Meet the team

Sophie stepped up to become RCK's first Group CEO in October 2025, from the role of RCK's General Counsel and Head of Legal, Data and Compliance. Sophie’s legal career has spanned over 13 years. Prior to joining RCK, she has spent the last seven years leading an in-house legal, data and compliance team at a leading law firm. Her experience incorporates all things legal (contracts/ litigation/ corporate), data protection, procurement, costs challenges, funding, compliance and dispute resolution. Prior to this, she worked in private practice in asset finance at Norton Rose, specialising in Shipping and Aviation Finance. Within her role of Group CEO, Sophie will focus on strategic-growth, exploring international expansion, growing RCK's service lines, and leading technology-driven projects. Outside of work she is kept busy with her three young children.

James Gibson is the Chief Executive Officer of RCK Partners and is focused on ensuring that the business continues to support UK company's growth and innovation. James has been working in the tax incentives industry since 2016. Since joining the firm in 2020, he has been instrumental to the growth of RCK and in 2024 was appointed CEO.

Wayne is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. Prior to joining RCK, Wayne fulfilled the role of Group Commercial Finance Manager in a premium listed business in the professional services sector. Overall, Wayne has 14 years’ experience of working within manufacturing engineering, insurance, professional and financial services in a range of senior commercial and technical finance positions spanning the UK, Europe, North America, and Asia.

As an experienced R&D professional, Peter completed an engineering doctorate whilst working within a FTSE 100 central R&D department and subsequently worked in development engineering, refining precious metals, before undertaking management consulting work to implement innovation software. Having worked within one of Europe's largest innovation funding providers, Peter has worked extensively on engineering, construction, manufacturing, and agricultural R&D claims. With a core background in R&D and Chemical Engineering, Peter can better understand the challenges encountered by his clients, applying technology driven solutions into corporation tax services on behalf of clients.

With over 15 years of global experience in the R&D Tax Credit industry, Tom brings strong commercial expertise and strategic leadership to his role as Chief Commercial Officer. He began his career with the UK’s largest innovation funding provider at its inception in 2009, later launching and leading its U.S. operations in 2018. Throughout his career, Tom has played a key role in helping innovative businesses unlock the full value of government incentives, driving growth and enabling significant investment in research and development. At RCK, Tom leads the commercial strategy and client engagement initiatives, ensuring the firm continues to deliver exceptional value and insight to its clients and partners. His deep industry knowledge, combined with a proven track record of building and scaling high-performing teams, positions him as a trusted leader in an increasingly complex and competitive landscape.

Eli is a UK-trained Chartered Tax Adviser (ATT and CTA) and an accredited mediator, with over eleven years’ experience across multiple areas of taxation. His career includes working in Private Client Tax at Smith & Williamson (now Evelyn Partners) and Tax Dispute Resolution at BDO. Eli excels as a resilient problem-solver with a keen interest in helping clients navigate and resolve complex tax disputes. As Head of Risk & Compliance, Eli leads the Compliance Team, ensuring all claims made by RCK meet the firm’s rigorous standards including compliance with both the legislation and the Revenues guidance, without compromising on the value of relief to which clients are entitled. The Compliance Team also manages all correspondence with The Revenue, and any arising Revenue Interventions. Outside of tax, Eli's passionate about helping others navigate the convoluted care system. This stems from his lived experience as a primary carer for his brother-in-law who has Down’s Syndrome.

Kirsten has over 20 years of experience in financial and accounts management, with a strong focus on audit, reporting, and funding. Her grant funding work began with Castle Leslie and the Caledon Estate, where she helped secure and manage cross-border and Enterprise Ireland grants to support major development projects. Since joining Monaghan Mushrooms over a decade ago, she has supported a wide range of R&D initiatives, working closely with grant bodies such as Enterprise Ireland, Innovate UK, and Horizon 2020. Her role expanded to include R&D tax relief, helping companies navigate Revenue legislation, prepare audit files, and secure millions in tax savings. She has also worked with R&D tax systems in the UK and Germany. With a proven track record across financial reporting, audits, and funding strategy, she helps innovative businesses reinvest in growth and remain at the forefront of their industries.

James is vastly experienced in the world of science, coming from an academic background in chemistry, as well as having experience working in R&D, in the chemical industry. Since his move to R&D Tax Relief, he has shown a high level of versatility, having worked with a wide range of our clients whilst also demonstrating a high attention to detail and excellent client management.