Philippa Smith
Director & Licensed Insolvency Practitioner
Philippa is the founder and Director of Smith & Barnes and is a fully licensed Insolvency Practitioner. Philippa has extensive Insolvency Knowledge having worked in the Insolvency Industry for 20 years. After spending her former years in accountancy, she then branched off to specialise in Insolvency and gathered her experience working at KPMG, Deloitte, Mazars as well as at smaller practices.
Her knowledge and experience span all Insolvency matters, ranging from small turnover owner managed business, through to multi-million-pound enterprises.
Out of work Philippa enjoys spending time with both her human and animal family. She is happiest out in the field with her dogs and horses.
Robert Barker
Senior Manager
Robert started his career in insolvency in 2008, working from an entry level Administrator position up to his current role of Senior Manager at Smith & Barnes. Robert has extensive experience in Personal and Corporate insolvency from small sized engagements to large size corporate insolvencies.
He provides support to the team generally, in addition to managing his own caseload from commencement to completion. Rob also assists the Directors with the implementation of new procedures, having recently overseen the firms move to Cloud based Insolvency Case Management software.
Robert prides himself on balancing commercial realities with the expectations of key stakeholders, and in particular assisting clients in moving past what is inevitably a trying time for them as they or their company faces an Insolvency process.
Robert is CPI Qualified and is currently working towards obtaining his JIEB Qualification.
Nichola Lister-Smith
Content Coordinator
Nicky joined the team in 2022 as Admin Support, with her background in Investigative procedures and data analysis. Nicky has now progressed to be our Content Coordinator, managing the content for our websites and social media platforms, along with dealing with all aspects of marketing and client satisfaction.
Nicky’s downtime involves nutrition and wellbeing, and she is also a keen runner and walker. When time allows, she loves exploring new places and travelling.
Mandy Rowley
Office Administrator
Mandy started at Smith and Barnes in February 2022 as Office manager, and after just one year she was keen to upskill and began her training to become an Insolvency Administrator, which she is thriving at.
Mandy spends her free time with her family and cockapoo enjoying long walks.
Jessica Thomas
Director & Licensed Insolvency Practitioner
Jessica is our director and licensed Insolvency Practitioner and started her insolvency and restructuring career is 2008. Jessica joined Smith & Barnes in 2021 after having worked at a national practice and other boutique firms for 13 years. Jessica became director of Smith & Barnes in 2022 and is our lead appointment taker.
Throughout her career, Jessica has gained experience on a broad range of restructuring and formal insolvency assignments and has a natural passion to help Director-owned businesses come through hard times by offering solutions to their debt problems.
On a personal note, Jessica spends most of her time watching her two sons play football and enjoying quality time with her family.
Muzamal Ahmad
Assistant Manager
Muzamal joined the firm in March 2020 after working in the industry for 3 years, he is an Assistant Manager at Smith and Barnes and is in control of a diverse portfolio of insolvencies that are comprised of Administrations, Creditors Voluntary Liquidations and Members Voluntary Liquidations.
Muzamal gained his Certificate of Proficiency in Insolvency (CPI) in summer 2021 and he is motivated to complete additional studying in the future.
Muzamal’s hobbies consist of eating a lot, having fun with family, hiking/walking, the gym and playing cricket on a weekend.
Katie Nicholason
Insolvency Administrator
Katie joined Smith and Barnes as an insolvency administrator in September 2021, after a 13-year career supporting clients complete successful IVA’s. Katie now focuses on corporate insolvency and helps companies progress through their insolvency journey as smooth as possible.
In her spare time, she enjoys being kept on her toes, by her two children, who love crafting and competing against each other in anything Mario related. Katie also tries to get away for weekends spending time outdoors in the fresh air.
James Duke
Senior Insolvency Administrator
James started his insolvency career back in 2017 as an apprentice school leaver, and upon his completion, was offered a full-time role as a case administrator. James then joined Smith and Barnes in 2020 and has progressed to the position of case manager, handling his own case load. He is soon to pursue his Certificate of Proficiency in Insolvency.
Edward Sparks
Senior Insolvency Administrator
Edward joined the firm in August 2023 as a senior case administrator following on from the experience gained at his previous firm. Edward is keen to further his knowledge and hopes to be able to progress within the firm in the future.
In his spare time, Edward is a keen baker and also enjoys a variety of sports.