A Career Full of Local, National and International Opportunities

I joined AAB’s tax department as a Senior Manager in 1998. Looking back at that time, AAB was an ambitious firm with entrepreneurial spirit, a brilliant service ethos and a fantastic client base. These values are all still at the…

AAB Life Blog

Blog8th Jan 2020

I joined AAB’s tax department as a Senior Manager in 1998. Looking back at that time, AAB was an ambitious firm with entrepreneurial spirit, a brilliant service ethos and a fantastic client base. These values are all still at the core of AAB, but how things have changed!

My initial role within the tax team was working with owner managed businesses who had significant growth ambitions, making sure that AAB had the expertise to support their national and international expansion. This meant that in line with our client’s growth, our knowledge and service capabilities also expanded.

This increasing demand from our clients to enter new markets flagged an opportunity for a new specialist team at AAB – a chance for us to build on our international tax expertise, and other obligations that come with operating a business on an international scale. Becoming part of this team early in my career and then being empowered to drive the team forward was key to me being able to achieve my own career goals; and I became a Partner in 2003 and ultimately Head of Corporate & International Tax.

My overall objective was to become a leader of the business, helping to steer AAB into new markets and opportunities. To truly be able to deliver our clients with awesome service I knew it was important to be at least one step ahead at all times, recognising what was required of and for them before they did and, ultimately, understanding wider industry trends to help their businesses get ahead. This value added approach quickly became a large part of the business that needed some dedicated focus; which is why the role of ‘International Liaison Partner’ was created. Alongside the day-to-day work with my clients I was responsible for leading the international activity of the firm.

Although we are very much a local and national firm, building AAB’s international footprint is a key part of our growth strategy. Therefore one of my main responsibilities as International Liaison Partner is building our global network. I work closely with other firms in our associate networks to make sure that the team are gaining support from the best, and our clients are receiving a first class service. I spend a significant amount of my time travelling with and for clients, spending at least 5 weeks of the year in Houston and often visiting the Netherlands, Dubai and Stavanger to name a few. This is a very exciting part of my role for me personally, however it brings great benefits to AAB as I am able to establish valuable relationships with key players to help current and future client needs. We truly invest in our relationships and because of this it means that we can be confident that our clients are in safe hands.

Due to the nature of my role, a natural extension of these responsibilities is the business development (BD) activity and a few years ago I assumed the role of heading up our dedicated BD team. This was established to help grow business through having a dedicated group who have visibility across all our service lines in order to help extend our proposition. We identify how our work with clients locally, nationally and internationally can open up new opportunities and how teams can work together to offer a bespoke service. Furthermore we look at where business opportunities can be cross referred to other service lines in the office.

With my role spanning corporate tax, international operations and BD, and my clients ranging in different size and requirements, there is such a great variety in the work that I do. This has been key for me to not only develop my role but also build my teams’ skill sets. With new opportunities comes new responsibilities for everyone across all levels, it is really rewarding to now be in a position where I can share my personal experiences and expertise with the team and be able to help them grow their careers.

By Neil Dinnes, Partner, Head of Corporate and International Tax.

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