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Stephen Hanlon
Corporate Tax Specialist at Shipleys LLP
Professional Background
Stephen Hanlon is a highly regarded Corporate Tax Specialist with extensive experience in advising businesses on a diverse range of corporate and business tax matters. With a dedicated focus on areas such as the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS), the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), Research and Development (R&D) tax credits, and the tax implications of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) as well as corporate reorganisations, Stephen has proven to be a valuable asset to his clients and colleagues alike. His in-depth knowledge allows him to navigate the complexities of corporate tax with ease, ensuring his clients receive the best advice tailored to their unique needs.
In 2020, Stephen successfully led the tax and accounting division of London-based Mariana UFP LLP through a strategic merger with Shipleys LLP, a firm that mirrors his commitment to strong client relationships and high-quality service. This merger has enabled Stephen to continue providing outstanding tax advice while benefiting from a collaborative atmosphere with like-minded professionals.
Education and Achievements
Stephen’s academic credentials underscore his expertise in taxation. He is a qualified Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA), a prestigious designation obtained from the Chartered Institute of Taxation, which signifies his deep understanding of the tax landscape. Additionally, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Durham University, where he developed critical thinking and analytical skills that serve him well in his career.
Throughout his career, Stephen has held numerous prominent positions in leading firms, reaffirming his status as an influential figure in the corporate tax sector. He has worked at high-profile companies such as Ernst & Young and BDO LLP, where he held senior management roles. Stephen was also a Tax Partner at The Accountancy Cloud and previously served as General Counsel at Lowdownapp Ltd, showcasing his versatility and ability to adapt his skills across different areas of the business sector.
Achievements
Beyond his impressive career trajectory, Stephen has made significant contributions to the field of corporate taxation. His specialization in SEIS and EIS issues has not only aided various businesses in leveraging these important tax benefits but has also positioned him as a key thought leader in these areas. The positive feedback and outcomes of his advisory work are a testament to his professional dedication and expertise.
Stephen's approach to client relationships is one that emphasizes longevity and trust. By prioritizing personal connections, he ensures that the advice he provides is not just technically sound but also practical and aligned with his clients’ long-term goals. His clients appreciate his ability to demystify complex tax issues, allowing them to make informed decisions that enhance their business operations.
In conclusion, Stephen Hanlon is a dynamic Corporate Tax Specialist whose extensive knowledge and experience are matched by his commitment to helping businesses thrive in a complex tax environment. His role at Shipleys LLP, following the successful merger with Mariana UFP LLP, reflects his dedication to providing exceptional service and valuable insights to a diverse clientele. As he continues to navigate the challenges and opportunities within the tax landscape, Stephen remains a trusted advisor and resource for those seeking to optimize their tax strategies.
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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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- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- 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 takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
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.