Meet the Team

Brona’s story and experience

We are delighted to announce that tax expert Brona MacDougall, who has been with JRW for the past 2 years, has recently become a Partner in the firm. As a specialist in agriculture and trusts, this is an exciting appointment and tax expert Brona will continue to make a huge contribution to our business and clients going forward. In this article we share Brona’s story and experience with you.

Newly appointed Partner Brona MacDougall, who lives on the Isle of Lismore in the Inner Hebrides, previously worked in Oban as a chartered accountant before joining JRW two years ago.

But prior to becoming a chartered accountant, Brona trained and worked as a doctor. Working as an intern on qualification at St James Hospital before going on to work as an SHO in Respiratory Medicine, she then worked for the remainder of her time as a doctor in Oncology. Though Brona went on to leave this career, she did gain a huge amount of valuable experience, skills and confidence from this work.

Following a role as a Fund Accountant, Brona went on to work as an accountant in general practice accountancy at a firm in Oban. After undertaking training in the tax sector, Brona became Tax Manager with the same firm, managing a portfolio of personal tax and trust clients and advising on a broad range of tax issues including international tax, residence issues, trust tax and seafarer’s returns.

Brona joined JRW as Tax Manager in June 2018, where she has managed our Tax Department. As Partner in the firm, Brona will continue to be based from her home on the family farm on Lismore, where she will use her genuine farming experience to advise her many farming clients across the country. As well as being an expert in agricultural finance and taxation, Brona is also a Trust and Estate Practitioner and has undertaken succession plans, tax work on complex agricultural tenancy transactions and inheritance tax mitigation plans for large landed estates. Testament to this expertise, Brona has recently taken over authorship of the prestigious Bloomsbury Professional publication ‘Inheritance Tax in Scotland’.

Brona has a considerable amount of experience in dealing with international tax matters and the tax affairs of seafarer’s. Brona has been successful in some very complex offshore disclosures and regularly deals with non domicile and residence issues.

Brona says:

“After only two years, I am delighted to have become a Partner with JRW and to have the opportunity to grow the firm’s presence in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland as well as the rest of the country.

Living on the family farm with my husband and two little boys, means that I bring a considerable amount of valuable experience to my farming clients. I enjoy being able to take a holistic approach to my work with clients, as my Trust and Estates qualification give me a good understanding of the legal aspects of will writing and succession planning.

Naturally, many people are curious about my previous role as a Doctor and as irrelevant as it may at first seem, I believe that my experience in medicine brings with it many benefits. A good bedside manner in tax matters if that makes sense.

Whether that’s advising a farmer, landowner or seafarer; or indeed any private individual or business owner, the favourite part of my job is working with people, understanding their individual situations and motivations, being able to listen and forging relationships with them.

I care about my clients and I look forward to growing business together for many years to come.”