.png)
.png)
Anyone who has been to the North of England's Lake District may have wondered why it's so green. The clue is probably in the name — 'Lake'; equals 'water', 'rain'.
But you need some rain and water if you want to make 'a bigger splash', which is what Neil Hollyoake, tax partner at Ernst & Young's Leeds office has in mind for the coming year. Having achieved substantial growth last year, they are looking for more over the next twelve months.
'Most members of the main tax team are able to advise and deal with both compliance and planning aspects. This means that there are plenty of opportunities for interesting work.
'However, we also have specialists who can deal in more detail with other areas. Consequently, the client has a central point of contact, which enables both them and us to build up a good working relationship, but we also have those experts to call on when we need to.'
What's it like working in the city? Neil explained that Leeds is a vibrant city, with great museums, arts and shopping — although the joys of the new Harvey Nichols store have so far been lost on him!
'The town has a great “buzz” to it and the construction of city centre flats has invigorated the city, while on the other hand there is some fantastic countryside just half an hour's drive away.'
The bigger pond
Karen Horne is a human capital partner and put Neil's comments into the context of the overall
E & Y northern England organisation, with its offices in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and Hull; each having a tax practice.
Karen explained that 'the tax practice in the north has changed significantly over the past couple of years. The objective is to achieve market leadership and this has led to significant investment in recruitment at all levels including many niche specialisms: human capital, international tax, transfer pricing, R and D, private client, indirect taxes, public sector and local government. This provides opportunities for people and gives them more choices should they choose to specialise'.
E & Y also runs a specific graduate programme to ensure that they get the best out of their first years of working. This involves exam support, dedicated mentors and opportunities to work in different departments.
Secondee programmes offer opportunities to work in one of E & Y's many offices around the world, and the accelerated leadership programme allows high potential individuals to receive focussed development and training for their career opportunities.
Regular technical training sessions, etc. are available for people at all levels.
The VAT stream
Keeping the water analogy, perhaps it would be better to say 'flood' as Robert Crooks, head of E & Y's north of England VAT and indirect tax department explained that the department was having a fantastic year, also showing significant growth over last year. Why is this happening
Robert believes that 'the tax business as a whole is growing and this means that there is a “pull through” effect from the main direct taxes into indirect and associated tax and duty liabilities.
'Also there is a very vibrant market with lots of deals and transactions being done. Confidence is still high in the manufacturing sector and this means that there is plenty of work, especially for VAT consultants to deal with the issues that businesses face.'
And why would you want to do this work in Manchester? Although he was born and bred in Kent and started his career in London, Robert chose to move to Manchester some years ago.
'I've had plenty of offers to move back, but why would I? From a business point of view, this area has everything you need — manufacturing, retail, financial services.
'And socially, there is a real buzz up here. Our work has been fast and diverse. A real challenge and certainly somewhere to think about if you want to make a bigger splash in your tax career!'
Specialisms
Tracy Wood is regional head of tax for the north of England and Northern Ireland and — with responsibility for the growth of business for corporate, income and value added tax — she is confident of the north west tax team's abilities.
'Developing specialisms has enabled us to deliver services on a local basis, rather than relying on London-based experts. This means that we are able to converse with our clients based in the north of England about their particular industry and on the particular direct and indirect tax aspects that are relevant to it.'
Catch that wave!
So, in the same way that you need a lot of water to make a bigger splash, the fact that there is plenty of good quality and challenging work in the north of England means that firms working there have the ability to make a 'bigger splash' in the tax market.
From talking to various members of the E & Y team it looks like they are making waves. Perhaps there are some opportunities to go surfing with them.
