Pinsent Masons hires international tax director to join Dubai Team

The firm has appointed an international VAT advisor, Joanne Clarke, to join its Dubai operations in the capacity of Tax Director (VAT).

Clarke joins from PwC where she spent nine years in the Dublin office before moving to their Dubai office as a Senior VAT Manager. She has over 11 years of experience advising clients across various industries on VAT compliance, structuring and technical matters.

From basic manual returns to the most modern tax engines for compliance automation, Clarke is highly experienced in assisting clients on a broad range of issues and challenges relating to VAT compliance. She also has ample know-how in collaborating with tax authorities across a range of jurisdictions in order to obtain resolutions for her clients. She has supported a number of different companies from SMEs to large corporate multinational groups, with their VAT implementation in the Gulf, together with post implementation compliance, advisory and tax authority support.

Osama Hassan, head of Middle East Region at Pinsent Masons, commented, “Following the recent introduction of VAT earlier this year, many clients are still experiencing teething problems and difficulties in adjusting to the new regime. We are delighted to welcome Joanne on board to further bolster our services and continue to provide the highly trusted counsel that our firm is renowned for in the field of tax compliance.” He added, “Joanne has a proven track record in building strong client relationships through her practical and commercial approach and for seeking to identify  clients ” VAT pain points” and supporting them in identifying an acceptable resolution.”

In her new role, Clarke will support our wider tax team advising clients across all sectors to identify the VAT status of their business, their VAT requirements and creating efficiencies within their internal VAT governance.