Meet Knight R&D: Who we are and why we built this consultancy

Knight R&D was established with a clear objective: to provide R&D tax advice defined by technical depth, legislative understanding, rigour and transparency.

Rupert Mayo founded the business after a decade advising on R&D tax relief within a Big Four accountancy firm, bringing together technical understanding and extensive tax experience. Mohammed Hashim joined during Knight R&D’s first year and has played a central role in shaping the consultancy ever since. Now Managing Director, Mohammed brings a background in software engineering alongside more than a decade of R&D tax experience.

Together, their experience helped establish a consultancy that looks beyond the preparation of a claim. From the outset, the aim has been to understand the work undertaken by each client, apply the legislation carefully and present a clear, well-supported position.

A considered approach to R&D tax relief

R&D tax relief sits at the point where legislation meets real-world technical activity. Advising effectively therefore requires an understanding of both.

Knight R&D was built around the belief that a high-quality claim cannot be produced through templates or surface-level conversations. It requires structured engagement with the people closest to the work, including engineers, scientists, software developers, project leaders and finance teams. It also requires careful interpretation of the relevant legislation and guidance.

That process is tailored to each client. We take the time to understand how the business operates, the context in which the work took place and the technical challenges the team sought to resolve. This allows each submission to reflect the client’s circumstances rather than relying on a generic narrative.

Our work is transparent and robust by design. We maintain open dialogue throughout the engagement and prepare each submission around the specific activities, evidence and costs that can be supported.

Building a specialist team

Our recruitment and development strategy reflects the same philosophy. We look for people with strong technical qualifications, relevant professional experience and the ability to understand how businesses develop or improve products, processes and services.

Every member of our delivery team is trained in Knight R&D’s methodology, helping us maintain consistent standards across our work. Our consultants develop an understanding of the full R&D tax regime, including its technical, legislative and financial dimensions. These elements must align in every claim, not only in the most complex cases.

The result is a team that combines technical fluency, legislative expertise and shared delivery standards. This breadth enables us to examine the detail of the work while keeping sight of the overall claim position.

Why we exist

Some businesses undertaking qualifying R&D may not identify the full extent of the work and expenditure that can be supported. In other cases, claims may be prepared without enough technical or legislative depth, creating uncertainty for the business.

Knight R&D exists to provide a more thorough and considered service. Our purpose is to identify qualifying R&D carefully, explain it clearly and support it with appropriate technical and financial evidence.

For us, success is not defined by the volume of claims submitted. It is reflected in the quality of our work, the strength of the relationships we build and the confidence our clients have in the submissions we prepare.

Looking ahead

R&D tax relief continues to evolve, and expectations around claim quality and supporting evidence remain high. In this environment, careful preparation, technical understanding and legislative precision are increasingly important.

Knight R&D was built to meet those expectations. We remain committed to providing advice that is technically informed, carefully structured and capable of standing up to detailed review, both today and over the long term.