From indirect tax to Head of Tax: securing the top job
What does it really take to make the leap from a specialist role into the top tax job?
We are excited to host an indirect tax panel evening at Blackfriars. You’ll hear from Aidan Armstrong, Managing Director, EMEA Head of Tax at Morgan Stanley, Eileen Treacy, Head of Tax at the EDF Trading Limited Group, Gina Pearson, Head of Tax at The Guardian, and Mathew Bater, Head of Tax, Europe at Enstar Group, who started their careers in indirect tax and successfully navigated their way to a broader leadership role.
Hosted by Tara Colman, Associate Director at Brewer Morris, our session will offer actionable insights to help shape your own career path and expand your influence within your current remit.
We will cover:
- Transitioning from a VAT/indirect tax background into the Head of Tax role
- Cross-functional relationships and internal visibility
- Developing your leadership style
- Evolving expectations of senior tax roles
The panel discussion will be followed by informal networking over drinks and canapés, where you will have a chance to connect with your peers and grow your network.
If you would like to attend, please register your interest below and we will be in touch to confirm your place.
MEET YOUr PANELLISTS
Aidan Armstrong
Managing Director, EMEA Head of Tax
Morgan Stanley
Connect on LinkedIn
Aidan is currently the Managing Director, EMEA Head of Tax at Morgan Stanley having recently been promoted from the Managing Director, Head of Indirect Tax position.
Prior to this he was the Head of VAT at State Street and in several other senior roles for various Banks and Financial Services institutions.
Eileen Treacy
Head of Tax
EDF Trading Limited Group
Connect on LinkedIn
Eileen is Head of Tax of the EDF Trading Limited Group with responsibility for tax matters across Europe and Asia. EDF Group is a global leader in low-carbon energies.
Eileen joined EDF Trading from Louis Dreyfus in March 2000. EDF Trading had been operating for just over a year and Eileen was brought in to set up an in-house tax function. The growth of the business and subsequent development made it necessary to split the tax function into two specialist teams, direct and indirect. Eileen subsequently became the Head of Indirect Tax, staying in this role for 15 years until the roles merged and she became overall Head of Tax in early 2017.
Gina pearson
Head of Tax
The Guardian
Connect on LinkedIn
Gina is currently Head of Tax at The Guardian, where she leads the global tax function for the group. She’s built her career as an indirect tax specialist across a range of sectors, having previously worked at The Economist, where she joined during lockdown as Head of Indirect Tax and was later promoted to Head of Tax.
Before that, she held the role of Senior Finance Manager at Virgin Media and at JD Sports as a VAT Manager. Her career started at PwC, where she joined straight from school after finishing her A levels and trained in audit and accounting before moving to the VAT Advisory Team.
Mathew Bater
EU Head of Tax
Enstar Group
Connect on LinkedIn
Mathew has worked in the financial services sector for 20 years now and is Head of Tax Europe for Enstar Group, a leading global insurance group that delivers innovative insurance solutions.
Previously, Mathew worked at Royal Bank of Scotland and in 2012, he moved to Standard Chartered Bank.
In 2017, Mathew joined Enstar Group and was appointed as the Head of Tax, Europe in 2021.
