KPMG appoints Amar Thakrar as a Partner in tax compliance team

13 December 2019 Consultancy.uk

Big Four professional services firm KPMG has appointed Amar Thakrar as a Partner. Thakrar arrives at the company from pharmaceutical firm GSK.

With global tax systems changing rapidly amid a period of geo-political tension, many firms are turning to the consulting world to help them find the best deal in terms of cost and efficiency. This is particularly the case for businesses located in the UK, which will need to work in a complex and potentially volatile system in the wake of Brexit.

In preparation for growing demand in this area, Amar Thakrar has joined KPMG’s Tax division in London. The Chartered Accountant brings more than a decade of experience to the firm, and has been appointed as a Partner within the Compliance and Transformation service line. In the role, he will work across EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) to advise clients on building and operating their tax functions.

KPMG appoints Amar Thakrar as Partner in global compliance team

Commenting on his appointment, Amar Thakrar said: “I want to make a real difference to how organisations manage their tax. By using best practice processes and technology we can help businesses to transform the way that they manage risks and ensure compliance. I’m thrilled to be part of such a high-calibre team here at KPMG that has an enviable track record in this field and a reputation for innovation.”

Thakrar arrives from multinational healthcare company GSK, where he was similarly responsible for global tax compliance and transformation. He spent the last five years with the firm, having joined from KPMG’s Big Four rival Deloitte in 2014. During his five years with Deloitte, Thakrar rose from being a Summer Associate to a Manager, and in that time he delivered a compliance outsourcing proposal which aimed to centralise tax and accounting compliance for over 1,200 entities across 15 countries.

Jay Ayrton, Head of Global Compliance & Transformation in EMEA at KPMG, said, “Our clients want to make it easier to manage tax operations in a changing world of tax regulation, technology and finance transformation. At KPMG, we have combined our technology, transformation and compliance capabilities under a powerful new framework – Tax Reimagined. It is fantastic to have Amar join our team as he truly embodies those capabilities and can offer a different perspective from his time in industry.”

Having posted his transfer on LinkedIn one week ago, Thakrar has to date received more than 1,000 likes and comments from former and future colleagues, as well as (former) clients.

Gavin Donaldson, a partner in KPMG's management consulting wing, wrote, “KPMG is delighted to have you onboard. You bring so much experience but above all a transformational and inspiring mind. Really looking forward to our first client meeting together.” Dan Thomas, a member of KPMG's Executive Committee, added “We are delighted you made such a great choice!”