Michael originally trained with RBK before holding a number of senior financial roles, including Financial Controller positions in the hotel and construction / property industries, as well as a commercial role in the food manufacturing sector. These roles have provided Michael with an invaluable insight into challenges facing Irish SME’s companies on a daily basis.

Since returning to RBK in 2018, Michael has advised medium and large owner-managed businesses on a broad range of matters including accounting, auditing, tax compliance and planning, financial management, banking and statutory compliance progressing to Associate Partner in 2024.

Commenting on the appointment, Managing Partner Joe Cleary said: “It is with great pleasure that I welcome Michael to our Partner team. I am confident he will make an enormous contribution to the continued development of RBK. As a full-service firm, RBK is committed to enhancing and expanding our specialist services, while supporting clients in navigating increasingly complex reporting and regulatory environments. The expertise and dedication of our talented professionals are fundamental to delivering outstanding client service, and Michael’s promotion reflects both our continued growth and our investment in developing exceptional people.”

Speaking on his appointment, Michael said: “I am honoured to join RBK’s Partner group and to contribute to the continued growth of the firm. Having trained with RBK and returned to the firm after several years in industry, I have seen firsthand the value we bring to Irish SME businesses. I look forward to continuing to support our clients as they face new challenges and opportunities, and to working with my colleagues to further strengthen RBK’s client-focused service.”

About RBK

RBK is Ireland’s largest independently branded accountancy firm, with an international outreach through our membership of LEA Global and BOKS International. Offering a full suite of business services, the Firm operates from offices in Dublin, Athlone, Roscommon and Castlebar and is led and managed by 18 highly experienced Partners supported by over 300 diverse and competent employees.

Sobhana is a Transfer Pricing Director based in RBK’s Dublin office. She has over 12 years of experience advising multinational clients across Europe, India and the Middle East, having worked with Big 4 firms (PwC and EY), as well as Grant Thornton and RSM.

Sobhana specialises in Transfer Pricing advisory and compliance, supporting clients with end-to-end TP solutions including planning, policy design and modelling, value chain analysis, documentation, and audit defence. She has advised clients across a broad spectrum of industries such as Oil & Gas, Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC), Telecommunications, Life Sciences, Financial Services, Manufacturing and Technology.

Sobhana will lead the Firm’s Transfer Pricing team and specialist Transfer Pricing service offering.

Commenting on the announcement, Ronan McGivern, Head of Tax at RBK, said: “We are delighted to welcome Sobhana to RBK and look forward to her developing our specialist Transfer Pricing offering. Sobhana’s appointment is part of our strategy to grow our Transfer Pricing practice and she will be responsible for the development of the Transfer Pricing team in addition to leading out Transfer Pricing service delivery. We are excited to have Sobhana on board to drive this continued growth in RBK’s Transfer Pricing service offerings.”

Sobhana added “I am delighted to join RBK at such an exciting time in the firm’s growth journey and to contribute to the active expansion of its Tax services offering. There is a real sense of energy and momentum within the team, and a clear focus on building a dedicated Transfer Pricing practice that is commercially grounded and client-focused. With the ever-evolving international tax scenario, clients today are operating in increasingly complex environments and require specialist support that is both timely and practical. By strengthening RBK’s Transfer Pricing capabilities, we aim to offer clients deeper, more strategic support tailored to their business needs. I look forward to working with the team to develop this offering further and to deliver value-driven solutions that are accessible, relevant, and impactful.”

Sobhana’s experience includes complex advisory assignments involving operational transfer pricing, IP planning and structuring, and value chain optimisation, as well as support with Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) and Advance Rulings. She has also helped clients navigate transfer pricing audits and tax authority negotiations.

RBK is Ireland’s largest independently branded accountancy firm, with an international outreach through our membership of both LEA Global and BOKS International. Offering a full suite of business services, the Firm operates from offices in Dublin, Athlone, Roscommon and Castlebar. The Firm is led and managed by 19 highly experienced Partners supported by 270 diverse and competent employees.

Contact Us:

Should you wish to discuss your Transfer Pricing requirements, please contact Sobhana Rao at (01) 6440100.

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Commenting on the new appointments, Joe Cleary, Managing Partner of RBK said, “I am very pleased to welcome these five new Directors to RBK’s senior leadership team. These appointments further support the ambitious growth plans of our business, which now numbers 240 dedicated financial advisory practitioners and underlines our commitment to enhance the breadth and depth of expertise we offer our clients.”

The new Director appointments are:

Mary Langan – Business Advisory Director – A member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Mary has many years’ experience in assisting owner-managed businesses and provides clients with expert advice in accounting, auditing, tax compliance, tax planning and financial management.

Johannes Rice – Audit & Assurance Director – Johannes is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), bringing over a decade of experience to his role at RBK, where he has served for the past four years, specializing in providing external audit services to large corporations, subsidiaries and SMEs.

Evelyn Smyth – Audit & Assurance Director – Evelyn is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland. With over 20 years of experience, Evelyn specialises in providing audit and business advisory services to a diverse portfolio of clients, including non-profits, SMEs, large corporations, and subsidiaries of multinational companies.

Mike Scanlan – Tax Director – Mike is an AITI Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA) and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (FCA). Mike has over 20 years experience in tax, specialising in corporate tax, with a broad range of expertise in advising owner managed businesses to large corporates across a number of sectors.

Claire Fitzgerald – Tax Director – Claire is a Fellow of the Chartered Accountants Ireland and a member of the Irish Taxation Institute. Claire has recently joined RBK and has worked with a diverse range of industries, including pharmaceuticals and life sciences, renewable energy, technology, packaging and retail. Claire specialises in corporate tax advisory, corporate tax compliance, corporate restructuring and the audit of tax.

“I congratulate Mary, Johannes, Evelyn, Mike and Claire on their appointments and wish them every success in their new roles.”

About RBK

RBK is Ireland’s largest independently branded accountancy firm, with an international outreach through our membership of LEA Global and BOKS International. Offering a full suite of business services, the Firm operates from offices in Dublin, Athlone and Roscommon and is led and managed by 20 highly experienced Partners supported by over 240 diverse and competent employees.