firm in 1981 straight from university having just been awarded her First-Class Mathematics Honours degree. She has gained a wealth of experience during her long career with us and now primarily works with larger company clients, offering advice and support.

Sheila spent much of the last forty years involved in audit work. In recent years her input into this area of the practice has evolved into supporting other staff by offering guidance and reviewing work completed by them.

Matthew joined us directly from sixth form in 1991. Since then, he has built up an enviable wealth of experience and knowledge whilst advising all types of businesses. In particular his portfolio of clients very much appreciate his ‘hands on’ approach to solving the myriad of issues they bring to him.

He prepares statutory accounts and management information for a range of larger clients. A natural problem solver, Matthew is available to assist clients and staff with incomplete or damaged records, give advice on record keeping systems and also sort out a mess when needed!

Laura is an AAT qualified accountant who joined the team having previously worked in other practices locally. She is currently working with many of our SME clients who welcome her high level of experience, ability and calmness.

Much of the work she currently undertakes relates to company accounts. In addition to this, Laura makes use of her expertise which takes in Audit, VAT, Personal Tax and Corporate Tax. She is also responsible for training new staff members at the firm in accounts preparation.

Samantha joined Waters and Atkinson at the start of 2023 following our acquisition of Coates and Co. She is AAT qualified and has worked in general practice for many years.

Samantha looks after a wide range of clients, predominantly preparing statutory limited company accounts, payroll and VAT. She has built strong relationships with her clients over the years and advises them regarding various matters.

Debby has been with us since the start of 2023, when we acquired Coates and Co where she had worked since 2005.

Debby is AAT qualified and has experience with both personal and corporate clients. She specialises in the preparation of payroll, VAT, and statutory accounts. Having advised and supported her clients for many years, Debby has strong connections with her portfolio of clients.

Drew joined us having worked in accountancy practice since 2015. Following the completion of his Level 4 AAT qualification in 2019, Drew is now a client manager and completes accounts and tax work for a wide range of clients. He has a leading role within the firm in digitalising our systems whilst we are transitioning to being paper free.

Drew is available to set clients up on cloud-based bookkeeping software such as Xero, Sage and Quickbooks. He can also be consulted on Making Tax Digital.

Emma joined Waters and Atkinson at the start of 2023 having previously worked at Coates and Co, a local firm which we acquired.

Emma is AAT qualified and prepares accounts for a range of businesses in the local area, ranging from sole traders to limited companies. She also looks after VAT and payroll work for many of her clients, supporting them as their businesses evolve.

Diane is an AAT qualified accountant and has been working closely with our clients for over 25 years. She takes great pride in providing them with peace of mind that all of their accounting and tax affairs are up to date and she has good relationships with many of our long-standing clients.

She prepares accounts for a range of mainly corporate clients depending upon their needs. Diane has a reviewing role and undertakes quality control, reviewing work internally.

Leo joined Waters and Atkinson in 2018 after completing his A-Levels at Dallam School in Cumbria. He was promoted to Client Manager in 2021 following his training period and is AAT Level 4 qualified.

Leo undertakes a wide variety of work for a diverse portfolio of clients. He prepares accounts and tax computations for sole traders, partnerships and limited companies and is also a payroll expert.

Kelly became part of the team in 2016 following our acquisition of another practice. As an AAT qualified accountant, she responsible for the preparation of accounts as well as being the main point of contact for many clients.

Kelly has a wealth of experience of preparing accounts for businesses of all different shapes and sizes. She works closely with her portfolio of clients to enable her to best understand their needs and offer them a friendly, personal service. Kelly has a close working relationship with her clients and has acted for a large portion of them for many years.

Angelika primarily manages our payroll department and prepares wages figures for a wide range of clients. With a calming nature, she provides an efficient service; saving clients the time and worry that comes with running PAYE and pension schemes.

Angelika has also gained expertise in a range of other roles within the office, building on knowledge acquired from previously held local commercial positions. Angelika is fluent in Polish and can guide clients through the process of becoming self-employed and the subsequent accounts and tax work in either English or Polish.

Hayden recently joined the firm having trained with another practice in the local area. He is part-way through his AAT studies and is receiving general training in the office.

Hayden prepares accounts for a range of businesses including limited companies. He is available to digitalise clients’ bookkeeping systems and is proficient with multiple software packages. Additionally, Hayden is assisting with the preparation of personal tax returns.

Luca joined Waters and Atkinson in 2023 following the completion of his Accountancy degree at Lancaster University.

He is gaining practical experience in statutory accounts preparation and taxation, and deals with both corporate and personal clients. Luca is currently studying to become a Chartered Accountant.

Linda recently joined us from another accountancy firm within the local area. She is a highly capable bookkeeper with experience providing VAT and bookkeeping services to clients of various sizes and a range of industry sectors.

Linda uses a variety of bookkeeping software packages, particularly Xero and Sage. She is available to advise clients how to digitalise their bookkeeping and streamline their processes to ensure they have the most efficient systems in place.

Anna joined Waters and Atkinson in 2020 and is currently part way through her Level 4 AAT qualification. She has gained experience in several areas within the firm.

Anna completes bookkeeping and payroll work for a number of clients, whilst also maintaining our internal records.

Riah joined the firm in 2021 having previously worked for a firm of solicitors. She is the front face of the firm, greeting clients at reception and ensuring telephone callers are put through to the appropriate members of staff.

Riah is an integral part of the firm and is crucial to its smooth running. She produces accounts packs to be sent to clients and provides administrative support to our tax managers. Riah undertakes a range of other duties as part of her varied role.

Amanda recently joined the firm as our administrator. She is responsible for a range of general administrative tasks across the firm including new client onboarding and the associated data entry. Amanda ensures that new clients are promptly allocated to an appropriate client manager and that their accountancy needs are met.

Amanda also assists our Practice Manager, Hannah Fern, with various projects which are crucial to the smooth running of the firm. She updates and maintains our administrative systems, ensuring that the firm’s internal policies and procedures are followed.

Lesley joined the firm in 2024 as our receptionist. She primarily welcomes clients into the office for meetings and answers telephone calls, ensuring that clients are transferred to the most appropriate member of staff to assist with their queries.

Lesley deals with a range of tasks such as filing, scanning, and archiving, as well as ad hoc administrative work as required. She is also primarily responsible for organising and keeping track of internal confidential documentation.