Our team comes from varying backgrounds, all specialists in their fields. Please feel free to contact any of us for advice or guidance with your business.
- Jonathan Russell – Partner
- Lina Pujara – Partner
- Waseem Sadique – Consultant
Jonathan Russell
Partner
Jonathan has been a practising accountant for over 30 years, mostly in the Oxford area where he worked at Critchleys from 1981 to 2006, becoming a partner in 1985. He left to set up his own practice, ReesRussell, in Witney in 2006.
He is a former president of the UK200Group, a position he took on after working under Helen as vice-president the year before. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants as well as a member of the Academy of Experts, an associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and an ADR Group accredited mediator.
He will now be dividing his time between Russell Phillips and ReesRussell, but will always be available to clients of both via phone and email.
Jonathan lives in Buckland with his wife Valerie and their daughter Victoria. Having spent the past few years restoring and extending his property and tending the family’s flock of sheep the sheep have now gone and been replaced with horses. He is therefore frequently to be found at horse shows around the south of England as driver and cook not as rider! He is to be seen occasionally driving their own horse in harness.
Jonathan used to collect old Land Rovers but the collection is now reduced to his pride and joy, an original 1949 model which he has owned for over 30 years.
Lina Pujara FCCA CTA
Partner
Lina has over 25 years of experience in the public practice taxation looking after a wide range of corporate and personal tax clients.
She joined Russell Phillips in 2012, as Head of Taxation Department, before becoming a Tax Partner in 2015. With her extensive experience and expertise, she raised status of the practice to Chartered Tax Advisors.
She, specialises in strategic and operational tax planning for businesses and individuals, and advises on tax-related matters to enable optimum tax planning and efficiencies. Additionally, she also manages a substantial portfolio of clients, ranging from high net worth individuals, company directors, property investors and others. She also oversees the practice’s tax compliance service.
Lina’s is dynamic in establishing and managing robust client relationships, and in maintaining an on-going association with them.
She is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants, and a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation.
Lina can be contacted at the offices or on her email, pujaral@russellphillips.co.uk
Waseem Sadique B.Com, FCA
Consultant
Waseem was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, his parents having emigrated from UP, India, where his father practiced medicine in partnership with Jaisuria Naido, son of Sarojini Naido, governor of UP and was personal physician to Indira Gandhi. Waseem immigrated to the UK aged 19 and served his training contract with Harold, Everett, Wand in Southend on Sea, Essex, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant.
He joined Plessey Engineering Plc., a blue chip company listed on the London Stock Exchange. Plessey traded in 162 countries employing 132,000 staff, represented by 11 militant trade unions. This gave Waseem valuable exposure to the international, commercial and industrial world. Here he worked closely with Booz Allen Hamilton on a detailed study and documentation of his employer’s management structure and systems.
In 1979 he moved to Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia with the Olayan Group; part of the Hong Kong based Jardine Matheson Group and gained experience in internal audit, food distribution, shipping, road haulage and freight forwarding.
In 1982 he was head hunted by Booz Allen Hamilton to join Zahid Tractor and Heavy Machinery Co Ltd., Jeddah where he worked, first as a Controller and then as General Manager, running various Truck and Car franchises. His major achievement with Zahid was to introduce Saudi police to Volvo, selling them a fleet of 700 cars.
He returned to the UK after five years and gained his two year post-qualification experience with Alfred Neil in the City of London, obtaining his practicing certificate in 1987. He set up his own firm of Chartered Accountants in Ealing, London which merged with Russell Phillips in 1999.
Waseem has travelled widely to USA, Canada, Europe, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman, Iran and UAE and developed business contacts worldwide.
His industrial, commercial and professional experience combined with his international exposure enables him to take a holistic approach to his clients. Most of the business contacts are long established and turned into personal friends. He is a general practitioner with clients ranging from quoted PLCs to small businesses based in the UK, USA, Singapore and the Middle East.
He leads an active life style, swimming, playing tennis, cycling and long distance walking.