Tax Leaders Unplugged

• Inside M&A: Insights for in-house tax | Sandra Esteves from Qlik

  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 months of joining in 2021 to brief the CFO on eight core items: on-time compliance, risk positions, liabilities, controversy, cash taxes, cash opportunities, and attributes.• Why deep business knowledge accelerated structuring and integration decisions.• How to balance team morale and transparency when duplication forces tough calls.• Why compliance is strategic, not second-class, especially with Pillar Two and central oversight.—Where to find Sandra Esteves: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-esteves-33788313/Where to find Stevi Frooninckx: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx__In this episode, we cover:[00:00:00] From Portugal to Amsterdam: Sandra’s Tax Journey[00:05:10] The Compass Quote: Staying Focused as a Leader[00:08:42] Talend’s Acquisition by Qlik[00:12:50] The 8-Line CFO Dashboard for M&A Readiness[00:15:12] Leading Through Integration and Sponsorship Loss[00:24:25] Compliance as a Strategic Advantage[00:27:30] TEI, IBFD, and Career Lessons for Tax Leaders

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• Building Tax Teams for Scale: Lessons from Zalando and Enpal with Mathias Hildebrandt

  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 listeners per episode when they expected only 200• Co-founding Germany's Tax Technology Journal to bridge the gap between tax law and digital transformation—Where to find Mathias Hildebrandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathias-hildebrandt-01b06376/Where to find Stevi Frooninckx: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx__In this episode, we cover:[00:02:48] Building a Tax Podcast to 4,000 Listeners[00:08:26] Creating Germany's Tax Technology Journal[00:14:03] The Evolution of Tax Technology[00:22:49] 5 Companies in 17 Years[00:26:31] The Power of Networking[00:30:31] Growing Zalando's Tax Team[00:33:47] Communication at Scale[00:35:56] Career Advice: Trust Your Gut

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• Turning Tax Knowledge into Value and Trust | Mercedes-Benz Head of Tax and Customs

  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[00:19:49] Why Tax People Stay Humble[00:25:25] Being Included from Day One[00:29:14] Measuring Tax Value Creation[00:33:32] Defining Your Tax Purpose[00:39:43] The Tax Mates Story[00:47:21] Career Advice: Do What You Love

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• The Journey from Tax to Finance Leader | SVP Finance DraftKings

  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 building a strong compliance foundation is essential before pursuing tax planning or finance leadership roles—Where to find Bill Nolde: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williammnolde/Where to find Stevi Frooninckx: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx__In this episode, we cover:[00:01:41] Why Giving Back Matters[00:06:07] Bill's 10 Career Rules[00:09:58] "Work Yourself Out of a Job"[00:17:55] Tax to Finance Transition[00:22:56] Compliance Before Planning[00:27:58] Do Tax Leaders Make Better CFOs?[00:37:41] The "Breadcrumb Strategy"[00:40:18] Building Elite Tax Teams[00:47:03] Outsource vs Insource[00:51:04] "Love the Process"

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• Secrets of Successful Tax Leadership in MENA's Tech Industry | Stuart Ramsay

  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.• Real-world results, including cutting potential compliance filings from 100 to 12 through entity rationalisation and introducing private GPT translation that saves roughly $200 and three days per Arabic tax return.• Best practices for UAE corporate tax Day 1 readiness, VAT specialisation, and low-budget tech adoption that other in-house teams can replicate.—Where to find Stuart Ramsay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-ramsay/Where to find Stevi Frooninckx: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx__In this episode, we cover:(0:00) Intro and Stuart’s journey from Glasgow to Dubai(4:03) Why the GCC moved from 5 % VAT to a 9 % corporate tax(18:25) Pillar II plus UAE CT: using one data set for both regimes(32:27) From DP World to Dubizzle: smaller company, bigger influence(40:05) The power of saying “I don’t know” to win executive trust(42:18) Mini tax due-diligence: a 30-day map of filings and risks(43:45) Filling blind spots: hiring a VAT specialist and adding AI translation(47:15) Two career rules: balance hard-soft skills and embrace change(54:02) Final advice and closing

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