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
• The transformative impact of living abroad and why it’s worth considering
• What does a CFO program entail and why it might be right for you
• Key tips for starting as the first in-house tax professional
• Denise’s tech stack and how she utilizes these tools
• The importance of building a strong network and how to do it
• Advice for building a solid foundation in Tax and taking control of your career path
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Where to find Denise Bee:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-bee-95a148/
Where To Find Stevi Frooninckx:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx
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In this episode, we cover:
(01:44) How exposure to diverse cultures broadened Denise's perspective and empathy
(04:50) How Denise's finance background sharpened her strategic thinking
(07:08) Why Denise chose a CFO program over an MBA
(10:50) How to relate to the CFO and how to advocate for your budget
(13:08) The importance of risk management
(16:12) Why Denise enjoys working in tech companies
(18:54) Denise’s tool stack and how she utilizes each of the tools for Tax
(22:44) A typical first week for a new Head of Tax
(24:10) Tips for first-time in-house tax professionals
(26:21) How to frame things to get the least amount of pushback
(28:00) The tax channel at Slack
(28:44) How Denise builds and maintains her network
(30:51) The pros and cons of using Excel
(33:36) Denise’s parting advice for Tax professionals growing their careers
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Referenced:
• Figma: https://www.figma.com/
• Figma Slides: https://www.figma.com/slides/
• Notion: https://www.notion.so/
• Dropbox Paper: https://www.dropbox.com/paper/start
• Fig Jam: https://www.figma.com/figjam/
• Slack: https://slack.com/
