The Managers
Zahid Mughal
Zahid has been in practice for the last fifteen years. He started his career at a four partner firm based in West London, dealing with the accounting requirements of small businesses. Zahid then went on to spend six years working for one of the top five firms, Grant Thornton.
The majority of the work involved the audits of medium and large sized companies. For an additional challenge, Zahid was seconded to the corporate finance department where he was involved in mergers and acquisitions. Finally, Zahid moved to the business services department, dealing with VAT and management accounts for small and medium sized companies.
Following on from the experience gained at Grant Thornton, Zahid joined Stern & Company in March 2001 as our Audit Manager.
Zahid heads up our audit department and deals with our larger clients together with the majority of our group and international clients. His client portfolio includes small, medium and large sized companies including PLC’s. Zahid specialises in audit and corporate tax.
Zahid devotes his spare time to his family, spending most of it fussing over his 3 year old daughter.
Email 
zmughal@stern.co.uk
Aldrich Walker
Aldrich is a Chartered Accountant with over twenty years practice experience. He started his career in 1987 with Touche Ross, now known as Deloitte & Touche and qualified in 1991.
Aldrich joined Stern & Company in 1992 as a newly qualified senior, rising to the position of Accounts Manager in 1996.
Aldrich’s wealth of experience lies with small owner managed businesses and he is our resident accountancy software expert.
He is a keen Manchester United supporter and music lover. He devotes most of his spare time to his 7 year old son.
Email awalker@stern.co.uk
Vikas Puri
Vikas started his career as an Accounts Assistant in 1992, assisting in dealing with the accounting requirements of small businesses.
He then went on to his next position as Senior Audit Manager in 1994 for a seven partner firm based in Central London. The majority of his work involved the audits of medium and large sized companies. In 1998 he became Practice Manager for a firm of Chartered Accountants where his responsibilities included the allocation of staff resources, new business procurement and conducting and supervising on-site audits.
Vikas then went on to become a Senior Consultant which involved him providing services to Central and Local Government Agencies and several firms of Accountants on an interim basis. He has been involved in the audits for companies with turnover in the region of £10M to £50M. His expertise also includes project management, the design and implementation of accounting systems, due diligence and the design and implementation of internal control processes.
Vikas joined Stern & Company in June 2008 as our Audit and Accounts Manager, working alongside Aldrich and Zahid. He deals with our full range of clients, from sole traders to large PLC’s.
Vikas is passionate about cricket, both playing and watching. He is the treasurer for the UK branch of the Nepal Tourism Board and has travelled extensively across the globe. He is happily married and has a 10 year old son.
Email vpuri@stern.co.uk
Nicolle Wright
Nicolle has worked in practice for the last 12 years in Bookkeeping and Payroll Manger positions.
She has had extensive experience of dealing with small and corporate firms assisting with the smooth running of the payroll processing and advising clients of the current legislations as they take place.
Many of our clients have large complex payrolls which require close attention to detail which is one of her best attributes.
She spends most of her spare time encouraging her twin boys to enjoy and experience life to the full, along with her husband. She is also a keen cyclist and loves to spend time at the weekends with friends.
Email nwright@stern.co.uk
Sangita Patel
Sangita is a Chartered Certified Accountant with over 16 years of experience working in general practice.
Sangita joined Stern & Company in April 2009 as one of our Managers. She has worked extensively with small and medium sized owner managed businesses dealing with their bookkeeping, management accounts, VAT, payroll and year end accounts. She has also dealt with small and large company and charity audits. Sangita also has experience of a wide range of accountancy software.
In her spare time Sangita is a keen Liverpool fan and also enjoys watching cricket and reading. She is also a school governor at two schools. Sangita is married with two children, both at university.
Email spatel@stern.co.uk
Mark Dawes
Mark has been in practice since 1991 and gained the Association of Taxation Technicians qualification in May 1999.
After starting his career working for a small family practice in Kent he joined City based firm Winters as a Tax Junior in 1996. During his 11 years with Winters he managed a portfolio with a full range of clients, encompassing sole traders, high net worth individuals and limited companies. He also became a specialist in dealing with the Tax, National Insurance and VAT requirements of barristers and expanded in to lecturing on this subject in and around the various Inns in the Temple, Lincoln’s Inn and Gray’s Inn areas.
In 2007 Mark moved on to Thorne Lancaster Parker and joined the firm as Tax Manager and was responsible for dealing with many clients from within the entertainment industry.
His career then took him to Harris Lipman in North London, where he spent the majority of his time dealing with high net worth individuals, predominantly those with rental property. He was also involved in the training junior members of staff and played a brief cameo in the firm’s cricket team.
Mark then relocated to West London and joined Stern & Company in October 2009. As Tax Manager, Mark now heads up our tax department, working alongside Jeffrey Joss, our Tax Partner. He deals with all aspects of taxation for our clients, including the preparation of Self-Assessment Tax Returns, Rental Accounts, Capital Gains Tax calculations, National Insurance queries, Payroll and Corporation Tax.
Away from work Mark has a passion for wildlife and is a qualified scuba diver. He is also a talented chef and able to speak French to a good standard.
Email mdawes@stern.co.uk
