Our Spotlight series highlights the careers and lives of tax professionals around the world. This week’s Spotlight is on Diego Almeida Guzmán, the senior and technical partner of Almeida Guzmán & Asociados, a tax boutique law firm in Quito, Ecuador.
Almeida Guzmán is an expert in international arbitration and specializes in legal-corporate consulting; mergers, divisions, and acquisitions of companies; privatizations; and business restructuring projects. He advises clients on stocks, trusts, investment funds, taxes, foreign investments, and technology transfers. He also has been appointed Honorary Consul of the Netherlands in Quito.
When he’s not working, Almeida Guzmán says he enjoys playing golf, writing, and spending time with his son and grandchildren.
What’s your official title and what does it mean? As the senior and technical partner of the firm, I am responsible for monitoring the professional performance and strategizing techniques that would benefit the firm’s growth.
Free time: book, audiobook, or podcast? During my free time, I enjoy reading history books and writing for several newspapers, magazines, and professional blogs.
Tax is a huge subject. What’s your area of special interest? I focus on Ecuadorian tax law, as well as on international transactions affecting the business operations of multinationals operating in Ecuador.
What’s the last movie or show that you watched and loved (DVD, Netflix, or in the theater)? The documentary on the life of Shimon Peres.
What college did you attend and what did you study? I attended the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Quito, where I obtained my doctorate in law.
Go to pick-me-up: Coffee or tea? I enjoy drinking tea.
What’s the best tax or financial advice that anyone ever gave you? Pay the taxes you owe. Don’t get involved in business you are not well informed about.
If you weren’t working in the tax profession, what would your dream job be? Teach philosophy.
If you had the opportunity to make one change in the tax world—an extra credit, a disallowed deduction, whatever—what would it be? I would create tax benefits for projects of social interest.
Favorite food, snack, or candy during tax season or other busy time? Peanuts.
What tax news or move made the most impact on your practice or clients this past year? OECD’s initiatives on international taxation.
If you received a big tax refund check right now, what would you do with it? Invest it in the growth of the firm.
You can find out more about Almeida Guzmán on LinkedIn.
You can learn more about Almeida Guzmán’s law firm on its website.
If you’d like to recommend a tax pro to be featured, send your suggestion to rbaker@bloombergindustry.com with the subject: Spotlight. Please include the following information: tax professional’s name, title, email address, and geographic area (city/state/country).
To contact the reporter on this story:
To contact the editor responsible for this story: