News

Women@Taxand Q1 2025 : Career Advancement, Leadership and Mentorship

Editorial Team 17 Feb 2025

Our latest Women@Taxand session brought together over 15 countries to discuss key themes around career progression, leadership, and mentorship. We explored challenges for women navigating the tax industry with valuable insights from our experienced members:

• Angela Rosca, Managing Partner, Taxhouse (Taxand Romania)
• Henrietta Kristanto, Partner, PB Taxand (Taxand Indonesia)
• and Frédéric Donnedieu de Vabres, Partner and Founding Member of Taxand and Arsene (Taxand France)

Here’s a summary of the insights and comments that emerged from the discussions:

Positive Evolution, but progress still needed

Our most experienced partners shared their experiences of having to work twice as hard to prove themselves. Encouragingly, corporate culture is evolving, with younger generations of male partners adopting a more inclusive mindset. However, there is still uncertainty and gaps for partnership roles, highlighting the need for continued efforts.

Motherhood & Leadership Compatibility

Balancing career progression with family life remains a challenge, but it is possible. Mentorship focused on navigating leadership while managing family responsibilities can provide critical support.

Confidence & Career Progression

Studies show that men apply for roles when they meet only 60% of the criteria, whereas women wait until they meet 100%. Encouraging women to step forward earlier and providing mentorship—especially from male colleagues—can help bridge this gap.

Business Development: A Gender Perspective

Women excel in building long-term client relationships, while men tend to focus on short-term results. Sponsorship and networking are crucial tools to help women advance and capitalize on their strengths. Different style but same outcome!

Path to Partnership

A mentorship program tailored for both women and men can provide guidance on the path to partnership, helping to close existing gaps and promote diverse leadership.

Quotas & Representation

The discussion on quotas for women in leadership roles revealed mixed views. Some see them as necessary to drive change, while others believe that merit should remain the determining factor. Acknowledging different leadership styles between men and women can foster a more inclusive workplace.

Next steps for Women@Taxand

• Stay connected via our new Taxand mobile app: Our dedicated chat group will ease communication amongst our group. You can download the Taxand app by scanning the QR code below (only available for iOS). You will need your Taxand Hub logins to connect. (please contact julia.nazzareno@taxand.com if you need any assistance here)

• Save the date! Join us in person for our Women@Taxand’s Breakfast: A unique opportunity to connect during the Taxand Global Conference in Berlin, Germany. More details to come!

• International Women’s Day (8th March): The UN Global Compact Countdown to International Women’s Day 2025 is a three-week interactive program starting 18 February, designed to help companies move from commitment to action on gender equality.
  • • You can sign up in their learning journey here

• Business Development: We held a session on BD in Q4 2024, and you can find the summary here. Let us know your ideas for upcoming sessions on topics that matter to you. All slides and content are available at all times in our shared folder ‘Women@Taxand’ on Taxand’s Hub.

• Next virtual session: Thursday 17^th April – 13:00-14:15 CET, don’t hesitate to share the invitation to female colleagues.

If you want to be involved in our community, please write to stouzet@taxand.com and julia.nazzareno@taxand.com.

Angela, Henrietta, Julia and Sophie for Women@Taxand

Article tags

International | Women