CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Friday 27 November 2026

8:45 - 9:30
Registration with morning refreshments

9:30 - 9:45
Welcome
Peter Coulthard, Partner at EY focused on complex M&A transactions and related tax aspects, Council Member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation

9:45 - 10:15
Presentation - Pillar Two: Lessons Learned, Current Challenges and a Look Ahead
Stephanie Hurst, Partner, Deloitte and Rekha Bhonsle, Associate Director, Deloitte


10:15 - 11:15
Panel Session – Tax Controversy and Dispute Trends
Chaired by Anastasia Nourescu, Partner, Stewarts

Panel: Claire Cowen, International Tax Partner, Forvis Mazars and Lee Butler, Associate Director - Transfer Pricing, BDO LLP

Themes

  • Growth in cross-border tax disputes and audits
  • Dispute mechanisms (MAP, arbitration and litigation)
  • Increasing importance of reputational risk and transparency
     

11:15 - 11:45
Presentation - Challenges and Opportunities for Multinational SMEs in the Current UK Tax Landscape
Esther Ollech, Tax Director, MGR Weston Kay

11:45 - 12:00
Coffee Break

12:00 - 12:30
Presentation - Transactions in the New Tax Environment (M&A Structuring)
Speaker TBC

Themes:

  • Impact of global minimum tax rules on deal structuring
  • Private capital and financing considerations
  • Evolution of tax due diligence


12:30 - 13:00
Presentation - Case Law and Policy Developments
Sarah Gabbai, Counsel and Head of UK Tax at Gide Loyrette Nouel LLP

Themes:

  • Key UK and international judicial developments
  • Interaction between courts, policy and administration
  • Lessons for practitioners

13:00 - 14:00
Lunch
 

14:00 - 15:00
Leadership, Influence and the Modern Tax Function
Chaired by Dipti Thakrar, M&A Tax Lead, Hitachi Energy

  • Leadership in a Digital Age: Role of tax leaders in strategic decision-making (Helen Whiteman, CEO, Chartered Institute of Taxation)
  • The importance of a tax voice from an operational perspective (Chloe Radcliffe-Scott, Employment Tax Manager, Balfour Beatty)
  • Communication of tax strategy to stakeholders (Daniel Price, Group Tax Manager, Virgin Active)


15:00 - 15:45
Tax, Data and AI: From Tools to Decision-Making
Chaired by Shan Sun, Consultant and CIOT Council Member

Panel: Sultan Mahmood, CEO, Intellixcore, Glenn Price, Group Tax Director, Vodafone and Helen Whiteman, CEO, Chartered Institute of Taxation

15:45 - 16:00
AI Ethical and governance considerations
Jane Mellor, Head of Professional Standards Manager, Chartered Institute of Taxation and the Association of Taxation Technicians


16:00 - 17:00
Budget Update
Makayla Combes, Tax Associate Director, Wilson Partners