Maria McConnell

Ms McConnell has led French Duncan’s VAT team since joining the firm in 2015. In that time, she has driven a significant increase in VAT revenue and expanded the team by 200%.

Ms McConnell specialises in VAT and its applications for business, with a particular focus on the charity sector, land and property, manufacturing, leisure and international business. The promotion comes in recognition of the considerable contribution Maria has made in providing clients with expert advice and support as well as in driving growth within the indirect tax service line and more broadly across the firm.

She has also been central to French Duncan becoming one of the few accountancy firms to offer VAT compliance and advisory services to online sellers from across the UK and Europe via the amavat® service line.

Ms McConnell has previously worked for HMRC, PKF and BDO in a career spanning two decades.

Graeme Finnie, managing partner at French Duncan, said: “Maria is extremely highly regarded by colleagues and clients alike, having built up extensive expertise and experience in a variety of VAT issues in her career. She also contributes significantly to the wider culture of the firm. We’re thrilled to promote her to Partner, an appointment that supports our wider commercial and strategic objectives to provide our clients with the best support possible during what continues to be a challenging time for the whole economy.”

Maria McConnell added: “Becoming Partner at French Duncan is a fantastic opportunity to further steer our growing client base in navigating the difficulties the pandemic and Brexit have created for many businesses. I am looking forward to undertaking my new role and helping the entire French Duncan group continue to grow.”