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Rob Heron
Managing Partner, EY Northern Ireland
Professional Background
Robert Heron is a prominent figure in the field of finance and tax consultancy, currently serving as the Managing Partner for EY Northern Ireland. In this capacity, he leads a substantial team of approximately 750 professionals, showcasing his expertise in managing and guiding a diverse group of experts in delivering top-tier services to clients. With a robust background in tax consultancy, Robert previously held the position of Tax Partner at EY, where he specialized in providing comprehensive tax services with a discernable focus on corporation tax, corporate restructuring, and reorganisations. His transition from Tax Partner to Managing Partner reflects his impressive career trajectory and commitment to driving success within EY.
Robert's extensive experience in tax advisory is underscored by his leadership of numerous client engagements, particularly in the area of UK income tax reporting and compliance processes for multinational organizations. His adeptness in navigating complex tax environments has been instrumental in helping clients achieve optimal outcomes in their fiscal dealings. He has also made significant contributions to private equity firms, offering strategic tax advice aimed at ensuring tax-efficient structuring of investments. This unique blend of skills has positioned Robert as a trusted advisor in the industry, capable of guiding clients through intricate financial landscapes.
Further showcasing his expertise, Robert has successfully advised a host of UK companies on Research and Development (R&D) claims, playing a pivotal role in resolving inquiries from HMRC without adjustments. His strategic insights extend to group reorganizations and financial strategies, which include raising finance, debt restructuring, and international tax structuring. Additionally, he has provided counsel on various corporate actions, including acquisitions and disposals, thereby cementing his reputation as a well-rounded tax advisor.
Robert's clientele spans a wide range of sectors, including retail, manufacturing, technology, and construction, demonstrating his versatility and adaptability in catering to diverse business needs. However, his particular focus lies in the Agri-Food industry, where he has developed a strong understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities faced by businesses in this sector.
In addition to his role at EY, Robert plays a crucial part in promoting entrepreneurship in Northern Ireland through his leadership of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Programme. This initiative recognizes and supports successful entrepreneurial ventures, providing them with the resources and mentorship necessary to flourish. Robert's involvement in this program not only reinforces his commitment to fostering innovation and growth in the region but also highlights his expertise in advising entrepreneurial businesses to reach their full potential.
Education and Achievements
Robert's educational background is characterized by a strong foundation in Agricultural Economics, which he studied at Queen's University in Belfast. His academic pursuits have equipped him with critical analytical skills and a deep understanding of economic principles which he applies to his work in tax and finance. Before his time at Queen's, Robert attended Regent House, where he began his journey into the world of academia.
Robert's professional accomplishments are noteworthy; he has successfully guided numerous companies through complex tax scenarios, ensuring compliance while capitalizing on available mechanisms for financial efficiencies. His strategic foresight has been a significant asset to both large multinationals and fast-growing entrepreneurial businesses alike, combining technical tax knowledge with practical business acumen to deliver exceptional value to his clients.
His leadership role in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Programme further exemplifies his dedication to the entrepreneurial landscape in Northern Ireland. Through this initiative, he has advised many of the region's most successful businesses, further bolstering their growth trajectories and fostering a vibrant ecosystem of innovation and enterprise.
Achievements
Robert Heron's career is marked by several achievements that reflect his expertise and dedication to the finance and tax consulting fields. His leadership and strategic insights have played a critical role in managing a large and diverse team at EY Northern Ireland, where he has nurtured talent and promoted a culture of excellence in service delivery. His commitment to client success is evident in the multitude of successful tax strategies and compliance processes he has implemented for various organizations, resulting in enhanced operational efficiencies and risk mitigation for his clients.
His focus on sectors such as Agri-Food has not only allowed him to develop specialized knowledge but also position himself as a thought leader in addressing sector-specific challenges. This deep understanding of client needs has enabled him to deliver tailored tax solutions that facilitate growth and sustainability.
In addition to his technical achievements, Robert's leadership of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Programme underscores his influence on the local business community and showcases his commitment to supporting innovation and entrepreneurial success in Northern Ireland. This program has recognized many businesses that have contributed significantly to the economic landscape of the province, further highlighting Robert's role as a catalyst for growth and development in the region.
In summary, Robert Heron's extensive background as Managing Partner at EY Northern Ireland, alongside his previous experience as a Tax Partner, places him among the leading professionals in the field of tax consultancy. His academic foundation in Agricultural Economics, coupled with his practical experience in advising both multinational corporations and entrepreneurial ventures, allows him to offer exceptional insights and strategies to his clients. Through his leadership in various programs and initiatives, Robert continues to make a profound impact on the business community in Northern Ireland, exemplifying the qualities of a dedicated and innovative leader.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.