Background

Esmée Slattery joined Price Waterhouse in Newcastle as a Corporate Tax Consultant in 1962, having started her career in the Inland Revenue (now HM Revenue and Customs). She joined an overwhelmingly male-dominated office and work culture, and had to navigate her way to being accepted in the business community. Although the entry process for Price Waterhouse was described as even-handed, challenges came when she had to deal with clients in traditional industries, with some clients in the heavy engineering sector even refusing to allow her into the boardroom altogether.

Esmée did not allow these challenges to deter her, and in 1970, she became the first female manager, and then in 1985 the first female partner, in the Newcastle office; and one of the first female partners in the entire firm. Among many other achievements, Esmée was responsible for establishing one of the firm’s first specialist tax teams, focusing on land and property tax. She spent all of her career in the Newcastle office, apart from an eight month secondment to London in 1973 where she delved into the world of investigations and floatations.

Esmée did not confine her interests to tax and was well known for the breadth of her knowledge. Following her retirement in 1991, Esmée studied a range of topics ranging from Shakespeare to industrial archeology at Newcastle University, and also completed a BTEC in computing. Her post-retirement roles included serving as Chair of the Newcastle Citizens’ Advice Bureau and as a non-executive director of Reg Vardy plc.