Who I Help

Family-owned businesses. SMEs across all sectors.

How I Help

Succession planning. Asset transfer and sales advisory. Corporate, personal and estate tax advisory and compliance. Corporate re-organisations. Revenue audits and compliance.

“KNOW THE RULES, BUT EXPLAIN THEM CLEARLY.”

Nuala Kenny is a Partner at AAB, based in Carlow, working mainly with family-owned businesses and SMEs across all sectors. With more than 20 years’ experience advising on tax matters, Nuala specialises in succession planning, asset transfers and sales, corporate re-organisations, and personal and estate tax, as well as Revenue audits and compliance. She began her career in the accounting division of a major accountancy firm before finding her real interest lay in tax, drawn to the variety and the problem-solving involved. Nuala is known for looking at every issue from the client’s perspective, and for combining deep technical knowledge with a genuine, personal commitment to getting the best outcome for the people she works with.

Sectors/Support

Family-Owned Businesses.

Seeing It From the Client’s Perspective

I always look at the issue from the client’s perspective and reflect on what course of action I would take if I was in their position, but with the benefit of my 20 plus years of experience in advising on tax matters. That combination of empathy and experience is what allows me to give advice that feels genuinely tailored, rather than generic, to each client’s situation.

Steadying Clients Through Difficult Situations

I often provide advice in situations where a business or family relationship has broken down, and the parties involved are under a huge amount of stress as a result. I appreciate how stressful these situations can be, and I listen and provide a sounding board and an objective opinion to clients on how best to navigate the situation. It is important to avoid hasty decisions and persevere to find a solution, even when emotions are running high and the path forward isn’t immediately obvious.

Building Relationships

Fully understanding a client’s business and what they want to achieve is the key to developing the best solutions together. Over the years, I’ve built up strong relationships with clients. I think regular contact and being readily available to discuss issues as they arise is important to building trust with clients, which is hugely important to me and underpins every relationship I have.

Choosing Tax Over Accounting

I always found tax interesting and loved the problem-solving aspect of it. After some experience in the accounting section of a major accountancy firm, I found the tax work more interesting and varied. I like a challenge, and I love finding practical solutions that add real value for a client, which is ultimately what drew me away from accounting and firmly into tax.

Know the Rules, Explain Clearly

When a client is considering a transaction, they may not fully appreciate that there can be tax consequences under multiple tax heads, including capital gains tax, capital acquisitions tax, stamp duty and VAT. So my role is to explain the various implications clearly and concisely, so my client can make a clear and informed decision on the best course of action, without feeling overwhelmed by the technical detail behind it.

Wanting What’s Best for Clients

Caring about my clients and wanting what’s best for them is at the core of what I do. My aim is to use the depth of knowledge and experience of the whole team to deliver client solutions, drawing on colleagues’ expertise wherever it adds value, rather than working in isolation.

Keeping Up to Date

Keeping up to date with the constant changes in legislation, Revenue practice and case law interpretations is a challenge that I genuinely enjoy. It keeps tax interesting, and it means there’s always something new to learn and apply on behalf of clients.