Ektaa Kumar is the Head of Tax Interim & Consulting for Morgan McKinley. Established in 1988, Morgan McKinley is a globally active recruitment consultancy which connects specialist talent with leading employers across multiple industries and jurisdictions.
Tell us about yourself
Having graduated with a BSC in Mathematics & Statistics, I decided that a career within Banking was where I wanted to be. I joined private bank, Coutts & Co, on an interim basis within their Private Wealth Management team where I got the chance to develop my interpersonal skills and Consulting expertise on an International Scale. It became very apparent that brokerage & custodians weren’t my expertise and rather relationships & career guidance were my forte. I took a leap of faith, switched careers and almost 10 years of commercial recruitment & consulting experience here we are!
What is your current role?
I lead the Tax Interim & Consultancy Division for Morgan McKinley. I partner with CFOs and Heads of Tax within businesses of all sizes from Multinational Enterprises to SME’s to deliver innovative staffing solutions for Tax teams on a Global Basis. Some of the services we offer clients include:
What does a Typical Day consist of?
Recruitment is a rollercoaster- no two days are the same! From speaking to clients (UK & International) to understand their staffing needs to dealing with Global Organization’s HR teams to provide suggestions on their own Diversity & Inclusion hiring strategies, part of what makes the role enjoyable is the variety that you experience daily. That said, the key activities during my day contribute to a deeper understanding of the Tax market and I particularly enjoy relating to tax professionals at all levels of their career.
What is the most rewarding part of your role?
The most rewarding part of my job is ultimately relating to people on a variety of different levels. I get to speak to people about navigating one of the most important factors of their lives, their career, and being able to connect an amazing company with top talent is what truly motivates me! Having an exceptional track record in the Tax Market definitely helps, but we remain only as good as our last assignment so the ability to evolve in our industry is key. Developing ways to stay current with the Tax market is extremely rewarding.
How do you produce relevant content for the market?
The answer really is simple- keep yourself informed. Market Trends, Key Events and Major movements within the Tax Industry are critical for keeping yourself up to date! Whether that’s reading Tax Publications or regularly speaking to Senior Influences within the Tax world on a global basis- Knowledge is power!!
How do you see the Tax Market evolving for 2020?
Reform is the word of the hour! Companies have a delicate task of balancing commerciality with the evolution of Tax regulations and this will drive Tax discipline hiring patterns for 2020. 2019 saw a rise in staffing within the Tax Governance area with Multinational Enterprise’s building teams to unearth legislative changes. Organizations will continue to seek opportunities to extract more value from tax and as we charge into a new era of Tax Technology- efficiencies will take precedent.
Ektaa will be a monthly contributor to GCC Fintax- Read her most recent article here.
1 Like
3923
