Growing the Deals Tax team is an exciting opportunity to be a part of
Meet Jonathan, a Director in our Deals Tax team. Jonathan shares insights into the growth of the team and the role mentoring played in his journey to becoming a Director. Here’s his story…
Tell us about your career journey and role at PwC?
Growing up, I never planned to work in tax. I loved music, sang, and played the trumpet, piano and guitar, which led me to a degree in music. After graduating, I decided not to pursue music professionally and made the unconventional pivot to a career in accountancy. After qualifying at a small firm in the Midlands, I moved to a Big 4 firm and worked in Corporation Tax. This was a huge learning curve for me - not only the transition to a larger firm, but as a family we decided to move house and have our first child, all in the space of one year.
I began my journey at PwC in 2013 where I was initially focused on building a Real Estate Tax team in the Midlands. A few years later, I identified an opportunity to extend the work we were doing in collaboration with the Deals Tax business, which at the time was based in London. The creation of the Post Deals Services team in the Midlands was to support Deals Tax clients through the transaction lifecycle and protect value in their portfolios. This was well aligned with the interests of a very busy London team, an ambitious and capable team in the Midlands, and a firmwide objective to build more teams in the regions. The resulting collaboration between these teams has been a career changing experience for me, and together we have achieved goals that felt very daunting at the outset. I feel fortunate to have had the professional opportunities I’ve experienced at PwC. I’ve been able to work on large and complex projects with fantastic clients and build meaningful and long-term working relationships.
The growth of the team has been phenomenal, we’re a unique team and I’m proud of how we’ve all developed. Since starting with just 3 team members, we’re now a 10 million pound revenue business unit. It’s been an incredible journey that I’m really proud of. There’s still so much potential in the team to grow and it’s an exciting opportunity to be a part of. It’s even better to do this with a team who respects and supports each other, as well as making time for fun.
Tell us about some of the factors to your success
For me, working with a mentor has been fundamental to my development and progression to Director. I’d describe moments during this process as life-changing, as it allowed me to reflect on myself and my working style. I received some feedback too during this, which presented a version of myself that, if I’m totally honest, I didn’t want to recognise.
I discovered that in a desire to “get things done” in high-pressured situations, I wasn’t willing to show vulnerability or admit weakness. Reflecting on this, I realised that this was difficult for others and at times I could be quite challenging to work with. Working through this with a mentor genuinely changed my whole perspective and helped me uncover a new style of working with my team which was more rewarding for everyone. Now when things are feeling tough, I draw on who I am and who I want to be and this helps me bring energy to these situations and work collaboratively with others.
What’s been your biggest career highlight at PwC so far?
For me, the biggest highlight was the first promotion that we had in the team. A team member was promoted from Senior Associate to a Manager - it was a big moment that makes me feel proud. It’s fantastic to reflect on this and acknowledge that they have since gone on to become a cornerstone of our management team as a Senior Manager, and that they now have a key role in developing our junior team as they progress through the grades. Outside of promotions, it’s a highlight for me to see the team develop, grow in confidence and develop their own strong client relationships.
What makes PwC distinctive to you?
At PwC, you’re given a huge opportunity to challenge yourself whilst always being in a safe environment. Working here, I’ve been encouraged to move beyond any limitations I see and push myself to succeed, whilst being supported to do so. I’ve truly loved the time I’ve spent at the firm.
The introduction of The Deal and Empowered Flexibility also makes PwC distinctive. The most important thing in my life is my family - I’m married to Cathy and have two children, Sam and Georgia. I love watching them grow and learn and we have a lot of fun together as a family, whether that’s sport, music or walking our 1 year old Labrador, Flash. The Deal has really helped me balance my career and personal life. Empowered Flexibility means I also split my time between the Birmingham and London offices and home. I live in the beautiful Malverns and a blended working approach means I get to experience the best of both worlds.
Inspired by Jonathan’s story and want to be part of a growing team? Explore our opportunities in Deals Tax.
