Based in Jersey, Katy Wintle is a Director in Deloitte’s Jersey tax team
How long have you worked at Deloitte?
I first joined Deloitte as an Associate 20 years ago in September. Since then, I’ve progressed through the company and I’m now a Director in the Jersey tax team.
My work is predominately based in Jersey, but I also work closely with teams across the UK, Guernsey and further afield, including the US.
One of the many reasons I’ve stayed with the firm for so long is the team. The office has a lovely atmosphere and it’s a really nice place to work.
I feel that the people around me have got my back, and I feel very lucky to be surrounded by colleagues who are very talented and I enjoy spending time with.
I also genuinely feel supported by Deloitte. They really walk the walk when it comes to progression and also time away from the office.
After I returned from maternity leave, I decided to work part-time for a while, and it was completely accepted that it was the right thing to do. Even now, I work flexible hours, and the firm and my colleagues have always been supportive.
What does your role entail?
My specialisms are corporate and international tax, but I work across the entire tax team.
I like the fact that I can do 20 different things in a day, and they will be all different aspects of taxation. It’s not just compliance; I could be sorting international tax work, signing off a personal or corporate tax return or reviewing GST (goods and services tax) advice.
As part of my work on international tax, I look at how OECD or EU policies might be reflected in legislation and at Jersey’s response to these.
This includes how government takes steps politically to do the right thing for the island while also fulfilling its international obligations.
I find it interesting to see what is being put into legislation and the political ramifications behind that. I started focusing on OECD and EU policies in 2012/13, when the OECD started looking at their BEPS (base erosion and project shifting) project.
In a nutshell, it aims to ensure the right tax is paid in the right place.
It’s great to work with Jo Huxtable, a Partner in the Guernsey office, on international tax. We bounce ideas off each other. I don’t just look at the OECD from a Jersey perspective, but from a Channel Islands standpoint as well.
That’s very typical of Deloitte’s approach; we integrate with teams based in the UK as well, which means we can offer our clients an incredible breadth and depth of expertise and experience.
Recently, I’ve been working on how the OECD’s pillar two could be introduced in Jersey and what that might mean for our clients. It’s really interesting and has been nice to work on something technical that isn’t necessarily my day-to-day job.
I do a lot of corporate work with Rupert Lee and Chris Allo daily, assisting our clients from a compliance perspective, but also with tax advisory matters.
This involves lots of reading legislation, and we have a number of conversations about how to interpret and apply specific aspects of the law.
I also work closely with Miranda Smith, covering the personal and business tax aspects of privately owned enterprises.
What other activities or committees are you part of?
I work closely with Martin Rowley on the Jersey tax go-to-market strategy, operational issues and the smooth running of the Jersey tax team in general.
As part of this, I lead our director and associate director team, which focuses on encouraging a wider group of senior team members to invest in the running of our business.
It is great to see this group of people, many of whom I’ve known since they joined as graduates, really take ownership for the ongoing success of our team.
I’m a Deloitte mental health first-aider and a mental health champion.
I also sit on our local Channel Islands wellbeing team and our Thrive team, which is the tax and legal UK-wide wellbeing team. It’s nice to create a bridge between Jersey and the UK in this area.
As part of the wider Jersey financial services community, I sit on the Jersey Society of Chartered and Certified Accountants tax sub-committee.
We discuss the wider implications of tax legislation, policies and guidance being introduced, including technical discussions around how these can impact the marketplace.
Outside of work, I play the flute in La Ronde Concert Band, which is set up as a local charity. I joined after I finished my studying at Deloitte and really enjoy spending time with people who have broader jobs in the Jersey community. It helps me maintain a wider perspective on the island.
FIND OUT MORE
Contact Katy Wintle, Tax Director, Deloitte at kwintle@deloitte.co.uk
• This advertising feature was first published in the July/August 2023 issue of Businesslife magazine