How AUTODOC Gets Tax Involved Before Business Decisions

When AUTODOC opened a third-party warehouse in the UK, tax and finance were involved from the beginning. For Svetlana Schiel, that is what business partnering should look like in practice.

Svetlana, Senior Director Tax and Payroll at AUTODOC, joins Stevi Frooninckx to explain how her team learns what drives the business and earns a place in its plans. She asks colleagues to describe what their unit would put on an invoice, gives supply chain teams clear reminders about when to involve tax, and works with a finance business partner group that helps colleagues find the right person without navigating each finance function themselves.

They also discuss why payroll became part of Svetlana's remit as AUTODOC expanded hiring across borders, how the finance team organised its transformation around shared priorities, and why she wants tax professionals to keep practising critical thinking as they use AI.

Chapters

00:00 Meet Svetlana Schiel

01:02 A Himalayan climb and the value of smaller steps

02:20 Why a tax lecture began with the business case

05:05 The Working Moms network and career support

12:04 Understanding the business value chain

14:40 The invoice question for business teams

16:23 Making tax triggers visible, including coffee cups

17:48 Shared roadmaps and the UK warehouse

19:50 Finance partners as a first contact for the business

23:49 An entrepreneurial approach to tax priorities

25:06 Tax KPIs and business goals

29:00 Why payroll joined Svetlana's remit

32:30 Adjacent responsibilities and tax technology

35:11 AUTODOC's finance transformation

40:00 Career advice, critical thinking and AI

Svetlana Schiel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/svetlana-schiel-970b82ab/

Stevi Frooninckx: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx

Tax Leaders Unplugged: https://podcast.loctax.com/

Loctax: https://www.loctax.com/

AUTODOC: https://autodoc.group/en/

Working Moms e.V.: https://www.workingmoms.de/ueber-workingmoms/