Grant Thornton Europe – 3 new senior hires into international tax team
Leading business and financial advisers Grant Thornton have announced the double appointments of transfer pricing specialists Guy Kersch and Sarah Teshome to the firm’s rapidly expanding international tax practice. In addition Caroline Noble joins as an international tax senior manager.
Guy Kersch, a transfer pricing lead with 24 years’ experience, will be based in Luxembourg. Guy was formerly the European tax counsel for the pharmaceuticals company, Pfizer. Guy has an extensive network of industry contacts and has an extremely high profile in the transfer pricing world. His experience covers industries such as chemicals, agricultural products, turn-key plant, construction, engineering and pharmaceuticals. In addition, he has expertise in (de)mergers & acquisitions, tax optimisation planning and tax audit.
Guy is a business member and Vice-Chair of the European Joint Transfer Pricing Forum (EU JTPF) set up by the European Commission to consider ways of reducing the high compliance costs and eliminating eventual double taxation arising from cross-border inter-group transactions. Guy also works with UNICE and BIAC to help the European Commission and OECD to shape the future tax landscape.
Sarah Teshome, a Chartered Accountant, joins the firm with 15 years of corporate and international tax experience from a Big Four firm. Sarah joins Grant Thornton as a client service director, undertaking a national role within the transfer pricing team, and also developing the Northern marketplace. She has spent the last six years specialising in transfer pricing, where she headed up a team covering the North-East region. Within the transfer pricing field, she has concentrated on tax-efficient supply chain projects, dispute resolution, broader transfer pricing planning, and competent authority processes including advance pricing agreements. She has worked with a number of high profile clients.
Craig McAree, Head of International Tax at Grant Thornton, said “These two appointments significantly strengthen the firm’s transfer pricing expertise. Under Danny Beeton’s stewardship as head of transfer pricing, we have significantly grown our market share in the UK and Europe.”
In addition, Caroline Noble joins as an international tax senior manager in the firm’s Leeds office, where she is charged with expanding the firm’s international tax expertise in the North. Previously, she was at Rolls Royce as head of tax in its Power Ventures business for three years. Prior to that she spent over seven years at Shell International, having joined from Arthur Andersen. An international tax specialist, she has significant experience of multinational groups with parents in the UK, Netherlands and the US, and has led for tax on over $6bn of closed transactions.
McAree concludes: “Our international expansion continues to provide great opportunities and growth potential. We have plans for further significant expansion in the short term. Our investment in quality and experienced specialists is enabling us to remain at the forefront of transfer pricing rules, EU law and international tax changes.”
These appointments follow the recent appointments of Roopa Aitken and Paul Smith as client service directors.