Endless Things to Learn and Discover—Rob van der Woude of Fonoa

What is the most common misperception about the tax profession, and how are you working to change it?

The biggest misconceptions are that tax is boring and, therefore, that people working in tax must be boring. Yet, in my experience, both are false. Of course, you can debate the sexiness of taxes as a topic, but it is intellectually interesting and meaningful, and I’ve found throughout my career that the people who work in tax are diverse and driven.

There is so much to learn and discover—it’s like an ever-replenishing fountain of knowledge. I am trying to contribute to the industry by nurturing a diverse, non-stereotypical work environment whereby people are selected based on their values, skills and experience, and by evangelizing the fun aspects of working in tax.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., the publisher of Bloomberg Law and Bloomberg Tax, or its owners.

Author Information

Rob van der Woude is chief tax officer at Fonoa, a tax technology company. He previously was head of EMEA Tax at Uber and worked at EY in its corporate tax division.