Daisy Boughtflower, 29, is a tax manager working in the corporate international tax team at BDO. She joined the firm in 2012 after working in publishing at the Wylie Agency for three years. Daisy is both ACA and CTA qualified and deals with UK corporation tax compliance for large multinationals, as well as assisting on large tax advisory projects including UK inbound and outbound investments.

What made you go into tax and accounting?

I actually graduated with an English degree so my first job was with a publishing company. In this job I found that I was having to deal with a lot of commercial and financial issues, looking into things such as withholding tax. This led to a wife of an author suggesting that I work somewhere where they would train me to understand these issues better. Therefore I went on to apply for BDO and have been here since.

Do you have any regrets?

In the beginning I wasn’t aware of the career options available to me. I wish I knew about school leaver programmes earlier and that it wasn’t necessary to have to have an accounting background to go into an entry level position.

What is the toughest challenge that you have faced?

Getting to grips with all the jargon used in tax and working with people who have been in the industry for many years and are comfortable with using this language.

How did you get to your current position?

I joined the corporate international tax team just over five years ago and I have been here since. I started by studying for the ACA and then followed this up by studying for the CTA. I then found that the work I was doing was getting more difficult a lot quicker which provided me with a good platform to progress further.

I have been lucky as I have worked with lots of good partners, managers and directors who were focused on ensuring that I had plenty of opportunities. With their help I have got to the position of manager quite quickly.

What is your favourite part of your job?

No two days are ever the same and no two projects are the same. Often I get projects come in which I initially think are similar to projects I have completed recently but they then turn out to be completely different. I like this as it keeps me on my toes and means that I am constantly thinking.

…and your least favourite?

The perceptions associated with the wider accounting, finance and tax industry. It is a bit of stereotype that our jobs are boring or old fashioned. Also, the fact that there are not a lot of women in senior roles.

What is the most important skill to have in your role?

In tax it is important to have attention to detail and also to be a good listener to be able to pick up on these details. Another vital skill is to be able to communicate very complex tax points in a non-technical and accessible way to people who are not specialists.

What advice would you give to trainees?

They should have a proactive can do attitude so that they take all opportunities that come their way. They need to try and get involved with as many different people, clients and projects as they can to get exposure.

Are you under 30 years old and in the audit, accountancy or tax industry? Want to be grilled on your role? Get in touch here.

by Amy Austin