Tax Leaders Unplugged

Loctax
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Welcome to the Tax Leaders Unplugged, a podcast hosted by Stevi Frooninckx (CEO & Co-founder at Loctax), where we go beyond the numbers and the rules, delving into the essence of leadership in the tax world. Our focus isn’t on tax technicalities; it’s on the people behind them. Join us for in-depth conversations with leading in-house tax professionals, exploring collaboration, team management, and career development. Stay tuned for unique insights and advice you won’t find on Google, tailored to enhance your tax leadership journey.

  1. Building Tax Teams for Scale: Lessons from Zalando and Enpal with Mathias Hildebrandt

    6일 전

    Building Tax Teams for Scale: Lessons from Zalando and Enpal with Mathias Hildebrandt

    Mathias Hildebrandt, Head of Tax at Enpal (also Zalando, Bauer Media, ProSiebenSat.1, British American Tobacco), joins Tax Leaders Unplugged to discuss his dynamic career path and multiple side ventures in tax media. In this episode, he shares:• His journey through 5 in-house roles in 17 years, all secured through networking rather than recruiters• How he grew Zalando's tax team from 6 to 17 people and the communication challenges that came with scaling• Building a tax podcast that reached 4,000 listeners per episode when they expected only 200• Co-founding Germany's Tax Technology Journal to bridge the gap between tax law and digital transformation—Where to find Mathias Hildebrandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathias-hildebrandt-01b06376/Where to find Stevi Frooninckx: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx__In this episode, we cover:[00:02:48] Building a Tax Podcast to 4,000 Listeners[00:08:26] Creating Germany's Tax Technology Journal[00:14:03] The Evolution of Tax Technology[00:22:49] 5 Companies in 17 Years[00:26:31] The Power of Networking[00:30:31] Growing Zalando's Tax Team[00:33:47] Communication at Scale[00:35:56] Career Advice: Trust Your Gut

    48분
  2. Turning Tax Knowledge into Value and Trust | Mercedes-Benz Head of Tax and Customs

    8월 22일

    Turning Tax Knowledge into Value and Trust | Mercedes-Benz Head of Tax and Customs

    Dominik Wellmann, Global Head of Tax and Customs at Mercedes-Benz Group, joins Tax Leaders Unplugged to discuss marketing the tax function and building purpose-driven teams. In this episode, he shares:• Why he persisted after being rejected twice by Mercedes-Benz and how starting at tax authorities shaped his leadership approach• His philosophy of "do good things and tell about it" to elevate tax's visibility in the organization• How Mercedes-Benz's tax team defined their purpose: "Turn knowledge into value and trust"• The story behind co-founding Tax Mates, a trusted circle for German tax leaders to discuss leadership challenges—Where to find Dominik Wellmann: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominik-wellmann-%E5%8D%AB%E6%B0%91-94804777/Where to find Stevi Frooninckx: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx__In this episode, we cover:[00:01:32] Rejected Twice by Mercedes[00:03:49] Tax Authority Foundation[00:14:29] Marketing the Tax Function[00:19:49] Why Tax People Stay Humble[00:25:25] Being Included from Day One[00:29:14] Measuring Tax Value Creation[00:33:32] Defining Your Tax Purpose[00:39:43] The Tax Mates Story[00:47:21] Career Advice: Do What You Love

    49분
  3. The Journey from Tax to Finance Leader | SVP Finance DraftKings

    8월 7일

    The Journey from Tax to Finance Leader | SVP Finance DraftKings

    Bill Nolde, SVP Head of Finance at DraftKings, joins Tax Leaders Unplugged to discuss his remarkable transition from tax professional to finance executive. In this episode, he shares:• The "breadcrumb" communication strategy that keeps CFOs informed and prevents career-limiting surprises• How he successfully grew a global tax team from 5 to 50 people during his 15 years at Avnet• His strategic approach to transitioning from tax leadership to overseeing multiple CFO office functions• Why building a strong compliance foundation is essential before pursuing tax planning or finance leadership roles—Where to find Bill Nolde: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williammnolde/Where to find Stevi Frooninckx: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx__In this episode, we cover:[00:01:41] Why Giving Back Matters[00:06:07] Bill's 10 Career Rules[00:09:58] "Work Yourself Out of a Job"[00:17:55] Tax to Finance Transition[00:22:56] Compliance Before Planning[00:27:58] Do Tax Leaders Make Better CFOs?[00:37:41] The "Breadcrumb Strategy"[00:40:18] Building Elite Tax Teams[00:47:03] Outsource vs Insource[00:51:04] "Love the Process"

    54분
  4. Secrets of Successful Tax Leadership in MENA's Tech Industry | Stuart Ramsay

    7월 24일

    Secrets of Successful Tax Leadership in MENA's Tech Industry | Stuart Ramsay

    Stuart Ramsay, now Director and Group Head of Tax at AD Ports Group (note: episode was filmed while he was still at Dubizzle Group), joined us to discuss building a strategic in-house tax function from scratch in a fast-growing MENA tech company. In this episode, he shares: • A major leadership challenge (moving from a 50 000-employee logistics giant to a 5 000-employee tech scale-up with no existing tax team) and how he solved it through a “mini tax due-diligence” in his first 30 days. • Real-world results, including cutting potential compliance filings from 100 to 12 through entity rationalisation and introducing private GPT translation that saves roughly $200 and three days per Arabic tax return. • Best practices for UAE corporate tax Day 1 readiness, VAT specialisation, and low-budget tech adoption that other in-house teams can replicate. — Where to find Stuart Ramsay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-ramsay/ Where to find Stevi Frooninckx: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx __ In this episode, we cover: (0:00) Intro and Stuart’s journey from Glasgow to Dubai (4:03) Why the GCC moved from 5 % VAT to a 9 % corporate tax (18:25) Pillar II plus UAE CT: using one data set for both regimes (32:27) From DP World to Dubizzle: smaller company, bigger influence (40:05) The power of saying “I don’t know” to win executive trust (42:18) Mini tax due-diligence: a 30-day map of filings and risks (43:45) Filling blind spots: hiring a VAT specialist and adding AI translation (47:15) Two career rules: balance hard-soft skills and embrace change (54:02) Final advice and closing

    56분
  5. Lessons from Building a Tax Control Tower | Ex Senior Indirect Tax Director at Kraft Heinz

    7월 4일

    Lessons from Building a Tax Control Tower | Ex Senior Indirect Tax Director at Kraft Heinz

    Antonio Erbolato, now Global Indirect Tax Director at Reckitt (note: this role began after the recording of this episode), joins Tax Leaders Unplugged to break down his strategy for building a Tax Control Tower across 27 countries. Drawing from his time as Global Senior Director of Tax at Kraft Heinz, Antonio shares lessons in structuring visibility, governance, and audit readiness at scale. In this episode, he covers: • How he launched a global tax data visibility project starting with indirect taxes. • The phased framework he used to build and scale the Tax Control Tower. • Lessons learned from working with tax authorities in Brazil, the US, and the Netherlands. — Where to find Antonio Erbolato: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erbolato/ Where to find Stevi Frooninckx: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx — In this episode, we cover: 00:00 Introduction and Guest Background 00:43 Cultural Differences in Work Environments 04:50 Tax Perspectives Across Countries 11:50 Building a Tax Control Tower 15:31 Steps to Implementing a Tax Control Tower 16:53 Challenges and Solutions in Data Collection 20:12 Phases of the Tax Control Tower 31:22 Adapting the Tax Control Tower for Mid-Sized Companies 42:00 Final Thoughts and Career Advice

    36분
  6. VP Tax at Dell on Reputation, Risk, and Real Leadership (Lionel Nobre)

    6월 17일

    VP Tax at Dell on Reputation, Risk, and Real Leadership (Lionel Nobre)

    Lionel Nobre, VP Tax Latin America at Dell Technologies, joins the Tax Leaders Unplugged podcast to explore what in-house tax leadership looks like in practice. After nearly two decades at Dell and deep involvement with TEI and academic programs across the Americas, Lionel brings a clear message: being technically strong is no longer enough. In this episode, he shares: • How he built a 100-hour international tax management program focused on leadership, stakeholder communication, and operational readiness. • Why the tax team at Dell tracks the number of “surprises” as a KPI, and how this drives trust with business stakeholders. • What it means to position tax as a function that enables growth, not just manages compliance. — Where to find Lionel Nobre: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lionelnobre/ Where to find Stevi Frooninckx: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx — In this episode, we cover: (0:01) Intro and Lionel’s background in tax and tech (1:02) Early career: Oracle, Arthur Andersen, BDO, Grant Thornton (2:21) 18+ years at Dell and evolution of his role (3:00) TEI involvement and Latin America’s growing voice (4:59) Why TEI matters for in-house tax professionals (8:09) Dell’s approach to tax as a business partner (10:48) Building trust and internal tax reputation (14:55) Launching the International Tax Management Program (18:18) Who the program is for and what it teaches (22:10) Curriculum: leadership, ops, communication, tech (23:10) Tax KPIs and team performance evaluation (24:00) The “surprise” KPI and why it matters (26:28) Why even good surprises are a problem (28:22) ETR impact: linking C-suite access to outcomes (30:54) Teaching change management in tax teams (33:40) Partnering with CIAT to teach cooperative compliance (35:07) Risk dashboards used by tax authorities (38:39) AI, data quality, and audit exposure (42:52) Global expansion of the training program (44:50) Future skillset: 50% tech, 30% business, 20% tax — Referenced: • TEI – Tax Executive Institute: https://www.tei.org/ • International Tax Management Program – launched in 2023, hosted by universities in Brazil (Insper) and Argentina (UTDT) • Thomson Reuters Book – “Gestão Tributária no Brasil” co-edited by Lionel Nobre • Texas A&M University – where Lionel lectures on tax leadership• CIAT (Centro Interamericano de Administraciones Tributarias) – partner on cooperative compliance module

    52분
  7. Transforming Tax Processes: Insights from Jelger Buitelaar, Head of Tax at RHI Magnesita

    5월 15일

    Transforming Tax Processes: Insights from Jelger Buitelaar, Head of Tax at RHI Magnesita

    In this episode of Tax Leaders Unplugged, we sit down with Jelger Buitelaar, head of tax at RHI Magnesita, to discuss his unique career transition from a tax partner at EY to leading in-house tax roles, the importance of solid processes, the role of data in ensuring compliance, and best practices for legal entity management. Jelger shares his insights on improving tax processes, the importance of direct communication, and how to foster a collaborative environment across various departments for better compliance and efficiency. — Where to find Jelger Buitelaar: • https://www.linkedin.com/in/jelger-buitelaar-0090b31/ Where To Find Stevi Frooninckx: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx — In this episode we cover: 00:00 Introduction to Jelger 00:43 Jelger Buitelaar's Career Journey 01:11 Transition from Advisory to In-House 02:04 Challenges of In-House Tax Leadership 03:21 Importance of Practical Advice 06:29 Joining RHI Magnesita 07:57 Improving Tax Processes 11:52 Automated Master Data Controls 14:01 Ensuring Data Quality 20:05 Training and Monitoring for Compliance 25:13 Identifying and Collecting Process Issues 27:12 Addressing Compliance Challenges in Brazil 30:17 Improving Relationships with Tax Authorities 34:34 Strategies for Legal Entity Management 46:34 Advice for Aspiring Tax Leaders

    49분
  8. How NN Group’s 14-Person Tax Team Manages €1.3B in Tax Contributions

    3월 26일

    How NN Group’s 14-Person Tax Team Manages €1.3B in Tax Contributions

    Peter Paul Boon, Global Director Group Tax at NN Group, joins Tax Leaders Unplugged podcast to discuss how a 14-person tax team manages tax strategy and compliance for a multinational insurer with 19,000 employees. In this episode, he shares: - Why NN Group prioritizes strategy over technical tax knowledge - How to scale a tax function without increasing headcount - The 80/20 rule of tax leadership—why tax is mostly a business function - How NN Group trained non-tax teams to take accountability for tax risks - Why NN Group publishes a Total Tax Contribution Report—and how it -changed their governance approach Key Insights & Learnings ✔ Tax is 80% business understanding, 20% technical knowledge "Most business leaders don’t care about tax memos. They need solutions, not explanations." ✔ Train your tax team to speak business, not tax "If you can explain tax to an 8-year-old, you can explain it to your CFO." ✔ Decentralize tax responsibility across the company "With 19,000 employees, tax risks can’t sit with 14 people. We train the business to take ownership." ✔ Be transparent: Why NN Group publishes its tax contribution report "We started tracking our total tax contribution internally in 2013. Now, it’s a public report and a governance benchmark." ✔ The secret to influencing the CFO: Speak in cash impact, not regulations "Your CFO doesn’t want surprises. Show them the numbers and the risks—without the jargon." 📍 Full conversation breakdown: [00:00:00] Introduction – Peter Paul Boon’s journey from Dutch tax authorities to in-house tax leadership [00:01:42] Why NN Group’s tax team is deeply involved in social innovation and financial literacy programs [00:04:40] The Tax Elevator Pitch Test – Why explaining tax to an 8-year-old is the best stakeholder training [00:05:28] Why Peter Paul Boon has stayed at NN Group for 25+ years and how he’s kept the job interesting [00:08:54] Encouraging tax team members to rotate into other roles in the business [00:09:54] How long does it take to reach full speed in an in-house tax role? [00:11:36] The 80/20 rule – Why tax leadership is 80% business, 20% technical knowledge [00:13:33] The difference between advisory tax work vs. in-house tax leadership [00:19:00] How NN Group trains 19,000 employees to be tax-aware without overwhelming them [00:20:36] 14 people managing tax for 19,000 employees – How they make it work [00:22:13] Why tax teams should bring solutions, not problems – making tax advice business-friendly [00:25:06] Letting Other People Do the Work (LOPDTW): How NN Group decentralizes tax risk [00:26:31] How to make tax the co-responsibility of the entire organization [00:29:03] How NN Group trains its tax team beyond technical knowledge [00:31:17] The CFO-Tax Relationship – How to communicate risk and value [00:34:21] Why tax teams should stop doing recurring compliance work [00:35:40] How NN Group absorbed Pillar Two compliance without hiring more staff [00:37:01] What Peter Paul Boon looks for when hiring: Eagerness, creativity, and being a team player [00:39:10] Total Tax Contribution Reports – Why NN Group made tax transparency a priority [00:47:00] Why NN Group started tracking total tax contribution internally in 2013 [00:51:05] Final advice: Be creative. Challenge everything. Think bigger.

    52분
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소개

Welcome to the Tax Leaders Unplugged, a podcast hosted by Stevi Frooninckx (CEO & Co-founder at Loctax), where we go beyond the numbers and the rules, delving into the essence of leadership in the tax world. Our focus isn’t on tax technicalities; it’s on the people behind them. Join us for in-depth conversations with leading in-house tax professionals, exploring collaboration, team management, and career development. Stay tuned for unique insights and advice you won’t find on Google, tailored to enhance your tax leadership journey.

정보

  • 제작진
    Loctax
  • 방송 연도
    2024년 - 2025년
  • 에피소드
    18
  • 등급
    전체 연령 사용가
  • 저작권
    © Loctax
  • 웹사이트 보기
    Tax Leaders Unplugged

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