Team - Ian Cokayne

Ian Cokayne

Ian Cokayne

Chief Legal and Risk Officer

Ian is a senior legal and risk professional with more than 15 years’ experience advising professional services firms on complex regulatory, legal and operational matters. As a qualified lawyer, he has led high-value disputes, regulatory investigations and major acquisitions, including post-deal integration across governance, people and systems.

His experience spans the full risk spectrum, with leadership roles covering Ethics, Financial Crime, Client Take-On, Risk and Resilience, Legal, Regulation and Internal Audit. He has a strong track record of building robust, commercially aware risk frameworks that support growth, protect brand reputation and reinforce audit quality.

Before joining Gravita, Ian was a Partner and General Counsel at a Big 6 firm, where he also led the firm’s quality and risk teams. His background gives him a deep understanding of the regulatory environment in which accountancy firms operate, from client acceptance to oversight, compliance and professional standards.

Across his work, Ian brings clarity, judgement and a pragmatic view of risk, helping leadership teams maintain trust, support audit quality and navigate an increasingly demanding regulatory landscape.

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Leadership team

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Autumn Budget 2026: UK tax changes to prepare for now

17th September 2026
Written by: Ashley Stoller
Another Budget is approaching, which means another round of speculation. Pensions, property, inheritance tax. Everyone has a prediction, and usually a fairly compelling reason why you should be worried about it. But before we get...
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Autumn Budget 2026: What could it mean for business tax?

17th September 2026
Written by: Ian Timms
As we approach the Autumn Budget, businesses are unfortunately once again assessing where the Chancellor may look to raise revenue. While major headline tax rises are always possible, recent Budgets have shown that governments often...
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Autumn Budget 2026: What could it mean for your personal tax?

15th September 2026
Written by: Michaela Lamb
As is tradition here at Gravita, we do like to think about what the contents of an upcoming Budget might be.  Again, this government have been rather less loose lipped about what they are planning...
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Autumn Budget 2026: The hidden cost of frozen tax thresholds

15th September 2026
Written by: Ashley Stoller
With the Budget approaching, the annual guessing game is getting going. What will go up? What might disappear? And should we all be doing something before the Chancellor stands up? But while everyone watches for...
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When should a business appoint a Finance Director?

11th September 2026
Written by: Tanveer Mahtab-Ahmed
Many business owners assume a Finance Director (FD) is something only larger companies need. In reality, you don’t have to be a large organisation to benefit from senior financial expertise. As your business grows, financial...
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FRS 102 debt modifications: Common accounting pitfalls and what finance teams need to know

10th September 2026
Written by: Joseph Brewer
In an environment of higher borrowing costs, refinancing activity and evolving lender relationships, many businesses are renegotiating their debt arrangements. Whether a company secures an extension to its repayment schedule, amends interest terms, capitalises interest...
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Fraud in Business: Understanding employee fraud

9th September 2026
Written by: Jade Quaintance
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Payroll myths busted: Separating fact from fiction

8th September 2026
 
Payroll affects every business, yet it’s one of the areas most commonly surrounded by misconceptions. From tax codes and expenses to redundancy payments and starter processes, there are plenty of  payroll myths that can lead...
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