Meet the team

John Leyden, FCA

CEO

John qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1989 and then spent 7 years with KPMG.

He has considerable experience in all areas of the firm’s services and specialises in particular in business advice, tax planning and enquiries, corporate finance, due diligence and share option schemes.

John also acts as a part time finance director for a number of companies backed by venture capitalists and business angels and has been involved in approximately 50 fund raisings, 35 acquisitions and 20 disposals of businesses as well as resolving shareholder disputes and business valuations.

He has considerable experience in dealing with HMRC enquires including tax fraud cases.

Amit Kamboj, FCCA

Senior Client Services Manager

Amit is a fellow member of ACCA, qualifying in 2001.

He has considerable experience in managing and conducting audit for clients ranging from property developers, manufacturing and hospitality entities, non-profit organisations, charities, solicitors and FCA governed entities.

Having worked for a top 50 accountancy firm in the UK, Amit strives for perfection and clean accounting. He leads our commitment to go paperless.

Beata Zuzel

Practice Manager

Beata is Carbon's Practice Manager and Compliance Officer, ensuring compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), anti-money laundering regulations, and the practice assurance regimes of the ICAI and ICAEW. She is also responsible for Financial Control and Company Secretarial duties.

Beata has experience with Company Formations as well as day-to-day company secretarial matters, including resolving problems with Companies House where information has been incorrectly filed by companies in the past or incorrectly processed by Companies House.

Beata has been a member of the Carbon Accountancy Team since 2014.

Chris Haris

Senior Client Services Manager

Chris is responsible for ensuring that the needs of our clients are provided in an efficient and cost effective manner.

Chris joined us in 2002, since when he has developed an in-depth knowledge of the business affairs of our clients. He is therefore well equipped to anticipate the services required and the best way of delivering these.

Chris specialises in providing audit, accounting and business advisory services to our corporate clients. He is also well equipped to ensure that appropriate advice is given on all corporate and personal tax matters.

Prior to joining Carbon, Chris gained invaluable auditing, accounting and tax experience working in the UK accountancy profession, most recently as an audit manager.

Tetyana Bystrova

Senior Client Services Manager

Tetyana is a fellow member of ACCA, having qualified in 2018. She previously worked in practice before joining the Carbon Accountancy Team in June 2019.

Tetyana assists clients with preparing Statutory Accounts, Corporation Tax returns, R&D Tax Credit reclaims, VAT Returns, Internal Audits, and Personal Tax Returns.

She also manages audits for small and medium-sized companies.

Nimesh Ghimire

Senior Client Services Manager

Nimesh is a fellow member of ACCA, having qualified in 2008.

Nimesh joined Carbon in 2015. He manages audits for small and medium sized owner managed businesses as well as international groups, charities and not for profit organisations and delivers accountancy and taxation services to portfolio of clients.

Ann Stainer

Payroll Manager

Ann joined the Carbon Accountancy Team in 2011 and specialises in Company Secretarial and Payroll as well as Employment Related Securities and EMI Share Options.

Ann has experience with Company Formations as well as day-to-day company secretarial matters, including resolving problems with Companies House.

In relation to payroll, Ann will ensure that the payroll is produced in a timely manner and that you are kept fully informed of the amount to pay HMRC and when to pay. Ann has considerable experience in dealing with HMRC where issues arise over payroll.

Upkar Karmacharya

Audit Senior/Accountant

Upkar is a member of ACCA and has an MBA in Business. He joined the Carbon Accountancy Team in 2019 and managed a portfolio of owner-managed businesses. He has experience producing Statutory Accounts, Corporation Tax Returns, Statutory Audits, Management Accounts, and Personal Tax Returns.

Joel Haris

Audit Senior/Accountant

Joel obtained his MSc in Physics in 2017 and has been with Carbon Accountancy since 2018, having previously spent a year as an intern with us. He completed his studies in early 2024 and is now a qualified Chartered Accountant.

Given his degree, Joel has a passion for science and technology businesses. He has experience producing Statutory Accounts and Corporation Tax Returns for SMEs and assists with Statutory Audits. He has translated his passion for science into assisting numerous clients with R&D Tax Credit reclaims.

Waseem Aslam

Accountant

Waseem joined Carbon Accountancy in 2022 and is studying towards his ACCA qualification. He is responsible for preparing Company Statutory Accounts and Corporation Tax Returns as well as assisting with personal tax returns.

Samir Shrestha

Accountant

Samir has been a member of the Carbon Accountancy Team since 2018, and has helped clients complete Grant Audits, Statutory Accounts, Audits, Corporation Tax Returns, Personal Tax Returns and VAT Returns.

Michael Lam

Accountant

Michael joined Carbon Accountancy in November 2023, having worked in both practice and industry for over ten years.

He is responsible for preparing Company Statutory Accounts, Corporation Tax Returns, VAT Returns, and Management Accounts and assisting with Personal Tax Returns.

Jurgita Pliuskiene

Accountant

Jurgita joined the Carbon Accountancy team in 2022 and is a qualified AAT bookkeeper. She is responsible for preparing Company Statutory Accounts and Corporation Tax Returns as well as assisting with personal tax returns.

Alex Piotrowska

Bookkeeper

Alex is a Bookkeeper who has been part of the Carbon Accountancy Team since 2014. She has experience in a wide range of industries, including with companies in the building trade and technology companies.

Alex’s responsibilities include bookkeeping for clients and preparing and submitting VAT Returns. She has experience in using Sage Line 50, QuickBooks, Xero, VT+ and Dext (Receipt Bank).

Daiga Lazdina-Racenaja

Bookkeeper

Daiga is a Bookkeeper who has been part of the Carbon Accountancy Team since 2020. She has over 25 years of experience of working in accountancy practices in the EU and UK.

Daiga’s responsibilities include bookkeeping for clients and preparing and submitting VAT Returns. She has experience in with Sage Line 50, Xero, QuickBooks, VT+ and Receipt Bank (Dext).

Dawid Lewsza

Trainee Accountant

Dawid joined the Carbon Accountancy team in 2021 and is studying for his AAT qualification. He is responsible for completing bookkeeping and VAT Returns for clients, preparing Company Statutory Accounts and Corporation Tax Returns, and assisting with personal tax returns.

Reetu Gurung

Trainee Accountant

Reetu joined the Carbon team in 2024 and is studying towards her ACCA qualification. Her responsibilities include assisting clients with Bookkeeping and VAT Returns. Reetu has experience in using Xero, VT+, Sage, Dext and Hubdoc.

Geraldine Marechal

Receptionist

Geraldine joins the team in an administrative capacity to assist with the office's function and day-to-day operations. She is also responsible for managing Carbon’s postal system and reception.

John Leyden, FCA

CEO

John qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1989 and then spent 7 years with KPMG.

He has considerable experience in all areas of the firm’s services and specialises in particular in business advice, tax planning and enquiries, corporate finance, due diligence and share option schemes.

John also acts as a part time finance director for a number of companies backed by venture capitalists and business angels and has been involved in approximately 50 fund raisings, 35 acquisitions and 20 disposals of businesses as well as resolving shareholder disputes and business valuations.

He has considerable experience in dealing with HMRC enquires including tax fraud cases.

Gaurav Shrestha

Senior Client Services Manager

Gaurav is a member of ACCA, having qualified in 2014, and joined the Carbon Accountancy Team in October 2016.

Gaurav coordinates Carbon’s Personal Income Tax Team, also providing assistance to individuals requiring Self-Assessment Tax Returns. He also has experience in assisting with Statutory Accounts, Corporation Tax Returns and R&D Tax Credit claims for SMEs.

Clare Lacey

Office Manager

Clare is our office manager. As well as looking after the day-to-day running of the office and keeping us all in check, she keeps us up to date with all regulatory requirements. These include compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), anti-money laundering regulations and the Institute of Chartered Accounts in England and Wales’s (ICAEW’s) practice assurance regime.

Clare studied Business, HR and Marketing and worked in a variety of roles before joining the team here, gaining expertise in project management, training and marketing. Her wide range of business knowledge makes her an invaluable member of the team.

Rachana Karki

Accountant

Rachana is an ACCA Affiliate, who joined Carbon Accountancy in 2019, and has experience of working in practice since 2011. She provides assistance to clients with Statutory accounts, Corporation Tax Returns, Personal Tax Returns, VAT Returns and book-keeping.

Rachana has a MBA in Business, and when she manages to break away from her desk, she enjoys travelling to different places and cooking good food.

Rhonwen Nicholson

Bookkeeper

Rhonwen is an experienced bookkeeper who has been working with us since 2011. She has more than twenty years’ experience in all aspects of bookkeeping, so has an in-depth understanding of departmental bookkeeping, multi-currency accounting, factoring and research and development.

Rhonwen has forged strong working relationships with a wide range of clients and ensures VAT returns are completed on time, while also preparing reports for year-end accounts. Rhonwen has a BSc in Mathematics and Statistics and an eagle eye for detail.

Laura Davies

Bookkeeper

Laura joined Carbon Accountancy in January 2022 as a bookkeeper. She qualified as a bookkeeper through ICB in 2017. She worked mainly in private practice until joining Carbon and has experience in wide range of industries from building trade to tech companies to performing arts schools to charities.

Laura’s responsibilities include bookkeeping for clients and preparing and submitting VAT returns. She is experienced in using Sage, Quickbooks, Xero, VT+, Dext and Hubdoc.