Biography:

Emma advises on all aspects of employment law including unlawful discrimination, whistleblowing, equal pay, unfair dismissal, breach of contract, restrictive covenants, protecting confidential information, boardroom disputes and claims under TUPE. She has experience in obtaining and executing interim injunctions for breach of confidentiality and/or restrictive covenant provisions. She also leads diversity issues for Charles Russell Speechlys employment team.

With a strong record in negotiating and resolving complex employment disputes, Emma is considered a skilled deal broker. She is a specialist in contentious discrimination matters and has significant experience in handling high value contentious claims for employers and senior individuals. Emma acts for employers, employees and trade unions. Her client base is broad, both in terms of the range of work and the sectors in which they operate. Amongst these clients are a number of growing, dynamic businesses (including UK start-ups), as well as long established financial institutions, and senior executives.

Emma speaks regularly on diversity issues, edits the diversity sections of Lawtel Employment Precedents and Company Policy Documents and certain diversity sections of Tolley Guidance Employment Tax online, and regularly contributes to article in HR and legal publications as well as comments in the national press on diversity issues.

Experience

• Successfully defended a tribunal claim of race and religious discrimination against a household name private members club. Added complications arose as the matter was reported in the press before judgment was given. An appeal to the Employment Appeals Tribunal was rejected.
• Advised and represented a large London retailer in relation to a multi-discrimination employment tribunal complaint (direct, indirect, victimisation and harassment based on race and religion). The claim was complicated by the variety of allegations and the worker's status; there were three preliminary hearings before a full merits hearing was listed. There were also four named Respondents to the claim. Successfully settled the action for a nominal sum, with agreement that all allegations were retracted and not repeated despite the action continuing against the other Respondents.
• Advised and negotiated service agreements for the senior management team of the seller on a multimillion pound share sale of a UK business.
• A major legal victory for a pilot employed by a household name airline, in a landmark case against the airline for indirect age discrimination. The decision has industry-wide ramifications for airlines and other organisations which provide a combination of long-term permanent health insurance or similar income protection payments via third party and self-insurance.

Biography:

Becky is a member of the Employment, Pensions & Immigration group and advises on all aspects of employment law, both contentious and non-contentious.

On the contentious side, she has expertise in dealing with a broad range of employment tribunal claims, including unfair dismissal, discrimination on the grounds of age, sex and disability, part-time working and unlawful deductions of wages.

Her non-contentious experience includes drafting and advising on a wide range of employment contracts, consultancy agreements and company policies and procedures.

Becky also advises in relation to post-termination disputes with former senior executives and regularly advises on settlement negotiations and severance terms.

She regularly publishes articles on all aspects of employment law, speaks at seminars and provides bespoke client training.

Biography:

Angela is an Associate Director at ForrestBrown and leads on the delivery of Patent Box relief claims for clients. She has more than a decade of experience with Big Four accounting and specialist R&D firms and is passionate about the benefits of Patent Box. Based in ForrestBrown’s Scotland office, Angela provides dedicated local support to ensure that Scottish businesses are maximising their reward for investment in innovation, as well as working with businesses across the UK.

Biography:

Thomas Außerlechner, certified public accountant and tax advisor, has been with PKF Österreicher & Partner GmbH & Co KG since 1995 and a partner since 2003. He specializes in special tax consulting (mergers & acquisitions, international tax law) and auditing of medium-sized companies and non-profit organizations, business valuation and special audits under corporate law.

Biography:

Career:
1994-now
PKF Munkebo Vindelev

• Audit and assurance
• Tax and counselling
• Responsible for company’s Caseware Platform
• Auditor of small and medium-sized companies
• Auditor of a number of foreign owned subsidiaries
• Auditor of companies with activities abroad

Education:

• 2011 Appointed State Authorised Public Accountant
• 2007 Master of Science in Business Administration and Auditing Copenhagen Business School
• 2001 Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (Financial and Management Accounting), Copenhagen Business School

Biography:

Biography:

Duncan has nearly 30 years experience in corporate tax, working for a number of Big 4 firms and in the UK, Guernsey and The Netherlands.  He has always had a particular interest in international tax issues.

ATT, CTA and ADIT qualified, he has been a full-time tax lecturer since 2007 and joined Tolley in 2016 after spending nine years at EY in their Corporate Tax Training department.  Whilst at EY he was the lead tutor on international tax and successfully completed his ADIT qualification.

He is an engaging lecturer and a firm believer that ADIT represents a hugely valuable qualification in a globalised world.

He teaches ATT, CTA and ADIT including experience of teaching ADIT in Cyprus.

Biography:

Andrew Rainford BA (Hons) CTA ATT is a Tax Advisor, author and editor living in North Wales, specialising in advising private clients and other advisers. He has a particular interest in advising Owner Managed Businesses, families and HNW individuals. Andrew trained and qualified with a boutique firm of accountants based in London, before taking over the operation of the tax department of a smaller firm in North Wales, whilst regularly contributing to various professional tax publications. Andrew also previously worked on EY's personal tax consultancy team. Andrew can be contacted at andrew@reddragontax.co.uk.

Biography:

I started my career helping to sort out tax problems for high net worth individuals, corporations and high profile clients under investigation for suspected serious fraud at Ernst & Young. I specialised in anti avoidance legislation targeting offshore structures and held senior positions with large offshore fiduciary service providers. I established the Edge brand over a decade ago and in 2012 focused the main business on managing tax risks, handling suspected serious fraud cases and assisting clients and advisers with disclosures to HMRC.

Biography:

During a long career, mainly spent training students for the ATT and CTA examinations, Simon has played a small role in starting the careers of many a tax professional. During the last 18 years at Tolley he has spent most of that time leading the Tax Examinations business but has now relinquished that position to return to presenting courses again.

Prior to joining Tolley he spent time as a student at Arthur Young (now EY) where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant, and Financial Training (now Kaplan) where he discovered a love of all things tax, which made studying and passing the ATII (now CTA) exams that little bit easier. He returned to EY in 2000, to work in their National Tax Training Team before joining Tolley in 2006.

Simon joined the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) Council in 2018 and is the Association’s immediate past President. He also serves on their Finance Steering Group, as well as a number of working parties.

Biography:

"With over 10 years of experience in the legal and audit field, Yuliia Yaniv specialises in providing expert consultations on tax and law matters, including commercial, civil, corporate, contractual, banking, labor, and other branches of Ukrainian law. Has advised both domestic and international clients, helping them navigate complex legal frameworks and mitigate risks in various sectors.

As a part of PKF team is committed to delivering high-quality legal support, combining extensive expertise with a practical, results-oriented approach.

A graduate with a Master's degree in Law, offers tailored legal solutions for businesses and individuals, ensuring compliance with Ukrainian regulations and helping clients achieve their strategic goals.

Also regularly contributes to professional publications and holds training sessions for legal and business professionals on key tax and legal updates and practices."

Biography:

Josephine Matambo is the Tax Partner at PKF Chartered Accountants (Zimbabwe) responsible for managing the Tax Service Line. She is a fellow of the Institute of Certified Tax Accountants (ICTA) Zimbabwe and also of the Zimbabwe Institute of Tax Accountants (ZITA). She is a registered tax practitioner with the Public Accountants and Auditors Board (PAAB) Zimbabwe.

She holds a Masters degree in Business Administration (University of Zimbabwe), Bachelor of Accountancy degree (University of Zimbabwe), and a Tax Administration Certificate (Royal Institute of Public Administration- UK), among other professional and tertiary qualifications. She has an illustrious career history that started in 1981 with the Tax Department in the Government of Zimbabwe where she rose to Assistant Commissioner of Taxes.

Josephine held senior posts in various other accounting firms including being a tax partner at KPMG Angola. She has been an Associate Director in Tax at PwC Zimbabwe and held senior positions in KPMG Mozambique, Coopers & Lybrand/Ernst & Young Zimbabwe and BDO Kudenga & Co Zimbabwe.

She studied VAT systems in South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Mozambique, Kenya and New Zealand, while she was one of the four consultants to the Zimbabwean Government in 1998 to study the then existing indirect tax, propose a VAT system and participate in drafting the VAT law upon introduction of VAT in Zimbabwe. Thereafter she provided VAT consultancy to the Parliament of Zimbabwe and to industrial and commercial bodies in Zimbabwe, as well as VAT training to companies throughout Zimbabwe and established herself as the VAT expert in Zimbabwe at that time. Josephine has tax experience in all sectors in Angola, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Biography:

Barbara trained as a lawyer with top-tier firms in Brazil, gaining over 15 years of experience in tax law, with deep expertise in both national and international taxation. As the Head of the Tax Department at Andersen Ballão Advocacia, she leads a team of professionals advising on a wide range of tax matters, including corporate taxes, national and cross-border transactions, VAT, and tax disputes.

Barbara specialises in tax planning, M&A transactions, consultancy, and resolving complex tax litigation, with extensive experience advising multinational companies, individuals, and various industries, including technology, retail, oil and gas, and finance. Her expertise extends to key areas such as international tax structuring, transfer pricing, direct and indirect taxation, helping clients navigate the complex Brazilian tax system.

She holds bachelor's degrees in Law from UNICURITIBA and in Accounting Science from the Federal University of Paraná. Barbara also obtained a Master of Laws (LLM) in Domestic Taxation from the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), and an LLM in International Tax Law, with distinction, from Queen Mary University of London. In recognition of her academic achievements, she was awarded the prestigious Chevening Scholarship for 2022/23.

In addition to her legal practice, Barbara is a published author and a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. Her articles have been featured in renowned tax publications, and she regularly delivers lectures and workshops on taxation in leading post-graduate programs in Brazil.

Barbara is recognised for her technical excellence and strategic thinking, having contributed to innovative solutions in major tax disputes and cross-border tax planning. She has played a significant role in fostering tax debate and education, serving as a mentor and role model for young professionals in the tax law field.

To contact Barbara, please email: barbara.neves@andersenballao.com.br / barbaradasneves@gmail.com or call +55 41 3221-7777.

Biography:

Andrew is a specialist in a variety of indirect taxes with a focus on GST, State Taxes and Customs related taxation matters.

Prior to PKF, Andrew was a Partner at a Big 4 accounting for more than 11 years. He has had extensive experience in providing comprehensive tax advice to small to medium enterprises right through to large multinational organisations. He also has strong relationships with senior officers from the Australian Taxation Office and other revenue authorities.

As well as working with a range of different sized businesses, Andrew is an experienced practitioner across a diverse range of industry sectors. He also has experience in establishing business operations in New Zealand, South Africa and Singapore.

His major clients include automotive importers, distributors and dealers, food wholesale and distributors, and consumer electronic companies. He also has a number of clients in the Retirement Village and Aged Care Sectors. In addition, Andrew has recently been working with clients servicing the NDIS and affordable housing sectors.

Andrew’s portfolio is broad and diversified and includes working with a number of start-ups on a range of business, tax and funding issues.

Andrew also sits on the advisory boards of a number of large Private Companies.

Andrew is a contributing author to the Australia country guide in Tolley’s Global VAT.

Biography:

Matt Parkes is a Director in Deloitte's indirect tax practice, specializing in environmental taxes and VAT. He has assisted a number of businesses with identifying potential environmental tax issues of infrastructure and similar projects, together with advising on and implementing solutions to mitigate environmental tax exposures.  Matt has worked closely with industry and authorities surrounding the introduction of significant changes to the Climate Change Levy.

Biography:

Ventsislav (Venzi) Vassilev is the Senior Strategist and founder of PKF Bulgaria and has a strong background and experience in the accountancy and tax consultancy sector. Mr Vassilev is a graduate of the University of Bristol in the UK in Economics and Accounting and started his career with Arthur Andersen & Co in the early 90s. Then in 1995 he founded Rex Consulting - a fast growing group of consultancy companies in Bulgaria which in 2014  joined the network of PKF International.

Venzi Vassilev has extensive experience in consulting and assisting foreign investors in Bulgaria. He leads a team of multilingual professional accountants, lawyers, financiers, business experts and administrative assistants. Under his leadership the team has created a company culture of a welcoming and informal atmosphere which is combined with a strong commitment to the client's business.

Currently PKF Bulgaria and the Rex Consulting group of companies have four offices in Bulgaria (Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Bansko); all of the offices are registered as separate entities. Rex Consulting Ltd also has a subsidiary in London  that specializes in asset management.

Mr Vassilev has been retired from his CEO position  since 2019 and remains the chairman of the supervisory board of the Rex Consulting Group. He continues to advise the firm's key clients on various strategic investment and financial issues.

Biography:

Liz is a partner in our Global Employer Services practice and leads Deloitte’s incentives and reward legal team. She is a solicitor with 20 years experience advising on all aspects of incentives and reward.

Liz advises on the full breadth of services relating to share plans, including the design of new plans, implementing plans and their day to day operation. She has substantial experience advising on all related incentives matters and the impact of corporate transactions on share plans. Liz has deep technical knowledge on the legal and tax aspects of incentives.

Liz’s clients include major listed companies and financial services clients. She works closely with heads of reward, heads of tax, company secretaries and share plan teams as well as remuneration committee members. She also contributes to Tolley's Tax Planning.

Biography:

Nicolas Martins works for a “Big Four” firm, primarily advising on corporate tax matters.

His Master’s Thesis focused on Action XIV of the OECD’s BEPS initiative, and he has since published various other articles on subjects relating to international tax litigation.

Nicolas lives in Brussels and enjoys the gym and classical piano.