About Us
"Elysium - Originally the paradise to which those chosen by the gods were sent, Elysium is a land of perfect happiness, joy and bliss."
Elysium is a firm of Chartered Accountants, specialising in Forensic Accounting, helping to take you and your business to where you want to be.
We help businesses grow and assist in managing them through difficult business environments – working with you – helping you make informed decisions.
Please go to our Resources page to check out our full range of freely available resources ... or you could just give us a call!
Our Charges
We have spent years listening to complaints about fees. We all resent paying for something that has no real value. We will not spend hours telling you what you already know about your business. Fixed monthly fees, all pre-agreed so no surprises.
Graham Ball FCA
Graham qualified in 1986 and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). He has spent 40 years in practice, building a general practice from 6 to over 60 staff with three offices. Now you get the benefit!
He is a specialist in mergers, acquisitions, matrimonial disputes and business development. Over recent years he has attended court as an expert witness, providing evidence to the High Court in matrimonial cases on company valuations and also in shareholder disputes. Graham is regularly requested to act as a 'Single Joint Expert' in matrimonial cases, looking at company valuations and potential tax consequences of possible settlements.
As an acting non-executive director for many of his clients, Graham does not pull his punches – "Honesty is always the best policy. If I think you are doing something wrong, then I will tell you. I work with you on your business to really make a difference. Unfortunately, worrying about your feelings cannot be a priority if you want your business to succeed."
30+ years of experience leading and growing a business has given Graham a real insight into the issues – "I will always promote the things that I found most successful and I won't let you make the same mistakes. This knowledge can accelerate your growth and help you achieve your goals in the shortest possible period."
So why 'Elysium'? ... "After 26 years at my previous company, this venture felt akin to an afterlife – finally having the opportunity to take clients to that better place, which is Elysium."
Graham has spent the last 20 years specialising in the valuation of companies and the tax consequences of asset splitting, largely in divorce cases. In the last 10 years, Graham has prepared many 'Single Joint Expert' reports for Court purposes.
Graham is a member of the ICAEW Valuation Group and the ICAEW Forensic and Expert Witness Group.
Stacey Hillyard FCA
Stacey is also a Fellow of the ICAEW with over 25 years' experience gained in a variety of roles within the profession. Although the exciting world of accountancy has been Stacey's career for the last two decades, in her younger years she had an equally exciting career as a professional snooker player! Far from it being a misspent youth, Stacey enjoyed great success including becoming the youngest ever World Champion, winning the 1984 World Ladies Snooker championships aged just 15. Stacey was also ranked World Number 1 for several years before the business world came calling.
Stacey qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2003, having trained at Ward Goodman where she worked with Graham for 8 years before moving on to pastures new in 2006. For the last 16 years Stacey has worked in the accountancy training and audit regulatory sectors. Working as a Practice Consultant for SWAT UK, one of the largest accountancy training organisations in the UK, Stacey has visited accountancy practices of all sizes helping them remain compliant with auditing, accounting and money laundering regulations. Stacey also worked for ICAEW in their Professional Standards Department as a Quality Assurance Reviewer conducting regulatory monitoring visits to ICAEW member firms across the UK.
In 2018 Stacey joined Elysium bringing with her, technical expertise and a wealth of experience in dealing with compliance and regulation. On returning to practice Stacey said, "The opportunity to work with Graham again and help our clients negotiate the minefield of accounts and tax compliance is something I am very much looking forward to."
Part of Stacey's work is ensuring clients are ready for Making Tax Digital (MTD), the Government's initiative to digitalise how individuals and businesses report and pay taxes to HMRC. MTD will fundamentally change the way the current tax system operates and clients need to be ready for this.
"The future of compliance is digital and working with clients to ease the regulatory burden by helping clients move from manual bookkeeping to a digital system is part of the support we offer. Having a clear picture of your current financial position in real-time is the underlying benefit of digitalisation that will also take your business to the next level," says Stacey.
Susan Ball
Sue worked for Dorset Police for sixteen years during which time she qualified as a Forensic Computer and Mobile Phone Examiner, certified by the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists (IACIS). She worked as a Forensic Investigator in the Hi Tech Crime Unit (HTCU) examining computers, mobile phones and other digital devices for evidence in a wide range of cases, presenting her findings to investigation teams and ultimately giving evidence in Crown and Magistrates Courts. She has performed the role of Expert Witness to the Court with respect to digital evidence.
She was also responsible for the mentoring and initial in-house training for new members of staff as well as presenting training sessions to police officers on the seizure and handling of computers and mobile phones and the use of recovered data in their investigations.
Sue spent a number of years as deputy manager of HTCU, in the latter years progressing to HTCU Manager. Sue received the Police Staff of the Year award in 2009 for demonstrating the highest standards and exceeding the Force's expectations in her role. In 2014 she was awarded a Commendation from the Head of CID for her outstanding dedication, professionalism and commitment, acknowledging her delivery of an excellent service to the Force.
Sue joined Elysium to broaden the forensic skills of the business, enabling us to recover and analyse data from computers, mobile phones and other digital devices.