Biography:

Steve specialises in UK and Ireland accounting standards, IFRS Accounting Standards , auditing and Solicitors Accounts Rules. Steve is the author of several books and articles on these subjects as well as a nationwide speaker.

Steve also works closely with various professional bodies in developing authoritative material on various technical accounting issues.

Steve has sat on the UK and Ireland GAAP Technical Advisory Group at the Financial Reporting Council for five years. In addition, Steve has been awarded 'Accounting Technician of the Year' at the British Accountancy Awards and 'Outstanding Contribution to the Accountancy Profession' by the Association of International Accountants.

Steve currently represents the ACCA Practitioners Network Panel for the North West of England.

Biography:

Halil
Vice President of Tax | Tax Lawyer | Author | Lecturer

With over 13 years of extensive tax experience across Europe and the Middle East, Halil has guided international companies through complex tax landscapes in Europe and the MENAP region. His career blends advisory expertise with nearly 5 years as an in-house tax advisor, where he provided strategic guidance and successfully implemented effective tax solutions.

Halil also spent 8 years working at Big 4 firms, KPMG and PwC, where he gained invaluable experience advising clients on a wide range of tax matters. This foundation helped him build a strong technical background and the ability to address complex tax challenges with confidence.

In his most recent role, Halil established and developed a comprehensive tax function in response to the UAE’s introduction of Corporate Tax, Transfer Pricing, and Pillar 2 rules. His work included designing compliance frameworks, optimizing corporate structures, and embedding tax processes into business operations. This hands-on approach showcases his ability to translate complex regulations into practical, actionable solutions.

Halil holds a Bachelor’s in Dutch Law, a Master’s in International and European Taxation (Direct Taxes) from the University of Amsterdam, and a Post Master’s in Indirect Taxes from Maastricht University. He is the author of Fundamentals of GCC VAT, a reference for tax professionals in over 20 countries, and is currently working on a new book in the Direct Tax space. Additionally, he lectures at Middlesex University Dubai and the University of Amsterdam.

Known for his thoughtful and collaborative approach, as well as his ability to build meaningful relationships, Halil is valued by peers and professionals across the UAE, GCC, and Europe.

Biography:

Liz is both a solicitor and Chartered Tax Adviser and advises on both domestic and international tax issues particularly, but not exclusively, with real estate at its heart.

She advises on acquisitions, structuring, disposals and reorganisations across the hotel, leisure and retail sectors, logistics, offices, residential and mixed use. Her clients range from buyers, sellers, joint venture parties, investors, management teams, corporate groups, lenders, trustees and intermediaries.

Clients value Liz for her pragmatic and thoughtful approach that gets to the bottom of complex issues quickly and efficiently, her ability to demystify complex tax rules and her energy and enthusiasm.

Liz contributes to Tolley's Property Taxation.

Biography:

Patrick Cannon is an experienced direct access tax barrister specialising in taxation advice and advocacy.

In 2021, Patrick launched Cannon Chambers, a client-focused barrister set without the high overheads of a presence in one of London’s Inns of Court.

He read law at the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford before admission as a solicitor in 1984. He was called to the Bar in 2003.

Alongside his L.B, BCL (Oxon) CTA (Fellow) qualifications, he is licensed by the Bar Standards Board to accept public access work and conduct litigation - and has written Tolley's Stamp Taxes and Tolley's Disclosure of Tax and VAT Avoidance Schemes.

Biography:

Penny is a highly respected pensions lawyer. She advises individuals, employers and pension trustees on their pension arrangements. She works closely with Irwin Mitchell LLP's employment team on crossover areas such as employers' duties for pension compliance (including auto-enrolment), employer pension committees, or pension tax changes.  She advises on how an employer can change their pension plan to maximise the benefit they and their workforce receive from it.  She also works closely with Irwin Mitchell LLP's private wealth team on pension issues such as the impact of the proposed changes to how inheritance tax applies to pension savings, as well as advice on small self administered schemes (SSASs) and what happens to pensions when someone moves abroad. Recently she's been looking at the impact of the new FOG (non-domicile) legislation on income from overseas pensions. From the corporate perspective, Penny advises employers and banks on questions over the Pension Schemes Act 2021 and the extended powers which this Act gives to The Pensions Regulator to enforce against anyone who is in involved in the mis-management of defined benefit, final salary pension plans. She also now regularly advises on the use of surplus and is interested in how employers and trustees have to balance their various interests over how it is used. With this, the Government is trying to use pension surplus as a way to grow the UK economy. Finally, Penny sits as a professional trustee for various organisations.

Biography:

Mradul Gupta is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Mradul has over 13 years’ experience in indirect taxation, and also more than 14 years’ experience in direct taxation. He has hands-on experience in handling clients in IT, Finance, Aviation, Trading, Manufacturing, Insurance, Stock Broking, Real Estate, Pharmaceutical, Banking-Financial and Hospitality sectors.

Mradul has successfully handled and implemented GST for several clients in India prior to VAT law implementation assignments in the UAE. He has strong working knowledge in the concepts of Indirect Taxes entailing VAT/GST, Excise, Customs, Service Tax and Sales Tax. He has conducted several training events on VAT/GST in the UAE and India and was also a speaker in the GST Clinic organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

He has written various tax articles published on prominent tax portals in the UAE and India. Mradul has also managed the responsibility of payment of VAT, filing of VAT returns, providing relevant information to the tax authorities and, handling VAT audits.

He is a contributor to the UAE country guide in Tolley’s Global VAT.

Biography:

Dave Cooper has specialised in tax and NIC matters for over 40 years. He originally worked for the Inland Revenue as an inspector of taxes until the mid-1990s. Subsequently he moved into the Big-4 accountancy profession, and latterly he has run his own niche consultancy practice, focusing mainly on employer payroll obligations and associated tax and employee benefit matters. Dave joined the Tolley tax team in 2021 as an employment taxes writer.

Biography:

Amanda Collinson is head of International Tax at Johnston Carmichael, where she specialises in advising companies on cross-border tax matters.

In particular, Amanda can provide advice on the interpretation of double tax treaties and the process of applying for reduced rates of withholding tax. Having spent two years working in New York earlier in her career, she has a focus on the interaction of US-UK tax rules. Her clients ranges from small owner-managed businesses through to large multinational groups. She is a Fellow of the ICAEW and an ADIT Affiliate.

She is an active member of the International Fiscal Association (IFA) UK branch.

Biography:

Biography:

He is an accountant and also graduated as a Technician in Administration from the Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Administrativas at the Universidad de Chile. He has developed his professional career both in consulting firms and in the Internal Revenue Service (SII). He has specialized in tax matters, acquiring valuable experience in various types of companies, including banks, trade and public utilities companies, social security, healthcare institutions, and others.

He has been an instructor for the Training Department of the Internal Revenue Service (SII) and has been a speaker at countless seminars on tax matters for different companies. He has also been a post-graduate professor at various local universities.

He writes articles on tax topics for the quarterly and annual publications of PKF International (PKF Worldwide Tax Update and PKF Worldwide Tax Guide).

Biography:

With more than 20 years of experience in both industry and consultancy across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia, Rubeena specializes in cross-border taxation and transfer pricing in Africa and the Middle East.

She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and qualified in International Tax and Transfer Pricing at the Chartered Institute of Taxation UK.

Rubeena is the author of the Mauritius country guide in Tolley’s Global Mobility/Employment Taxes.

Biography:

Former Payroll and Expenses manager for the Daily Telegraph. Former head of Payroll Alliance responsible for the delivery of payroll training courses, 7 BTEC payroll qualifications and subscribed membership. Representing members on government panels for over 20 years.

She was the first editor of Payroll World magazine (now Reward Strategy).

Member of the Reward 300 2020 and an associate member of the British Computer Society. Regular contributor to Taxation magazine on RTI and payroll issues.

Updating author of the Payroll Fact File for 30 years.

Winner of the Strathearn Award for Lifetime Achievement 2009.

Currently specialising in payroll training and consultancy.

Biography:

Naomi Kakundu Mudyiwa holds a BCom LLB degree from the University of Cape Town and a Masters in Tax Law from the University of Pretoria. She has experience in providing international tax solutions to individuals and employees' taxes.

Naomi is the contributor for the South Africa country guide in Tolley’s Global Mobility/Employment Taxes.

Biography:

Marco Herrmann graduated as a Certified Tax Advisor (Steuerberater) in 2002 and then specialised in VAT consulting. For many years, he has headed the VAT department at the PKF Fasselt Partnerschaft mbB location in Cologne and is also a member of PKF's national and international Indirect Tax (VAT) Expert Working Group. His clients of various sizes and from a wide range of industries have in common that they have to deal with VAT matters with highest professional demands, on a daily basis. Also on a daily basis, clients receive advice from Marco and his team at the required high professional and practice-oriented level. The tasks include, not least, the organisation of coordinated appropriate VAT/GST advice worldwide by the many PKF VAT and GST experts around the world.

Biography:

With over a decade of experience, Sebastián has built a solid career providing comprehensive advisory services to both domestic and international companies. His expertise ranges from tax consulting, implementation of compliance programs, and corporate reorganizations to the planning and execution of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Throughout his trajectory, he has guided organizations through demanding regulatory frameworks and in the creation of investment vehicles for foreign entities to help them achieve their strategic goals.

Currently, he leads the Legal Services and Compliance area at PKF Chile, providing tailored solutions spanning from audits to legal and financial management, always focusing on confidentiality and excellence. As Compliance Counsel for different companies, he oversees the implementation of effective regulatory and integrity strategies, ensuring companies operate under the highest ethical and legal standards.

He has been a frequent guest speaker in academic programs at prestigious universities, such as Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Universidad del Desarrollo, and Universidad de Concepción, sharing insights on how companies can leverage regulatory compliance and legal structure as drivers of innovation and competitiveness. Furthermore, he had the honor of serving as a Board Member of the Chilean Association for Compliance and Corporate Ethics.

Regarding his educational background, he holds an LL.M. in Law and Economics from Utrecht University, a Master’s Degree in Tax Management and Direction from Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Universidad Gabriela Mistral. He also holds several Postgraduate Diplomas and specialized certifications in areas such as Corporate Compliance, Data Protection, and Ethics, among others.

Biography:

Sunny is an International Tax and Transfer Pricing expert with over 18 years of experience. He has advised clients across a wide range of industries, including Oil & Gas, Pharmaceuticals, Logistics, Financial Services, Software, FMCG, and Consumer Electronics.

Sunny has extensive experience guiding clients on transfer pricing policies, including three-tier documentation, benchmarking analysis, Advance Pricing Agreements, and audit or litigation matters.

Before Co-founding TPNOMIX, Sunny held positions at Aibidia, PwC, and KPMG.

He has authored or co-authored three books and published over 100 articles on tax and transfer pricing in leading publications such as LexisNexis, IBFD, and TaxNotes International.

Sunny is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor's degree in Commerce.

Biography:

James Kessler KC is particularly interested in taxation of foreign domiciliaries, offshore entities of all kinds, and trusts, wills and charities. Other interests include prosecution of tax crime in complex cases, particularly along the avoidance/evasion faultline, and freedom of information.

James has practiced as a barrister since 1985 and was appointed QC in 2003. He is also a member of the Bar of Northern Ireland.

He is in Band 1 in Chambers Directory in the Private Client Tax category, with a reference to "acumen and remarkable thoroughness of thought".

James is one of the founders of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, for whom he drafted the STEP Standard Provisions, and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

James has received the Geoffrey Shindler Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession (STEP Private Client Awards, 2011).

James is a contributor to Tolley’s Tax Planning title.

Biography:

I'm an international tax and transfer pricing specialist, working with a wide range of clients across all aspects of international corporate taxes.

I joined Smith & Williamson as a graduate, and have experience ranging from fast growth FinTech companies, through to well established, global groups. I'm an active member within the Nexia International network, assisting multinationals with cross-border structuring, transactions, financing and transfer pricing.