This week's opinion: 19 May 2022

It was a pleasure to be part of the Taxation Awards last week. After two years of virtual awards it was so good to be able to see friends and colleagues in person again. Everybody seemed happy to be there and the ceremony went off without a hitch, thanks largely to the superb hosting skills of Marcus Brigstock. 

I was particularly pleased to be able to present the lifetime achievement award to my former colleague George Bull in recognition of his unrivalled skill, honed over many years, in communicating complex tax ideas in a straightforward way which goes to the heart of the matter without ever being patronising.

The other stand out moment for me was the arrival on stage of the winning team from the Women in Tax network. Their exuberance and sheer zest for life was infectious and made a huge impression on everybody in the room. Although there is still a long way to go great strides have been made in enhancing the role of women in our profession and our winning team has contributed hugely to this. It was not that many years ago that many women felt that the only way to have a successful tax career was to be more macho than their male colleagues. Those days have gone, thank heavens, and it was a delight to see so many women celebrating on stage together when all of the winners got together for a photograph at the end of the evening. 

That photograph, and many more, appear in the awards brochure which is included with the printed copy of this week’s magazine. See also on the photo gallery on the Taxation Awards website – tinyurl.com/taxaw2022photos.