Our team

Sagars has been around (with a few different names along the way) since the 1920s, so we’re certainly not new kids on the block. 

We don’t have any team members who’ve been with us since the start – but with an average length of service of 12 years (including 3 or 4 new graduates each year), we’ve certainly got the low turnover and high loyalty to enable us to offer the team continuity a firm needs to commit to long term client relationships. See our partners' profiles here. 

With 37 Chartered or Certified Accountants, 17 Chartered Taxation Advisers and eight Members of the Society of Trusts & Estates Practitioners, you can be confident that you’re in safe hands.  We invest strongly in ongoing training and development for all of our team.  Regulations and commercial realities change quickly, but we’ll stay up to date.

Just as our clients are a diverse mix of people and backgrounds, so are the members of our team – which usually means we can find someone with the expertise and experience you need and who you’ll get on with.   Choose How we work to find out more about how we look after our clients.

To give you a flavour of just how different we are (for a firm of accountants), former careers and current interests of our team members include:  emergency medicine; primary school teaching; international netball; professional football; decidedly amateur football;  trekking through South America; running from Coast to Coast for charity; and playing My Fair Lady.

 

You can find out about our team members’ favourite things by clicking on their pictures.

 

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We’ve profiled our five partners (officially ‘members’ of Sagars LLP) below. There's the reassuring information about their qualifications and experience...and a few (until now) lesser known facts about them.

 

 

Chris Jones

Chris marries experience with a fresh perspective and has developed an enviable reputation as a senior adviser to many business leaders in the region. He advises owner-managed businesses and many charitable and not-for-profit organisations.

Having graduated from Sheffield University, Chris qualified as a Chartered Accountant with an international firm.  After a year-long secondment in industry, he joined Sagars in 1988.  Appointed as a partner in 1995, Chris is now our managing partner.

 

Very sporty, Chris led the Sagars team to success in the Three Peaks Challenge, loves a bit of a run or a bike ride (has been known to end up in the canal - bike, computer and all) and competes in triathlons…to mention just a few pursuits.

John Beevers

Following a degree from Liverpool University, John trained with Sagars, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 1994 and as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 1996.  He became a partner in 2000. 

 

A recognised expert in advising professional practices and owner managed businesses, John’s advice is always in demand.

On a one man mission to convert the Sagars team (and any visitors to the office) to green tea, John is working hard on an alternative career as a rock guitarist and /or goalkeeper.

 

Kate Naylor

An experienced tax practitioner, a Chartered Accountant (a prize winner in her finals) and Chartered Tax Adviser, Kate has considerable expertise in tax planning and developing tax mitigation strategies for private and business clients – with particular experience in dealing with complex groups.

Kate graduated from Oxford University, qualifying and working at a senior level with a Big Four Firm before joining Sagars in 2001 and becoming a Partner in 2003.

 

Having walked down the aisle to 'Dizzy' by Vic Reeves and the Wonder Stuff, Kate was persuaded to move North from the West Country on the promise that the beer was better (we're thankful she didn't prefer cider).

 

Clive Smetham

Clive specialises in business acquisitions and disposals, transaction support work and both succession and exit planning.  He also provides advisory services to owner managed businesses and is on the Board of a local charity.

He graduated with a degree in Accounting and Finance before qualifying with an independent firm as a Chartered Accountant.   Clive became a partner with a local firm in 2001 and when this practice ‘merged’ with one of the major nationals, he decided that he wanted to stay with a regional independent firm and we welcomed him to Sagars as a partner in 2006.

Clive loves motorsport and certainly doesn't need to use his Sat Nav to get to Le Mans. Bring your sunglasses though whenever Clive adopts the healthy approach and cycles to the office - you''ll never see quite so much dayglo in one place.

 

Fergus Beadle

A Chartered Taxation Adviser and member of the Association of Certified Accountants, Fergus joined Sagars in 2004 from a national firm of accountants and became a partner in 2008.

Fergus specialises in taxation planning advice with particular expertise in capital taxes and trusts.  He also looks after a substantial portfolio of trust clients.

 

Fergus travels the country on safari - well almost - he actually follows the Tigers of  Hull City Football Club.  Although it has to be said that he's talking about it slightly less now than he was when they were in the Premiership!