Doing business in the UK: Everything you need to know from a commercial, accounting and tax perspective
Expanding into the UK can open up significant opportunities, but it can also create corporate tax, VAT and wider accountancy obligations earlier than many businesses expect. In some cases, simply selling to UK customers, holding stock, entering into contracts, or establishing a presence in the country may require action, even without a UK company or branch.
Join Gravita Tax Partner, Clare Boden, VAT Partner, Sandy Cochrane and Head of Managed Business Services, Ben Chernoff as they explain the key decisions international businesses need to make when entering or trading in the UK.
Whether you are considering entering the UK market or have already started trading here, this webinar will help you understand your obligations and put the right structure and processes in place from the outset.
We will cover:
- Whether to establish a UK company, operate through a branch or trade without a formal UK entity
- When UK activities may create a permanent establishment or corporation tax obligations
- When overseas businesses need to register for UK VAT
- The employment and HR considerations when bringing people into the UK
- Transfer pricing, accounting requirements and the systems needed to support a UK operation
- The panel will also discuss the reliefs and incentives that may be available to businesses investing in the UK, including R&D tax relief, SEIS and EIS
Date: Tuesday 1st December, 2026
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Registration is required by using the button below. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the webinar.
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Speakers:
Ben Chernoff
Partner, Head of Managed Business Services
Ben leads Gravita’s Managed Business Services team and Essex office, and has been in the accountancy industry for well over a decade, advising clients from start up phase, right through to listing and beyond.
As well as supporting his tech clients on the day to running of their businesses, Ben’s clients typically require support on R&D, EIS, EMI, business plans, cash flow forecasting and cash management.
Ben plays a key strategic role in helping his clients plan for the future and supporting them throughout that journey, particularly within the fintech, medtech and sustainability arenas. Ben also specialises in supporting small and medium sized businesses, particularly those within the tech, property and recruitment sectors.
Clare Boden
Partner, Tax
Clare is a commercially focused tax adviser with around 20 years’ experience helping businesses manage tax complexity, reduce risk and support growth. Her career spans in-house tax roles as well as positions within Big Four and top 10 accounting firms, giving her a broad perspective on the challenges businesses face and the practical solutions that deliver value.
She has worked with businesses across a range of sectors, including engineering, manufacturing, construction, real estate and technology, advising on tax compliance, reporting, structuring and strategic transactions. This combination of technical expertise and commercial insight enables her to provide pragmatic advice that aligns tax strategy with wider business objectives.
Clare is passionate about helping businesses navigate an increasingly complex tax landscape with confidence – whether that means strengthening governance, improving efficiency, or identifying opportunities to support sustainable growth. She believes the best tax advice should not only ensure compliance but also help businesses make better decisions and build stronger foundations for the future.
Her approach is collaborative, practical and commercially grounded, with a focus on building trusted relationships and delivering solutions that work in the real world.
Sandy Cochrane
Partner, VAT
Sandy brings to Gravita a wealth of experience in VAT, including have spent more than ten years in industry. Following her time in industry, Sandy moved into practice, some 20 years ago, and has not looked back!
Sandy’s ‘in-house’ VAT experience has enabled her to provide a holistic approach to advisory, seeking input from other service lines where applicable.
Sandy has been involved with advising an array of clients to meet their VAT requirements, from OMBs, to large multinational corporations.
Sandy has a natural ability to make VAT easier for clients to understand, in particular for international businesses, in a pragmatic manner.
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