Our History
Women in Tax was formed in the UK in 2015 with the aim of raising the voice of women working in all spheres of tax, making visible their knowledge and experience through a supportive network that connects people, facilitates skills development and promotes the sharing of ideas. Since the first meeting the network has expanded across the UK and spread internationally.
We bring together women working in tax – in the profession, in-house, HMRC or anywhere else - for events through-out the year. Contact us at admin@womenin.tax; follow us on Twitter @WomenInTax; or sign up to our distribution list to keep up to date on what is happening.
Past CommitteE Documents
Get in touch
We would be delighted to welcome you to join our network and become one of the inspiring women who support and help each other in the profession of taxation. If you would like to join us or simply want to ask more specific questions, please get in touch.
Contact us ▸
Committee Members
Tasneem KADIRI
Location: London
Current role at WiT: Chair
Current employment: UK and Ireland Tax Director, L’Oréal
Experience: 20 years’ experience in tax, audit and accountancy, having worked in both practice and industry. Winner of Tolley’s Taxation Awards 2020 for best In -House Tax Leader. committee for ICAEW Large Business and International Tax Committee, the Committee for Women in Tax, the Ethics, Diversity and inclusion Committee for CIOT and leads the BAME best practice group for the Multicultural Professional Network Forum (House of Lords).
Areas of tax: direct and indirect taxes
Linkedin profile: Tasneem Kadiri
Why WiT
As a woman, a mum and being from an ethnic minority background, I know first-hand the challenges and obstacles that women can face in their careers. Having overcome these challenges myself, I would like to help make a difference for other women and help them reach their career goals.
Katy RABINDRAN
Location: London
Current role at WiT: Vice chair
Current employment: Tax Director, BDO’s Innovation and Technology Group
Experience: Katy is a tax director in BDO’s Innovation & Technology Group and has specialised in R&D tax relief and patent box claims for over 10 years. She helps clients to maximise cash refunds/savings from these reliefs and ensuring timely repayments from HMRC and uses her experience and HMRC relationships to enable our clients to achieve this. She supports clients across a wide range of sectors including IT sector claims, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, utilising her sector knowledge to ask the right questions to identify qualifying R&D. Katy's background in wider corporation tax means she understands the interaction of R&D and patent box reliefs with wider tax planning to look at the overall position.
Areas of tax: R&D tax reliefs, Patent Box
Linkedin profile: Katy Rabindran
Why WiT
I joined Women in Tax on return from my second maternity leave and the community and support provided really helped me with that transition, so now I’m pleased to be part of the committee to help arrange events and make connections I hope help other women too.
Am Downing
Location: London
Current role at WiT: Treasurer
Current employment: Business Tax Manager, Rawlinson & Hunter
Experience: 15 years at R&H Business tax team, 5 years Simia Farra & Co – Accountant/auditor
Areas of tax: corporation tax, CGT, SDLT, non-resident landlords, ATED, WHT and country by country reporting.
Linkedin profile: Am Downing
Why WiT
To encourage upcoming talent in the tax world and learn what can be done differently to support the struggles women face.
Charlotte HOBROUGH
Location: London
Current role at WiT: Secretary
Current employment: Associate Director, Expatriate Tax, Global Employer Services, BDO
Experience: Charlotte has previously worked in both the Big 4 and smaller accountancy firms supporting assignees and private clients with the tax and social security implications of international moves. She also has experience advising employers on expatriate payroll issues, business traveller compliance and structuring of assignment policies, and has recently been heavily involved in advising and presenting on compliance issues associated with international remote workers.
Areas of tax: expatriate tax and social security; structuring of assignment policies; expatriate payroll issues; business traveller compliance; international remote working
Linkedin profile: Charlotte Hobrough
Why WiT
I love being part of such a supportive group and enjoy organising events which create connections between people in all areas of tax.
Sehjal
GUPTA
Location: London, Surrey
Current role at WiT: Communications lead
Current employment: Private Client Tax Director
Experience: Worked in private client tax for over 15 years with clients ranging from business owners to HNW and UHNW clients with international aspects to their tax affairs. Over the last few years the advice provided in the area of family and matrimonial matters including succession planning and SJE work has increased considerably as well as advice to clients leaving the UK or coming to UK from overseas.
Areas of tax: Private client tax compliance, advisory, non-UK domiciled, divorce work
Linkedin profile: Sehjal Gupta
Why WiT
Inspiring network of women/people who are not shy to fix each other’s crowns and support and empower each other.
Dipti THAKRAR
Location: London and East Midlands
Current role at WiT: Committee member
Current employment: Country Tax Manager, Hitachi
Experience: 20 years tax experience gained from KPMG, Boots and BPP.
Areas of Tax: corporate tax, transfer pricing and international tax
Linkedin profile: Dipti Thakrar
Why WiT
I enjoy connecting people and learning through my peers, I also facilitate the London TP network and co-chair the East Midlands WIT.
Hannah HURLEY
Location: London
Current role at WiT: Commitee member
Current employment: Tax manager, EY
Experience: I am a chartered accountant and chartered tax advisor with experience in a wide range of business taxes. I have published articles with Tax Journal and Taxation and written training materials on stamp taxes, corporate reconstructions and loss reliefs. I was delighted to chair a panel with WiT last year recommending how new tax professionals could get their work published.
Areas of tax: corporation tax and private business
Linkedin profile: Hannah Hurley
Why WiT
I love the support and enthusiasm of the WiT community, and am excited to bring this to the wider tax profession.
Ashling DONNELLY
Location: London
Current role at WiT: Website lead, Committee member
Current employment: Head of Tax, Trainline Plc
Experience: Trained as an ACA in Belfast in Hill Vellacott under the past President of the Association of Tax Technicians, focusing on the taxation of family businesses before moving to Smith and Williamson (now Evelyn) in London into in their Business tax team focusing on Corporation tax and completing CTA. After 10 years in practice, moved into industry, now Head of Tax at Trainline Plc responsible for all taxes for the Group.
Areas of tax: all taxes
Linkedin profile: Ashling Donnelly
Why WiT
I have had a number of great male mentors throughout my career, but there is a notable lack of female representation in leadership roles in tax. Women in Tax has a number of impressive women in leadership roles and I am thankful to be part of a group of supportive women that can mentor and support junior women in tax.
Michelle SLOANE
Location: London
Current role at WiT: Committee member
Current employment: Partner, RPC Law Firm
Experience: Michelle has particular expertise in advising individuals and corporates on complex tax enquiries, unforeseen tax, VAT, customs and excise duty issues and assessments, as well as the enforcement powers of HMRC. She has in-depth experience of high value appeals at all levels including before the Tax Tribunals, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and Court of Justice of the European Union. Her expertise includes Judicial Review proceedings scrutinising HMRC’s conduct.
She also advises those facing HMRC criminal investigations, allegations of participating in missing trader intra-community fraud and assists clients manage urgent issues such as HMRC "dawn raids".
Michelle worked for the New Zealand government as a tax investigator and legal adviser to the tax investigations team, before moving to the UK in 2006.
Areas of tax: resolution of both civil and criminal tax disputes
Linkedin profile: Michelle Sloane
Why WiT
I am a member of Women in Tax to assist promote and encourage the advancement of women of all levels of expertise working in the tax sphere, through shared ideas, knowledge and experiences.
Rhiannon KINGHALL-WERE
Location: London and East Midlands
Current role at WiT: Committee member
Current employment: Head of Tax Policy, Macfarlanes
Experience: Trained at BDO in corporate tax before moving to KPMG to focus on international tax advisory. A secondment to the CBI ended up in a permanent role focussed on policy, and after 5 years moved to Macfarlanes still focussed on tax policy.
Areas of tax: tax policy, with bias towards business tax
LinkedIn profile: Rhiannon Kinghall-Were
Why WiT
I have had the privilege of a supportive network of women in the tax profession and I wanted to give something back, supporting junior women in tax coming up through the ranks and raising the profile of all of the amazing women who work in tax.
Vicky JOHNSON
Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Current role at WiT: Committee member
Current employment: Strategic Lead for Employment Income – HMRC
Experience: 35 years in HMRC and its predecessor Inland Revenue, trained in all heads of direct tax and specialising in personal tax following periods in Compliance working enquiries or as a Customer Compliance Manager. She also advises those facing HMRC criminal investigations, allegations of participating in missing trader intra-community fraud and assists clients manage urgent issues such as HMRC "dawn raids".
Linkedin profile: Vicky Johnson
Why WiT
Tax is fascinating – if we can encourage more women into the roles available we obtain a diversity for customers (of HMRC and others) that means we can truly provide the service required. Tax is not gender specific so its workforce shouldn’t be – by implication neither should its leaders. There is a huge variety of work available in HMRC, in the industry and in the private sector, we should encourage women to experience it all before specialising and rising through the ranks.
Alexis ARMITAGE
Location: London
Current Role at WiT: Events committee member
Current Employment: Tax Litigation Lawyer, RPC Law Firm
Experience: · Alexis is a Tax Litigation Lawyer in RPC's Tax Disputes team. Alexis advises a range of individual and corporate clients on a broad range of contentious tax issues involving both direct and indirect taxes - from managing HMRC enquiries and information notices, through to hearings in the Tax Tribunals and higher courts.
Alexis has particular expertise in running and managing group litigation in respect of both individuals and corporates and dealing with complex HMRC enquiries.
Areas of tax: resolution of both civil and criminal tax disputes
Linkedin profile: Alexis Armitage
Why WiT
I have been a member of the Women In Tax network for a numbers of years but have recently joined the Women In Tax committee as Events Committee member after returning from my second maternity leave in August 2022. I have found the community and supportive environment of the Women In Tax network invaluable in helping me to transition back into work and would like to help other women in similar situations. By sharing ideas, knowledge and experiences, the Women In Tax network encourages and supports the advancement of women at all levels working in the tax world.