Corporate Tax Chat With Tasneem Kadiri of L’Oréal

Bloomberg Tax recently talked with Tasneem Kadiri, L’Oreal SA’s tax director for the U.K. and Ireland, about changes wrought by the pandemic at work and at home.

Kadiri also talked about tax issues that are most on her mind right now—including the U.K. plastics tax and, of course, Brexit.

She shared her thoughts about the Black Lives Matter movement and her passion for diversity and inclusion. Kadiri sits on the Committee for Women in Tax and leads the Black, Asian, and minority ethnic best practice group for the Multicultural Professional Network Forum at the House of Lords.

Bloomberg Tax: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, how you came into the tax world?

Kadiri: I love working in tax because it’s always evolving, there are always so many new pieces of tax legislation coming in, both at a local level and at an international level. I like the fact that it’s fast paced as it matches my personality, plus I love a challenge.

I am a chartered tax adviser and a chartered accountant. I started off my career as an auditor in a small accounting firm.

From fairly early on I had an interest in tax. Working for a small firm gave me the opportunity to do a little bit of everything.

Fast forward a few years and I was asked to join Rawlinson & Hunter as a business tax consultant, which I absolutely loved. It was my first role in tax and really was a great experience. Five years later this led me onto my first role in the industry, where I joined AkzoNobel as their U.K. tax manager. In 2015, I joined L’Oréal, where I am the U.K. & Ireland tax director.

Bloomberg Tax: Can you tell us how Covid-19 has affected you day to day, and any tips on how you managed the challenges?

Kadiri: I’ve always been an early starter. So the way I dealt with whole Covid-19 challenge and having kids at home is maintaining my early start at around 7 a.m. each day. I have found this helps me get my own head space in the morning and gives me time alone to think without all the chaos going on around me. By starting work early, it also means that if I need to be there for the kids later in the day I can do so without feeling so guilty.

The other thing that I found was really helpful was that I haven’t tried to stop my kids coming into conference calls. I found if you do that they just misbehave more, so I let them in if they want to. They are quite happy saying hello to people when I’m on a call, and they normally go away after about 30 seconds as then they find something else that interests them more—or I should say, some other mischief! They both absolutely love seeing my manager and have decided with him that they will come into the office to meet him post-lockdown.

My son—note he has only just turned 6—has even said he wants to work for L’Oréal in the future. In a way, I also think it makes them a little bit more connected to my work, and they have realized even more the importance of the work I do. So they do let me get on with things.

Making sure there was structure for myself and the kids has really helped me navigate the challenges of Covid-19. In general, we also try and have lunch together every day, eat healthier, and exercise together as family.

Bloomberg Tax: What are some of the positive takeaways from the changes you’ve seen during the Covid-19 crisis?

Kadiri: For me it’s been busier than ever and I’ve had to ensure that I am there and available as a business partner to all of our functions across the company for whatever comes up. It requires a lot of focus to manage my time so that I’m prioritizing in the best way possible for the business. Staying in touch with HMRC has been very important during this time to ensure that they are aware of what is happening with our business and so that we can remain transparent.

I think HMRC has done a remarkable job keeping up the same level of communication as they did with companies pre-Covid-19, especially in the face of all the brand-new programs launched by the government since the crisis began.

One interesting thing I’ve noticed is that virtual meetings when everyone is working from home works better than when some people are in the office. They are more time-efficient as people aren’t running around trying to find a meeting room.

Bloomberg Tax: What big changes in the tax world are you preparing for, and can you give us an example of how you are preparing?

Kadiri: Digitization and how AI will impact tax departments in multinationals is something that is on our radar. It’s a challenge that I expect is on all tax directors’ minds, and we’ve been helped in the U.K. with Making Tax Digital for VAT.

The plastics tax consultation has been of interest to me, and the tax itself is in line with our sustainability values. One concern I do have is whether there will be sufficient packaging that meets the government’s 30% recycled packaging quota, particularly the question of whether there is enough of this type of packaging from mainstream sources so that companies can adapt in time for the change in April 2022.

Another big topic that has been on the agenda is Brexit. As a business we have spent a few years preparing to ensure we have a smooth transition. It will be interesting to see how the government’s decisions between now and the end of December affect our plans.

Bloomberg Tax: You work with the U.K. Parliament on how to implement best practices on diversity and inclusion. How has the Black Lives Matter protest affected you?

Kadiri: Having been involved in diversity and inclusion for a long time, I think it is a real shame that it took something like this to push racial disparities to the front of people’s minds. It should not have taken something like this for wider society to get behind this. The problem was always there, but it has taken society much longer to take action.

This is a passion of mine, as a tax director, there are not enough people of color at tax director or partner level.

Being a female from an ethnic minority and a working mum, I have had to overcome obstacles and judgments along my career path.

There are a lot of obstacles that people of color often must go through in terms of proving themselves. For example, in my case, I have had to encounter judgments of gender roles in Indian culture of how a working mum should be. I have, however, been very fortunate to have had my father and husband support me in my career goals and to help challenge traditional stereotypes.

Bloomberg Tax: What book are you currently reading?

Kadiri: “The Untethered Soul” by Michael A. Singer. This is a great book on spirituality and also for leadership. I love reading nonfiction books and ones where I can grow and develop myself.