Professor Jennie Granger shares her three top tips for success in
tax.
tax.
Jennie’s expertise as a leader and a leading tax expert was
recently recognised in her appointment as the first Professor of Practice
specialising in tax and tax administration at the School of Taxation & Business Law UNSW
Business School. Her career includes
the likes of the International Monetary Fund, Second Commissioner at the ATO,
and five years as a Commissioner and Director-General at Her Majesty’s Revenue
and Customs in the UK, where she led the transformation of Customer Compliance.
Throughout her career she has championed diversity and inclusion, taking the
lead to significantly increasing female representation.
recently recognised in her appointment as the first Professor of Practice
specialising in tax and tax administration at the School of Taxation & Business Law UNSW
Business School. Her career includes
the likes of the International Monetary Fund, Second Commissioner at the ATO,
and five years as a Commissioner and Director-General at Her Majesty’s Revenue
and Customs in the UK, where she led the transformation of Customer Compliance.
Throughout her career she has championed diversity and inclusion, taking the
lead to significantly increasing female representation.
Jennie returned to Australia in 2017 and spoke at The Tax
Institutes’ Women in Tax National Congress about her experience, and some of
the challenges in ‘going global’.
Institutes’ Women in Tax National Congress about her experience, and some of
the challenges in ‘going global’.
Here are her three tips for success in tax:
Expand your horizons
Jennie says tax professionals need to expand their thinking
about tax on a global scale as opposed to only in terms of their own country.
about tax on a global scale as opposed to only in terms of their own country.
“We've got a future where that mindset will no longer work,”
she explains.
she explains.
“How people work is changing. You might be running a
business as well as working for someone, as well as consulting.
business as well as working for someone, as well as consulting.
“People are operating across jurisdictions as well. It's
quite common already in the UK for small businesses to be managing supply
chains across the globe and logistics delivery, because they run websites that
people buy from anywhere in the world.
quite common already in the UK for small businesses to be managing supply
chains across the globe and logistics delivery, because they run websites that
people buy from anywhere in the world.
“Start thinking about putting yourself in the shoes of the
community,” she adds.
community,” she adds.
Education: it can transform
organisations
organisations
“I'm the daughter of a teacher, so I'm very big on the development
of skills and the acquiring of new knowledge,” says Jennie.
of skills and the acquiring of new knowledge,” says Jennie.
“We all grew up in a very small country town and, at the
time, it was a quite poor environment.
time, it was a quite poor environment.
“My mother literally taught students in our high school and
changed their lives because they were the first kids who went to university, because
of her teaching.
changed their lives because they were the first kids who went to university, because
of her teaching.
“I've seen from very early in my life that education can
transform lives and transforms communities, can transform organisations,” she
explains.
transform lives and transforms communities, can transform organisations,” she
explains.
Jennie advises tax professionals to remain curious and
interested in new
knowledge. But it’s not just about technical knowledge.
interested in new
knowledge. But it’s not just about technical knowledge.
Develop your people
skills
skills
“It's also about learning from other people about things
they've tried and done, and about developing networks,” says Jennie.
they've tried and done, and about developing networks,” says Jennie.
As mentioned earlier, Jennie says people are running
businesses and working in different ways across the world.
businesses and working in different ways across the world.
“If you're in administration, you're trying to solve problems
that might also have links to terrorism, to organised crime, or social issues
as well,” she points out.
that might also have links to terrorism, to organised crime, or social issues
as well,” she points out.
Her suggestion to those working with lots of other kinds of
expertise is to grow those soft skills such as emotional and cultural
intelligence to be able to connect with those experts.
expertise is to grow those soft skills such as emotional and cultural
intelligence to be able to connect with those experts.
