Why did you choose to pursue a career in tax? Was there an ‘aha’ moment? If so, please describe.

I joined the UK Civil Service graduate scheme as a way of moving from my hometown to the bright lights of London and was allocated to HM Customs & Excise—the then UK Revenue Authority. It all started from there really.

From your career, is there a particular deal that sticks out to you as a turning point, or watershed moment for you, and why? What did you learn or take away from that deal?

I’d have to say my work leading the tax support to the London Olympic Committee, which went from the very inception of London’s bid, through to the award of the Games to London, the event itself in 2012, and then winding up the operations afterward—an entire business lifecycle in the span of six years. Every tax aspect possible had to be considered for the games to be a success. What I took away was the power of working together in hugely diverse, multiskilled teams to solve the challenges—collectively, we overcame some significant issues.

What do you consider to be the greatest achievements of your career to date?

Supporting other people in their career ambitions and seeing them develop and be successful.

 

Tax work in the pandemic era

What kind of challenges did you face adapting to the workplace amid the pandemic?

Dealing with a lack of in-person interaction with colleagues and clients. That’s a big part of the enjoyment of work, and not having that was very hard. Oh, and constant Zoom calls from dawn till dusk.

Are there any initiatives that you have observed which you feel may help your clients deal with the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic?

I’ve seen (and we have developed and deployed) lots of initiatives to deal with the mental health impact of the pandemic and they have been really well received by our people. The most important initiatives have been those that help people see and feel they are supported.

What is the most significant change to your region/jurisdiction’s tax legislation or regulations in the past 12 months?

The European Union (EU) 2021 Value-Add Tax (VAT) rule changes targeted at online marketplaces and their sellers. It’s a significant change in this area and affects sellers, marketplaces, buyers, fast parcel carriers, and logistics providers, to name a few!

What was one of the most interesting deals you worked on in the past year and why?

Standing up our response to EU 2021 VAT changes to support clients. It involves multiple skill sets, technology development, rethinking contracting and compliance, support from multiple parts of Deloitte’s network across the UK, Europe, China, India, and the US. It has been and continues to be incredibly interesting.

What potential other legislative/regulatory changes are on the horizon that you think will have a big impact on your region/jurisdiction?

I think the roll-out of similar changes to those introduced in the EU for marketplaces and sellers is inevitable, and our response will evolve to become global.

 

A career in tax

What key piece of advice would you give to young attorneys/professionals just getting into a firm or entry-level job? Is there something you wish you knew when you were first starting out?

Take every opportunity you can to work on as many different projects as possible. The best way to learn is on projects—they give you the platform to put the theory into practice. And try and do a secondment of some sort—either in a different geography or in a client. It’s brilliant for getting a different perspective.

What does your firm do to nurture and promote talent? Do you think it compares well to others in your market in this area?

We have a well thought-through and implemented people development approach as most firms do. But I think we are really strong at encouraging our people to work out what they want to focus on and be known for, and giving them the support through coaching and mentoring to achieve their goals.

If you could introduce one new policy in the legal/tax profession what would it be?

Probably something aimed at reducing the burden of dealing with and responding to the increasingly complex tax landscape on business.

What does the tax function of the future look like?

More systemized, reflecting the increasing move to real-time reporting, electronic invoicing, online audits, which requires resources with different skill sets (i.e., programmers, developers, and so on). And a drive towards more integration with the business operations so that issues we often see arising from the disconnect between tax and the business can be better mitigated and addressed.

 

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