Helena Kanczula joined BKL in March 2022 as our newest Tax Director, with more than 20 years of experience in business tax. What’s she been working on during her first four months here and what does she think of BKL?
Helping our clients
Helena sat down with Anthony Newgrosh, our Head of Tax Consultancy, to chat about:
- A complex project she’s been involved with at BKL: advising an overseas group on structuring and financing its acquisition of a UK-headed group
- The particular challenges: HMRC’s lengthy and complex anti-avoidance rules
- How we helped: collaboration between BKL’s tax specialists and contacts in our AGN International membership association; minimising some of the tax inefficiencies of the acquisition structure; enabling the client to refocus on business growth
Getting to know BKL
In the first issue of our magazine Discover, Helena wrote about her early experiences of being at BKL:
‘I joined BKL in March and already I am excited about the direction the firm is taking and its commitment to its clients and people.
My new colleagues quickly made me appreciate what an exceptional move this has been. Technically astute, widely experienced and commercially sharp, there is a genuine collaborative approach across all teams.
In late April I attended the induction morning for everyone who’d recently joined BKL. It’s easy to be cynical about corporate initiatives but the BKL values were written through consultation with all colleagues and have really shone through in working with everyone across the firm. Colleagues really do Take Pride but above all, there is an obvious sense that they Enjoy It and the leadership team are committed to ensuring that a working environment is sustained where everyone matters.
The office is stunning following its refurbishment and makes for a bright, buzzy but calm working environment designed to work for the business. The coffee is pretty good too!
The beauty of a firm like BKL is that there is the opportunity to work across a number of different tax specialisms. My focus therefore is on entrepreneurs and their businesses, providing both corporate and personal tax advice and support on transactional matters.
There will be some interesting initiatives launching over the next few months including revamped training workshops which I am coordinating. Outside work, I am currently planning a refresh of home decor. I have also been learning Italian on and off since living there after qualifying and am excited that travel is back on the agenda as I have many wonderful friends to visit.’
Read Helena’s full article in Discover.
To find out more about Helena and our other tax specialists can help you, please get in touch with your usual BKL contact or use our enquiry form.
