Episodes

Christian Klein, VP Accounting, Reporting and Tax at Autodoc, joins Tax Leaders Unplugged to discuss how he is using AI to scale a finance and tax function under two-digit growth, and why culture decides whether that works. He shares: - How Autodoc moved from collecting 60 AI ideas to 5 products in development, 2 of them already live, by enabling people before buying tools. - Real outcomes, including a daily reconciliation cut from 3 hours to 5 minutes and a standing target of at least ...

Luis Nouel, Manager Latin America, Africa-Middle East and Bulletin of International Taxation Teams at IBFD, joins Tax Leaders Unplugged to discuss how tax research actually gets done and where AI fits in. We recorded at IBFD HQ in Amsterdam. Luis brings 33 years in tax, more than 18 of them at IBFD, and currently leads the Latin America, transfer pricing and VAT teams. We covered: - How a tax research workflow runs in practice, from mapping cross-border consequences to working country chap...

Sarah Spring, Head of Tax at Oatly, joins Tax Leaders Unplugged to share her path from finance and accounting into tax leadership, and what it takes to become a real business partner inside an international company. She explains why tax teams need to stop acting as a clean-up function and instead get involved before key decisions are made.With a team of just four, Sarah also shares how she approaches tax transformation in practice, from VAT automation to better use of existing systems. A key the...

Nora Bafrouri, Global VAT and Tax Technology Lead at Trane Technologies, joins Tax Leaders Unplugged to discuss how indirect tax teams can move from compliance to measurable business value.She explains how she built a highly automated VAT operating model across 44 jurisdictions, why tax authorities are increasingly data-driven, and how a structured KPI dashboard helped her reposition VAT as a business partner. She shares:• How misalignment between VAT and technology priorities was solved by brin...

Sandra Esteves, Head of Tax at Qlik (previously HoT at Talend, which was acquired by Qlik in 2023), joins Tax Leaders Unplugged to unpack what it takes for an in-house tax team to get through due diligence and integration without losing control or credibility. We cover the realities of PE-backed deals, running Talend and Qlik as standalone groups until late 2023, and how to lead when sponsors and colleagues exit during the process. In this episode, she shares:• The dashboard she built within mon...

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...

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 [00:19:4…

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 bui...

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. ...

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...

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...

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 b...

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...

In this episode of Tax Leaders Unplugged, host Stevi Frooninckx speaks with Katharina Herzog, Senior Vice President of Group Finance & Tax at Hugo Boss. Katharina shares insights into her role overseeing strategy for the finance and tax divisions and leading a team of over 80 professionals. She discusses her vision for closer collaboration between tax and finance, and the importance of senior leadership understanding how these functions drive revenue. In today’s conversation, we talk about the f...

There are multiple paths to becoming a Tax Leader, but have you ever thought about a CFO program or diversifying your experience in an adjacent area, such as finance? In today’s episode of Tax Leaders Unplugged, host Stevi Frooninckx is joined by Denise Bee. Denise is the Head of Tax at Figma. She has decades of experience in tax and has worked for a few years in finance. Before joining Figma, Denise was Head of Tax at Slack. In our conversation, we discuss: • Tax teams and the C-Suite ...

In this episode of Tax Leaders Unplugged, host Stevi Frooninckx interviews Sara Mendiola, the Tax Technology Manager at LyondellBasell, to explore the critical decision-making process of buying versus building tax technology solutions. Sara shares her unique professional journey, insights on evolving tax technology, and a real-world project involving the standardization of audit files across different jurisdictions. The conversation dives deep into considerations for choosing the right strategy,...

In this episode of Tax Leaders Unplugged, host Stevi Frooninckx sits down with Don Maher, Global Head of Tax at Mohawk Industries. After discovering litigation was not for him, Don returned to school to obtain his LLM in Tax. Don began his tax career working for KPMG and Deloitte, but moved on to in-house roles at Koch Industries and The Dow Chemical Corporation before accepting his position at Mohawk Industries. In today’s conversation, we discuss: The importance of developing efficient pro...

Could an MBA help unlock new opportunities in your tax career? In this episode of Tax Leaders Unplugged, host Stevi Frooninckx is joined by Tom Borec, Head of Tax at Dermavant Sciences. Tom has worked in tax for the past two decades in senior roles at top companies, including Deloitte, eBay, and PwC. Although he had already worked as a Head of Tax, Tom recently obtained his MBA. In today’s conversation, we discuss: • The milestones to becoming Head of Tax and different paths you can take •...

Have you ever considered that broadening your perspective might be the key to excelling in tax leadership? In this episode of Tax Leaders Unplugged, host Stevi Frooninckx is joined by Karine Halimi-Guez, the Head of Tax at Booking.com, to discuss why generalists often have the upper hand. With over 25 years of experience in international taxation, Karine is a respected leader known for managing multicultural teams and navigating complex tax landscapes across various jurisdictions. As a sought-af...

In this episode of Tax Leaders Unplugged, host Stevi Frooninckx is joined by Wim Wuyts, CEO and Managing Director of WTS Global, a global tax advisory firm. With a career spanning over two decades, much of it working in-house in renowned companies, including Levi Strauss and Bekaert, he has been recognized by International Tax Review as one of the top 50 tax professional thought leaders. In today’s conversation, we discuss: • How seemingly unrelated side projects enhance your perspective as a...

In this episode of Tax Leaders Unplugged, host Stevi Frooninckx is joined by Henny Abdel Malek Verboom, the VP and Global Head of Tax at Adyen, a Fintech company based in The Netherlands. Henny previously served as the Tax Lead for Europe at Uber and as the Global Head of Tax at Rituals, a renowned cosmetics brand. With a knack for thriving in high-speed environments, Henny shares her strategies for making a significant impact at work, including her practice of dedicating one day each week to fo...

In this episode of Tax Leaders Unplugged, host Stevi Frooninckx chats to Karl Berlin, Vice President and Head of Tax at Ørsted, about his career journey and the importance of aligning tax goals with business goals. Karl shares his experiences starting his career immediately in-house as well as emphasizes the importance of understanding the business and building relationships with stakeholders, to advance in your own tax career. Stevi and Karl also discuss the significance of sustainable and r...

In this episode of Tax Leaders Unplugged, host Stevi Frooninckx (CEO & Co-Founder @ Loctax) engages in a deep dive conversation with Steven Bosmans, VP of Global Tax and Chief Tax Officer at Avnet, a Fortune 500 global technology solutions company. Steven shares his 20-year journey with Avnet, starting from working for tax authorities to moving into advisory roles and ultimately leading tax strategies at Avnet. The discussion spans Steven's personal hobbies, his commitment to local societa...