“The profession of tax consultant has undergone huge development in the course of the past years,” explains Jaap Rog, Chairman of the Management Board of KPMG Meijburg & Co. “Retaining talented staff and offering them the space to develop themselves is, therefore, essential to both Meijburg and our clients.” Meijburg’s own yacht and the collaboration with Roy Heiner, a world-class sailor, play an important role in this.
Knowledge and people
Knowledge has always been the primary key to the tax lawyer’s profession. The profession of tax lawyer has grown constantly more knowledge-intensive over the past few years. This is the result of globalization and constantly changing national and European laws and legislation. “At Meijburg, we have always been very focused on the technical aspects of tax-related matters, in order to offer our clients high-quality advice,” states Rog. “This is, of course, still the case, but we have come to realize that it is our people, in combination with our expertise, who provide our clients with the added value. This is why the people factor has become an increasingly important key factor in our company operations.” In the end, the profession of tax lawyer is all about working with people.
Recent developments
Two developments have been responsible for this. The first is the scarcity of tax lawyers in the labor market. The profession of tax lawyer is very attractive, but it requires the investment of several years of study in order to become fully fledged tax lawyer, according to Rog. “For years, tax law and tax economics have been viewed as difficult degrees and unfortunately, few young people choose this path. This leads to a limited pool of young tax talent. On top of that, people are approaching their work differently than they did before. The demand for a better balance between a high-paying job and a satisfying personal life has grown hugely. How attractive an employer is, is largely determined on the extent to which an organization can offer a good balance.”
KPMG Meijburg & co is fully aware of these developments and realizes that they will determine the success of the organization. Rog explains that “Our motto is that our knowledge should lead to added value for our clients. We, therefore, need to have this knowledge available but, obviously, we also need the right people to apply this knowledge. With this in mind, we have invested a lot in recruiting, and retaining, tax talent in recent years. We are, moreover, constantly developing new initiatives in these areas. This is because it is exactly this high-quality talent, that is constantly developing and enjoying their work with us, that allows us to provide out clients with the advice that they need.”
Developing team spirit
Over the years, many difference specialties have developed in the field of tax. Flexible collaboration between specialists is crucial to the provision of valuable advice to our clients. KPMG Meijburg & Co has entered into a unique cooperation with the Dutch world-class sailor, Roy Heiner, to stimulate this. “We often see our profession as the highest level of team sport,” states Rog, “which is why we find the development of team spirit important. Roy Heiner, working with a group of Meijburg tax experts, has developed a sailing program for The Taxation, our own boat, which emphasizes cooperation. But it doesn’t stop there. Our boat is also available to colleagues who wish to use sailing to develop their own initiatives.” This facility is used with great pleasure, according to Rog. Just as KPMG Meijburg & Co offers added value through making knowledge and expertise available to its clients, KPMG Meijburg & Co adds value to its tax experts’ professional enjoyment. This is the best course for the tax experts and clients to sail.