Bernhard Gilbey

Expertise

Bern is a highly experienced tax partner, advising on the tax issues that typically impact SMEs, their investors and managers as they grow from product development and seed funding through Series A and other growth rounds to the internationalisation of the business, ultimately supporting the tax needs of those stakeholders through an exit event.

Maximising the value of money raised, the use of those funds in product development, growing sales and the after-tax returns on those sales are fundamental to minimising dilution for everyone and maximising the return on investment for all stakeholders.

Bern’s expertise in supporting SMEs through their lifecycle, and hands on experience internationalising a company himself enable him to support clients in a particularly user friendly and supportive manner.

While Bern is a tax partner, he also has deep operational expertise having spent time as the Chief Executive Officer for a medical technology company that received investment from angel and venture investors. Although the company started in the UK it moved its operations to the US, enabling Bern to experience the opportunities and challenges of internationalising a business through the eyes of an entrepreneur.

How do you help clients?

I help clients with the legal and commercial issues that arise through the life cycle of their businesses, from early- and later-stage investment through scale up and growth, internationalisation, employee incentivisation and, ultimately, the exit. Throughout that journey, there will be tax issues to navigate to maximise the after-tax return that business owners work so hard to create. My role is to enable that maximum after-tax return to be realised.

Experience

1. Advising the management team of a PE backed group on the tax issues associated with the buyout of the group by another PE firm.
2. Advising the founders of a company on the tax issues associated with a sale to a strategic buyer for cash and shares and which included an earn-out component.
3. Advising the founders of a dental group on a suitable incentive programme for the new business development officer joining the group parent company.
4. Advising a strategic buyer of a founder-owned and led clothing brand.
5. Advising the exiting shareholders of a corporate finance company on the tax structuring required to maximise the after-tax return on the sale proceeds.