Tax Leaders Unplugged

• How NN Group’s 14-Person Tax Team Manages €1.3B in Tax Contributions

  Peter Paul Boon, Global Director Group Tax at NN Group, joins Tax Leaders Unplugged podcast to discuss how a 14-person tax team manages tax strategy and compliance for a multinational insurer with 19,000 employees.In this episode, he shares:- Why NN Group prioritizes strategy over technical tax knowledge- How to scale a tax function without increasing headcount- The 80/20 rule of tax leadership—why tax is mostly a business function- How NN Group trained non-tax teams to take accountability for tax risks- Why NN Group publishes a Total Tax Contribution Report—and how it -changed their governance approachKey Insights & Learnings✔ Tax is 80% business understanding, 20% technical knowledge"Most business leaders don’t care about tax memos. They need solutions, not explanations."✔ Train your tax team to speak business, not tax"If you can explain tax to an 8-year-old, you can explain it to your CFO."✔ Decentralize tax responsibility across the company"With 19,000 employees, tax risks can’t sit with 14 people. We train the business to take ownership."✔ Be transparent: Why NN Group publishes its tax contribution report"We started tracking our total tax contribution internally in 2013. Now, it’s a public report and a governance benchmark."✔ The secret to influencing the CFO: Speak in cash impact, not regulations"Your CFO doesn’t want surprises. Show them the numbers and the risks—without the jargon."📍 Full conversation breakdown: [00:00:00] Introduction – Peter Paul Boon’s journey from Dutch tax authorities to in-house tax leadership[00:01:42] Why NN Group’s tax team is deeply involved in social innovation and financial literacy programs[00:04:40] The Tax Elevator Pitch Test – Why explaining tax to an 8-year-old is the best stakeholder training[00:05:28] Why Peter Paul Boon has stayed at NN Group for 25+ years and how he’s kept the job interesting[00:08:54] Encouraging tax team members to rotate into other roles in the business[00:09:54] How long does it take to reach full speed in an in-house tax role?[00:11:36] The 80/20 rule – Why tax leadership is 80% business, 20% technical knowledge[00:13:33] The difference between advisory tax work vs. in-house tax leadership[00:19:00] How NN Group trains 19,000 employees to be tax-aware without overwhelming them[00:20:36] 14 people managing tax for 19,000 employees – How they make it work[00:22:13] Why tax teams should bring solutions, not problems – making tax advice business-friendly[00:25:06] Letting Other People Do the Work (LOPDTW): How NN Group decentralizes tax risk[00:26:31] How to make tax the co-responsibility of the entire organization[00:29:03] How NN Group trains its tax team beyond technical knowledge[00:31:17] The CFO-Tax Relationship – How to communicate risk and value[00:34:21] Why tax teams should stop doing recurring compliance work[00:35:40] How NN Group absorbed Pillar Two compliance without hiring more staff[00:37:01] What Peter Paul Boon looks for when hiring: Eagerness, creativity, and being a team player[00:39:10] Total Tax Contribution Reports – Why NN Group made tax transparency a priority[00:47:00] Why NN Group started tracking total tax contribution internally in 2013[00:51:05] Final advice: Be creative. Challenge everything. Think bigger.

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  51:38
• How to build a convincing business case as in-house tax | Katharina Herzog (Hugo Boss)

  In this episode of Tax Leaders Unplugged, host Stevi Frooninckx speaks with Katharina Herzog, Senior Vice President of Group Finance & Tax at Hugo Boss. Katharina shares insights into her role overseeing strategy for the finance and tax divisions and leading a team of over 80 professionals. She discusses her vision for closer collaboration between tax and finance, and the importance of senior leadership understanding how these functions drive revenue. In today’s conversation, we talk about the following:  Why Hugo Boss integrates tax and finance teams The long-term costs of outsourcing tax expertise Building a compelling business case that resonates with CFOs and shareholders Key quantitative and qualitative KPIs Tips on "speaking the language" of both the core business and tax functions — Where to find Katharina Herzog:  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katharina-herzog-b81950ba/ Where To Find Stevi Frooninckx: • LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — In this episode, we cover:  (01:14) Welcome Katharina (01:54) Katharina’s hobbies and interests outside tax (02:54) How Katharina made the switch from finance to tax (03:43) Katharina’s tax strengths and weaknesses and how she filled in her knowledge gaps (06:25) Why Katharina is equally passionate about tax and finance (07:24) The pros and cons of combining tax with finance (09:33) Why tax and finance team members are seated together (10:54) How rotations work at Hugo Boss (11:25) The pros and cons of outsourcing—and what Katharina would never outsource (14:26) An example of technology that aids in compliance (15:05) Building a convincing business case by showcasing the value in tax (19:55) How Katharina shares monthly wins with her CFO (21:55) The challenges in promoting tax and finance  (24:00) Why tax teams tend to be smaller than finance teams (26:53) The value of tax at Hugo Boss (27:28) First steps for building a successful business case (30:01) More in-depth explanations for illustrating the business value of tax (32:32) An ambitious goal at Hugo Boss (35:30) Qualitative business drivers (37:30) Some general ‘dos and don’ts’ of tax (39:14) The core in-house tax responsibilities and how local taxes are managed (44:47) Why you should be multilingual—speaking the language of both core business and tax (45:40) Katharina’s parting advice   — Referenced: • Hugo Boss: https://www.hugoboss.com/us/home • T-Systems: https://www.t-systems.com • KPMG: https://kpmg.com/ • Net promoter score: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_promoter_score• ESG (environmental, social, and governance): https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/environmental-social-and-governance-ESG

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  47:09
• Navigating the path to tax leadership | Denise Bee (Figma, Slack)

  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 — 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 — 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 — 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/

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  36:04
• Navigating Buy vs. Build: Unlocking Tax Technology Solutions | Sara Mendiola (LyondellBasell)

  In this episode of Tax Leaders Unplugged, host Stevi Frooninckx interviews Sara Mendiola, the Tax Technology Manager at LyondellBasell, to explore the critical decision-making process of buying versus building tax technology solutions. Sara shares her unique professional journey, insights on evolving tax technology, and a real-world project involving the standardization of audit files across different jurisdictions. The conversation dives deep into considerations for choosing the right strategy, such as skill sets, resources, stakeholder involvement, and total cost of ownership. They also discuss the importance of executive sponsorship, documentation, and change management strategies. Additionally, Sara emphasizes the innovation potential through hackathons, highlights the benefits of embracing failure, and advises tax professionals on advocating for tech transformation. This episode provides invaluable insights for tax and IT teams aiming to optimize their tax solutions and navigate the complexities of technological integration. In this episode, we cover: 02:17 The Evolution of Tax Technology 03:28 Importance of Processes in Tax Technology 06:42 Buy vs Build: Analyzing Tax Technology Solutions 09:07 Case Study: Implementing Standard Audit File for Tax 15:11 Pros and Cons of Building Tax Technology In-House 20:18 Cost Considerations in Tool Replacement 20:43 Employee and Customer Experience 21:03 Time and Compliance Constraints 21:28 Vendor Solutions and Tax Expertise 22:14 Internal vs. IT Team Development 24:02 Examples of Build vs. Buy Decisions 26:25 Change Management in Implementation 30:34 Next-Generation Technologies and AI 36:16 Hackathons and Innovation Challenges 40:12 Key Takeaways and Final Advice

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  43:07
• The Importance of Process Excellence in Fortune 500 Tax Operations | Don Maher (Head of Tax, Mohawk Industries)

  In this episode of Tax Leaders Unplugged, host Stevi Frooninckx sits down with Don Maher, Global Head of Tax at Mohawk Industries. After discovering litigation was not for him, Don returned to school to obtain his LLM in Tax. Don began his tax career working for KPMG and Deloitte, but moved on to in-house roles at Koch Industries and The Dow Chemical Corporation before accepting his position at Mohawk Industries. In today’s conversation, we discuss: The importance of developing efficient processes  The five steps in an integrated approach of Lean Six Sigma  How global companies maintain compliance and stay on pace with rapidly changing regulations  How good processes impact employee retention The current top challenges in the tax field And so much more! — Where to find Don Maher:  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-maher-9526353/ Where To Find Stevi Frooninckx: • LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx⁠⁠⁠ — In this episode, we cover:  (02:06) Don’s interests outside of tax (03:10) How Don got involved in tax (04:32) Why Don was attracted to working in global companies (05:50) Don’s tips on best practices for building processes (06:52) The Five steps in the process of Lean Six Sigma (09:24) Who owns the operationalization of process improvements (11:22) An explanation of the processes at Mohawk (16:22) The benefits of processes and how efficiency drives talent retention (21:35) Don’s philosophy on compliance (25:50) The importance of good communication and strategic partnerships (31:32) Why Don empowers local teams to choose their own advisors (36:01) Top challenges in tax today (40:00) The importance of good public relations (40:44) The recruitment process at Mohawk and what types of talent they seek (43:00) Don’s parting advice — Referenced: • Six Sigma vs Lean Six Sigma: What’s the Difference?: https://www.purdue.edu/leansixsigmaonline/blog/six-sigma-vs-lean-six-sigma/ • Integrating Lean and Six Sigma: https://www.bpminstitute.org/resources/articles/integrating-lean-and-six-sigma • Workflows: https://www.loctax.com/workflows • Pillar Two rules: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/topics/policy-sub-issues/global-minimum-tax/pillar-two-model-rules-in-a-nutshell.pdf

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