Key Contacts - Exeter

Tim Borton - Partner
Head of Audit Assurance and Accounts

Tim is a Partner in Bishop Fleming’s Exeter office and is Head of Audit and Assurance Services firm-wide for Bishop Fleming. Tim is also the Partner responsible for charity, not-for-profit and education clients in the Exeter office.

Tim is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Chartered Tax Adviser.

Tim has more than 15 years of experience and brings a broad knowledge, understanding and empathy to his engagements. He is particularly good at identifying innovative solutions to problems when they arise.

Tim is Secretary to the Northcott Devon Medical Foundation, a local grant making charity. This experience provides him with empathy for the problems that face Charities and their Trustees.

Tim is very keen to promote and advance well planned and efficient auditing, that provides a basis for a pro-active service to clients.

Andrew Browne - Partner
Head of Tax

Andrew Heads up Bishop Fleming’s Corporate Tax Team.

Andrew is a Chartered Tax Advisor with over 20 years experience in taxation. He joined the firm in 1998 and previously worked in the tax functions of two ‘Big 4’ firms.

Andrew provides strategic tax advice to a number of the firm’s larger clients. He also provides transactional advice both in support of clients of the general practice and corporate finance departments and referred work direct from third parties.

Andrew has a wide range of experience in dealing with owner managed and professional businesses and in particular advising them on tax planning strategies. Andrew’s role is to identify opportunities for mitigating liabilities and for helping our clients operate in the most tax-efficient manner possible. He is also responsible for ensuring the compliance service is delivered effectively.

Dave Brown
Director of VAT Services

Dave provides expert VAT advice and support to all the firm’s partners and staff. He works, too, with all our sector teams especially where property is involved.

He is also the national VAT adviser to the Listed Property Owners Club.

Since joining Bishop Fleming in 2001, Dave has helped many of our clients to save or recoup hundreds of thousands of pounds from the “VAT man”.

Dave previously worked for HM Revenue and Customs and another firm of accountants.

Educated in Glasgow, Dave’s interests span cycling to motor-sport.

Robert Davey - Partner
Corporate Finance

Robert joined the firm in 1991 and was made partner in 1993. Having trained and qualified with a medium firm, he went on to work for one of the ‘Big 4’ firms of accountants on the audit side in the United Arab Emirates.

Robert is one of the firm’s Corporate Finance Partners and looks after the firm's Corporate Finance work for the Exeter, Plymouth, Torquay and Truro offices. Robert's background is working with owner-managed corporate businesses which gives him a very good understanding the issues faced by business managers. Robert has managed transactions for multi-billion pound businesses but the bulk of his work is with small and medium size enterprises, working with their management teams.

Robert has considerable experience of sales and acquisitions, mergers and de-mergers, MBOs and MBIs, Valuations and Transaction Support (Due Diligence). Robert brings enthusiasm and a positive can-do approach to actually making transactions happen.

Jerry O'Sullivan - Partner
Head of Business Recovery & Insolvency

Jerry joined Bishop Fleming in 1984 and has been Partner since 1988. He heads up the Business Recovery and Insolvency Team, with a background in general practice looking after owner managed businesses. He qualified as a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner in 1992 and has considerable experience of rescuing businesses from difficult trading positions. He handles many large, complex and high profile cases.

Jerry believes that providing focused, pragmatic advice in dealing with a way forward for businesses and individuals who are often in stressful situations, is critically important. Working closely with banks and other firms of accountants is particularly important for our team. Jerry is also a keen member of “R3” he likes to keep fully up to date with the ever changing legislation in order to benefit his personal and corporate clients.

Brian Payne - Chief Executive
Head of Forensic and Litigation Support

Brian joined the firm in 1978 after training in the City of London with a major multi-national firm. Brian has been Bishop Fleming’s Chief Executive for 8 years and has during that time seen the firm achieve substantial growth. His role means that he devotes most of his time to managing the firm and still retains a portfolio of clients and provides strategic advice to a range of businesses.

Additionally, Brian heads up the firm's Forensic and Litigation Support Services and regularly supports solicitors as an expert witness. Brian is also a founding member of the Expert Witness Institute as well as an Associate of The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Brian’s particular skills are in the areas of professional negligence, business valuations and commercial loss.

Andy Richens
Tax Technical Director, Wealth Management

Bishop Fleming is probably unique in the South West, outside of the 'Big 4' accountancy firms, in having a technical tax director. Andy Richens is an excellent resource for the firm in advising our partners, staff, and clients on tax opportunities.

Having previously worked with HM Revenue and Customs, Andy headed national tax-training programmes for two of the ‘Big 4’ firms of accountants, before joining Bishop Fleming in 2004. He advises all our sector specialist teams (e.g. Care Homes, Tourism & Leisure, Property & Construction, Professional Practices etc.), and is well known on the lecture circuit – including lectures for Central Law Training.

Born in London, Andy remains an ardent fan of Chelsea, having been a match-day presenter in the 80's and 90's.

David Savill - Partner
Head of Property & Construction Sector Group

David joined Bishop Fleming in 2004 from a Taunton firm of accountants, where he had worked for 14 years and built a reputation for advising a wide range of clients including many construction and property businesses.

In addition to leading our Property & Construction Team, David provides property expertise to Bishop Fleming’s sector team serving charities and not-for-profit organisations, including housing associations. David comments, "I joined Bishop Fleming from a practice where I was very much involved at the sharp end of running the business. I therefore have a wealth of hands-on experience as an Owner Manager on which to draw."

David is a board member of a housing association, and a member of Exeter’s Business Leaders’ Forum. David lives in Somerset and has an active interest in rugby, cricket, and golf.