Speakers
Our experts on tax issues.
Doris Achelwilm
Member of the Bundestag, Spokesperson on Tax Policy (Die Linke)
Benjamin Angel
Director, EU Commission, BrusselsBenjamin Angel currently serves as the Director for direct taxation, tax coordination, economic analysis, and evaluation at the European Commission's Directorate General for Taxation and Customs Union (TAXUD). He has also held roles as the Director for indirect taxation, Treasury and Financial operations, and the economies of the Member States in the Directorate General for economic and financial affairs (ECFIN). Benjamin Angel holds a PhD in law, an MBA in finance, a master's in public administration focused on economics, and a master's in political science.
Prof. Dr. Heribert M. Anzinger
University Professor, University of UlmProf. Dr. iur. Heribert M. Anzinger is Professor of Business and Tax Law at the University of Ulm. He completed his first and second state examinations in law in Bayreuth and Munich, is a business lawyer (University of Bayreuth), holds a doctorate and was a junior professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt. His research focuses on German, European and international corporate, financial and tax law with references to civil, accounting, corporate and capital market law as well as the digitalization of law.
Philip Baker
King's Counsel, Field Court Tax ChambersPhilip Baker KC is a practicing barrister and King's Counsel with chambers in Field Court, Gray's Inn. He is also a Visiting Professor at Oxford University Law School and a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London. He specializes in international aspects of taxation, covering both corporate and private client matters. He has advised and represented several governments on tax matters and has appeared as an expert witness in cases around the world. He has a particular interest in taxation and the European Convention on Human Rights. He is the author of a book on double taxation treaties and editor of the International Tax Law Reports. He was one of the general rapporteurs on the practical protection of taxpayers' rights for the International Fiscal Association Congress in Basel in 2015 and is one of the directors of the Observatory for the Protection of Taxpayers' Rights.
Ákos Baráti
Partner, Jalsovszky
"As a partner with 15 years of experience, I am heading the direct tax advisory, HNWI and capital markets service lines of Jalsovszky, a market leading tax and legal advisor in Hungary, Budapest.
Over the last one and a half decade I have been involved in major domestic and international group restructurings and advised many high net worth individuals / families."
Paolo Valerio Barbantini
Group Head of Tax, Fincantieri Group
Paolo Valerio Barbantini is Head of Tax of Fincantieri Group, a leading public company operating in the shipbuilding industry in Italy and abroad as from March 2024.
Between 2018 until February 2024 he has served the Italian Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle entrate) as Deputy Director General.
From 2015 until January 2018, Mr. Barbantini has been working at the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration as coordinator of BEPS and Developing Countries and then as responsible for their engagement and launch of the Inclusive Framework on BEPS.
Before joining the OECD, he served the Italian Revenue Agency as Director of the Large Business Division (2009-2014) and as Director of the Italian APA program (2004-2009).
He had been appointed as delegate at various OECD working parties (WP6, Vice-Chair of the ATP Steering Group and at WP11 for BEPS Action 2-3-4) and involved in several IFC-World Bank Group technical assistance programs delivered to developing countries on transfer pricing, aggressive tax planning and capacity building (e.g. Georgia, Thailand, Myanmar, etc.).
He is member of the faculty of the University of Lausanne (Tax Policy center and Master on Advanced Studies on International Taxation) and lecturer at the ITC at the University of Leiden (NL). He has also been involved in several IFA initiatives including being member of the IFA Permanent Scientific Committee and currently member of the IFA Supervisory Board. As from 2025 he is member of the Board of Trustees of the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (IBFD).
Before joining the Italian Revenue and the OECD, he worked in the private practice. He received his degree in Economics at the Rome University and a post-graduate degree in International Taxation.
Fabian Baumer
Vice Director / Head of the Tax Policy Division, Federal Tax Administration, BernFabian Baumer is Vice Director and member of the Executive Board of the Federal Tax Administration in Bern. He is Head of the Tax Policy Division. Previously, he worked for an international law firm in Zurich and Washington, D.C., and headed the legal department of a cantonal tax administration. Fabian Baumer is a guest lecturer at the Universities of Lausanne and St. Gallen.
Dr. Stefan Behrens
Partner, Clifford Chance, Frankfurt am Main
Dr Stefan Behrens, RA/FAStR/StB, is a partner at Clifford Chance in Frankfurt am Main. His practice focuses on tax advice relating to company acquisitions and restructurings, property investments, fund structuring and proceedings before the tax courts.
Katharina Beck
Member of the Bundestag, Spokesperson on Fiscal Policy (Alliance 90/The Greens), German Bundestag
Katharina Beck has been a Member of the Bundestag for Hamburg since 2021 and is the spokesperson on fiscal policy for the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group. Beck also serves on the KfW’s Administrative Board.
Beck is co-author of the book *Green Ferry – the ticket to consistently sustainable business*, which was published in 2022. Before entering the Bundestag, Beck worked as a management consultant specialising in sustainability for large corporations and as a supervisory board member at an education fintech company; she also founded a business and headed two international organisations.
Alongside her parliamentary work, Beck is involved in the Board of Trustees of the Verantwortungseigentum Foundation, which advocates for a new legal form with 100 per cent asset commitment, and in the IDI – Initiative deutsche Infrastruktur e.V., which promotes sound infrastructure financing.
Christoph Becker
Partner, Baker McKenzie
Christoph Becker is a tax adviser and a long-standing partner at Baker McKenzie in Frankfurt. His practice focuses on international tax law and providing tax advice on complex corporate transactions and restructurings. He also represents clients in disputes with the tax authorities.
Dr. Florian Bentele
General Counsel Private Markets, Allianz Global Investors
Dr Florian Bentele has been practising as a solicitor in the fields of financial services and asset management for more than 20 years. As General Counsel for Private Markets, he is responsible for legal and compliance matters relating to the private markets business of Allianz Global Investors GmbH, Allianz Global Investors UK Limited, Allianz Capital Partners GmbH and Allianz Capital Partners of America LLC. He is the (co-)author of various specialist publications and a commentary on the German Capital Investment Code.
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Benz
Partner, Seitz Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB, CologneProf. Dr. Sebastian Benz is a lawyer and tax law specialist at Seitz Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB in Cologne. He is also an honorary professor at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Münster and specializes in corporate tax law and tax transaction structuring. He has written numerous articles on tax law.
Dr. Hans-Georg Berg
Partner, Schilling Zutt Anschütz, Frankfurt am Main
Dr Hans-Georg Berg completed his training as a Diplom-Finanzwirt at the Bavarian University of Applied Sciences for Civil Servants in Herrsching in 1983. Following his first state examination in Würzburg (1990) and his second state examination (1993), he was awarded a doctorate in law (Dr. jur.) from the University of Würzburg in 1995. Since 1993, he has practised as a solicitor specialising in tax law, with a particular focus on cross-border tax issues. He has also been a specialist solicitor in tax law since 1999. He has been a partner at SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz in Frankfurt since 2010.
Jack Bernstein
Senior Partner, Aird & Berlis, Toronto
Jack Bernstein is one of Canada’s preeminent tax lawyers. He is a prolific writer and speaker and is internationally recognized for excellent service and delivering practical and innovative advice that his clients can trust. Who’s Who Legal: Corporate Tax has described him as "the leading Canadian tax adviser" with an "unparalleled profile" in the market and has ranked him "among the top 10 recommended tax lawyers in the world," and Who’s Who Legal: Canada has noted that "He is extremely strong – a number of players rated him as the star of the tax bar" and that he "commands a spectacular reputation as a first tier tax lawyer and is an excellent writer and speaker." He is commended for his knowledge of the local market, outstanding legal ability and responsiveness.
Dr. Marc Binger
SVP Taxes and Duties, BASF SE, Ludwigshafen
Dr Marc Binger has worked in the tax and finance departments at BASF since 2010 and has headed the global tax function at BASF SE since 2025. He is a member of the Executive Board of the VCI Tax Committee, as well as a member of the BDI Tax Committee and the ‘Tax’ working group of the Schmalenbach Society for Business Administration (Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft für Betriebswirtschaft e.V.).
Prof. Dr. Mathias Birnbaum
Partner, Mazars GmbH & Co. KG, DüsseldorfDr. Mathias Birnbaum is an honorary professor at the University of Leipzig and a partner in the International Tax department at Mazars in Düsseldorf. He advises clients from Germany and abroad, in particular in the areas of international tax structuring, outbound/inbound investments, permanent establishments, reorganizations, acquisitions and financial litigation.
Bernd Brinkamp
Head of Indirect Tax, Vodafone GmbH, Düsseldorf
Bernd Brinkamp has been working in the field of VAT for over 20 years. After studying law in Konstanz, Geneva and Lausanne, he undertook further training at the European Court of Justice and the Berlin Regional Tax Office. His career in VAT has taken him from a Big Four firm to METRO AG and, most recently, to Vodafone GmbH. His key areas of focus to date have included VAT optimisation of supply chains, setting up an internal control system for VAT, the digitalisation of the tax function – including the integration of foreign shared service centres – and the introduction of e-invoicing within the group. He is a member of the VAT working group of the BDI and the AWV, as well as a member of the Umsatzsteuerforum e.V.
Torsten Bock
Judge, Berlin-Brandenburg Finance Court
Torsten Bock is a judge at the Berlin-Brandenburg Finance Court. After holding various posts within the Federal Finance Administration (as a senior officer at the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Federal Central Tax Office), he was seconded to the Federal Finance Court as a research fellow. He is co-author of commentaries on, amongst others, the Real Estate Transfer Tax Act (GrEStG), the Gift Tax Act (GrStG) and the Inheritance Tax Act (ErbStG).
Roland Bodenstein
Senior Director Transfer Pricing, KION Group
Roland Bodenstein (Graduate in Economics, MA) has been working in the field of transfer pricing for over 20 years. He has headed the Transfer Pricing department at the KION Group since 2022. Prior to this, he worked in the automotive supply industry and in consultancy. His areas of expertise lie in the transfer of functions and financial transactions. He is a member of the AWV’s Transfer Pricing Working Group.
Lutz Boxberger,
Managing Director I General Counsel, Golding Capital Partners GmbH
Lutz Boxberger, Managing Director and General Counsel, has been responsible for the legal and tax structuring of investment products at Golding Capital Partners since 2017. He is also Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the AIFM Golding Capital Partners (Luxembourg) S.A. He holds a degree in Finance (FH) and has been admitted to practise as a solicitor since 2003 and as a tax adviser since 2008; he is also co-editor of Beck’s Concise Commentary on the KAGB and the Private Equity Legal Handbook.
Dr. Thomas Böcker
Solicitor (in-house counsel), Head of the Product Tax – Alternative Investments team, Universal-Investment-Gesellschaft mbH, Berlin
Dr Thomas Böcker, LL.M. Taxation
Thomas Böcker works in the tax department of the fund service platform Universal Investment. As group head, he is responsible for tax matters relating to fund and securitisation solutions for alternative investments in Germany, Luxembourg and Ireland. Prior to this, he practised as a solicitor specialising in tax and regulatory law for several years. He is co-author of a commentary on the Investment Tax Act.
Dr. Rolf Bösinger
State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Berlin
Dr Rolf Bösinger has been State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance since May 2025, a post he previously held from 2018 to 2021. From 2021 to 2025, he was State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Housing. Prior to that, as State Councillor for Economic Affairs, Transport and Innovation in Hamburg, he helped shape the city’s financial and economic policy. Earlier in his career, he held posts at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and at the State Chancellery of the Saarland.
Dr. Gottfried Breuninger
Partner, Allen & Overy LLP, MunichDr. Gottfried E. Breuninger is head of the German tax practice and Chair of Global Tax. He is one of the leading German tax law experts. In addition to advising on corporate tax law, his focus is on advising and representing companies in tax audits and investigations of complex tax transactions. This also includes the (judicial) representation of companies in tax disputes at the interface between tax law and criminal law.
Rebecca Burch
Deputy Assistant Secretary International Tax Affairs,Office of Tax Policy U.S. Department of the Treasury
The Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Tax Affairs leading the United States Department of Treasury Office of Tax Policy’s work on international tax affairs, including regulations, treaties, and the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS negotiations on Pillar 2.
Emmet Campbell
Seconded National Expert, DG TAXUD, VAT Policy, European Commission, EU-Commission, Brüssel
Emmet Campbell is a senior VAT policy expert working at EU and national level. Currently a Seconded National Expert in the European Commission (DG TAXUD), he contributes to major VAT reforms including VAT in the Digital Age, notably the Single VAT Registration pillar, as well as e-commerce and IOSS reforms. He previously held senior VAT policy and interpretation roles with Ireland’s Revenue Commissioners.
Gabriela Capristano Cardoso
Transfer Pricing Advisor
OECD
Gabriela Capristano Cardoso is an Advisor in the Transfer Pricing Unit at the OECD since 2021. She has been involved in various transfer pricing projects, including the work on Amount B of Pillar One of the project on the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy, global mobility, and CbCR.
Previously, she has worked for the United Nations, the Vienna University of Economic and Business (WU) and for EY on international tax and transfer pricing matters.
Gabriela holds a Degree in Law from the Catholic University of Pernambuco, Brazil, an Advanced LL.M. in International Tax from Leiden University, the Netherlands, and is currently a PhD candidate in International Tax at WU, Austria.
Ralf Chalupnik
Director Tax Policy, Allianz SE, MunichRalf Chalupnik has been working for Allianz SE in Munich since spring 2009. He works in the Group Taxation (Tax Policy) department for the Allianz Group. After studying law and completing his legal clerkship, he began his professional career in the Berlin tax authorities in 1995. Before joining Allianz SE, he worked as deputy head of the tax department at GDV, where he was responsible for corporate tax law, among other things.
Michel Collet
Partner, CMS Francis Lefebvre, Paris
Michel Collet advises banks, funds, and public and private companies on cross-border transactions, including M&A, financing, real estate, and securitization. He also advises Territories such as Saint-Barthélemy and Guadeloupe on tax policy and institutional reforms, assists HNWIs with cross-border family planning, and represents clients before national courts and the European Court of Human Rights. He is a lecturer at the university of Orléans on Fiducie.
Alessandro Denaro
EU official, EU-Commission
Alessandro Denaro has been working at the Directorate-General for Competition of the European Commission in fiscal aid an aggressive tax planning since 2015.
He was responsible for several investigations into tax practices of the Member States which were considered to violate state aid law, by granting a favorable tax treatment to certain companies, in particular through tax rulings. Previously, from 2006 to 2015, Alessandro worked for the APA office of the Italian Revenue Agency.
From 2012 to 2015 Alessandro was appointed as Italian delegate to the EU Council’s Working Party on Tax Questions - Direct Taxation, to the EU Joint Transfer Pricing Forum, to international tax seminars (IOTA, Fiscalis), to the OECD WP6. Alessandro regularly lectures on transfer pricing, international taxation and State aid and he wrote several articles for Italian tax journals.
Alessandro holds a Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration and a Master in tax law with honors.
Dr. Jan de Weerth
Director, Deutsche Bank AG, Frankfurt am MainDr. Jan de Weerth (lawyer/specialist lawyer for tax law/tax consultant) has worked in the tax department of Deutsche Bank for over 25 years, focusing on various areas. He has also been head of the Tax Law Institute at the German Lawyers' Institute (DAI) for several years. He is also a speaker at tax conferences in Germany and abroad and the author of numerous publications, in particular on VAT law, international tax law and EU tax law.
Thomas Dierichs
Head of Taxes, Diehl Stiftung & Co. KG, NurembergThomas Dierichs (born 1963), Dipl.-Kfm., tax consultant, has been head of the tax department of the Diehl Group in Nuremberg, a family-run technology company, since fall 2006. Prior to this, he was a partner at Rödl & Partner after completing his studies in Nuremberg. He is a member of the board of the BDI tax committee and chairman of the working group on tax issues for partnerships. He is also a member of the tax committee of the DIHK and the executive committee of the Bavarian IFA.
Prof. Dr. Xaver Ditz
Partner, Flick Gocke Schaumburg Partnerschaft mbB, Bonn
Prof. Dr Xaver Ditz studied economics in Mannheim and Hamburg. He has been with Flick Gocke Schaumburg in Bonn since 2000 and has been a partner there since 2005.
Xaver Ditz is an honorary professor at the University of Trier, a lecturer at the Universities of Zurich and Lausanne, and a visiting lecturer at the Federal Finance Academy.
He is co-editor of the journals *Internationale Steuer-Rundschau* (ISR), *Internationales Steuerrecht* (IStR) and *International Transfer Pricing Journal* (ITPJ).
He is also co-editor of commentaries and handbooks: *Flick/Wassermeyer/Ditz/Schönfeld, Foreign Tax Law*; *Wassermeyer/Baumhoff/Ditz, Transfer Pricing between Internationally Affiliated Companies*; Schönfeld/Ditz, Double Taxation Agreements; Wassermeyer/Andresen/Ditz, Handbook on Permanent Establishments.
Xaver Ditz is Chairman of the Fachinstitut der Steuerberater e.V., President of the International Fiscal Association (IFA) Germany, a member of the Tax Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce and of the Foreign Tax Law Committee of the IDW, and a board member at Taxand.
Deirdre Donaghy
Head of Business Tax, Department of Finance
Deirdre Donaghy is the Head of Business Tax in Ireland's Department of Finance. She has responsibility for advising on and implementing changes to corporation tax policy, including business tax incentives. She has overseen Ireland's transposition of the EU Anti-Tax Avoidance Directives and Minimum Tax Directive. Prior to joining the Department, Deirdre worked in tax practice for over 10 years.
Prof. Dr. Christian Dorenkamp
Senior Vice President Tax, Deutsche Telekom AG, BonnChristian Dorenkamp heads the Group Tax department at Deutsche Telekom. He studied economics and law in Cologne. He chairs the BITKOM tax working group and is a lecturer in international tax law at the University of Cologne.
Iulia Dragomir
Partner, bpv Grigorescu StefanicaIulia Dragomir is a partner at bpv GRIGORESCU STEFANICA and specializes in mergers and acquisitions, commercial and tax law. Iulia Dragomir advises clients on private equity (PE) and M&A transactions and is adept at handling complex projects for large local and international clients, including corporate restructuring projects and tax structuring of transactions. She regularly advises her clients on the tax implications of various transactions and has extensive experience in the design and implementation of employee participation structures. Her expertise also extends to competition, employment and public procurement law, both in the area of general compliance, where she regularly provides training to client teams, as well as assisting with specific complex projects involving regulatory investigations, restructuring and reorganization processes, and litigation and out-of-court disputes.
Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Drüen
University Professor, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, MunichProfessor Dr. Klaus-Dieter Drüen was born in Moers (Lower Rhine) in 1969. After graduating from high school, he completed his vocational training in the financial administration of North Rhine-Westphalia and then studied economics and law. After completing his doctorate and habilitation at the Ruhr University Bochum, he took over the Chair of Corporate Tax Law at the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in 2007. Since 2015, he has held the Chair of German, European and International Tax Law and Public Law at the LMU Munich.
Dr. Astrid Eiling
Managing Partner, Lüdicke & Kollegen Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH, DüsseldorfDr. Astrid Eiling co-founded Lüdicke & Kollegen Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH after working for several years in a major international law firm. In particular, she advises wealthy private individuals as well as entrepreneurs and companies on questions of (inheritance) tax structure planning. She is a lecturer at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf.
Holger Engelke
Head of Group Tax Munich Re, Münchner Rück, München
Holger Engelke, a graduate in business administration and a chartered tax adviser, has been Global Head of Group Tax at Munich Re since 2011. He is Chair of the GDV Tax Committee, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) Finance and Tax Committee for Munich and Upper Bavaria, and the Taxation Working Group at Insurance Europe.
Prof. Dr. Michael Fischer
Professor, Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen/NurembergFrom 1993 to 1996, I completed my doctorate at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg. I then worked from 1994 to 2000 as a temporary academic advisor to Prof. Dr. Georg Crezelius, before completing my habilitation in 2000 with the publication "Die Unentgeltlichkeit im Zivilrecht" ("Gratuitousness in Civil Law") and obtaining a teaching license for civil law, tax law and commercial and corporate law.
Prof. Dr. Ulf Freytag
Fresenius SE, Senior Vice PresidentSenior Vice President Tax, Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA, Bad Homburg. Ulf Freytag has headed the tax function of the Fresenius Group since 2012. He is an honorary professor at the University of Leipzig and a tax consultant.
Prof. Dr. Dr. H.c. Clemens Fuest
President, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich e.V.
Prof. Dr. Dr. H.c. Clemens Fuest, President of the ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, Managing Director of CESifo GmbH, Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Economic Studies (CES) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. His research areas are economic and financial policy, international taxation, tax policy and European integration. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Market Economy Foundation (Kronberger Kreis) and the Family Business Foundation.
Georg Geberth
Siemens AG, MunichGeorg Geberth began his professional career at the DIHK. He then moved to the tax department of the BDI, first in Berlin and then in Brussels. In 2007, he moved to Siemens in Munich. There he is responsible for national and international tax policy at OECD and EU level. In 2021, he founded the non-profit Institute for Digitalization in Tax Law, of which he is Chairman.
Dr. Gregor Gehauf
Team Leader Taxes, BMW GroupDr. Gregor Gehauf has headed the tax function at BMW Bank GmbH for almost four years. He has over 20 years of experience in the field of transfer pricing and headed the VP team of the BMW Group for six years. The focus of his work was the planning and documentation of supply chain projects and their defense in tax audits. Dr. Gehauf has conducted a large number of unilateral and bilateral appeal proceedings in recent years and is a regular speaker at national and international conferences. He is a member of the StBK Munich and holds a doctorate in economics from the LMU Munich.
Dr. Walther Graf
Lawyer, Feigen-Graf-Rechtsanwälte, CologneDr. Walther Graf is a founding partner of the law firm FEIGEN GRAF. He has been advising and representing companies and their executives for over 25 years on all matters of commercial and criminal tax law. Dr. Graf studied law in Bielefeld and Bonn and completed his doctorate on a criminal procedure topic. He is a specialist lawyer for criminal law.
Kay Gottschalk
Spokesperson on Financial Policy, AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag
Member of the Bundestag, born on 12 December 1965 in Hamburg. After completing his secondary education in 1985, he undertook a dual degree programme combining a banking apprenticeship with business administration and law (Dipl.-Kfm.), and went on to work as a senior executive at insurance groups. A member of the AfD since 2013, he is now Deputy Federal Spokesperson and Spokesperson on Financial Policy for the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag. Since January 2026, he has been a deputy member of the Committee on Economic Co-operation and Development (AwZ). During the 19th legislative period, he chaired the Special Committee on Wirecard (PUA Wirecard).
Fritz Güntzler
Member of the German Bundestag, CDU/CSU, Berlin/GöttingenFritz Güntzler, business graduate, is a tax consultant and has been President of the Lower Saxony Chamber of Tax Consultants since 2019. He studied business administration in Saarbrücken and Göttingen. He has been a member of the German Bundestag, the Finance and Sports Committee and the Federal Financing Committee since 2013. He was a member of the Cum/Ex Investigation Committee in the 18th WP and the Wirecard Investigation Committee in the 19th WP. He has been Chairman of the Sports Committee since 2022. Güntzler is Managing Director of various auditing firms and is involved in committees such as the Administrative Board of the Institute of Public Auditors in Germany.
Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Haarmann
Lawyer, auditor, tax advisor HAARMANN Law, Tax & Arbitration
Wilhelm Haarmann is a lawyer, tax advisor and auditor with many years of experience in national and international tax, corporate and transaction law and in arbitration as well as on the supervisory board or board of directors of companies in various sectors, of different sizes and of different types (domestic/foreign, family-owned or broadly diversified listed companies). He continues to act as an active consultant in the fields of his special knowledge and experience. He is a "Trusted Advisor" for numerous companies and entrepreneurs.
Prof. Dr. Florian Haase
Rödl & Partner, PartnerProf. Dr. Florian Haase, M.I.Tax, is a German lawyer, tax lawyer and tax consultant. He is a partner in the international law, tax and auditing firm Rödl & Partner. There he heads both the International Tax Practice and the Tax Knowledge Management Team of Rödl & Partner Germany. He is also responsible for the tax department at the Hamburg office. In addition to his work at the firm, he is a professor of tax law at the IU International University.
Sylvia Heckmeier
Global Head of Tax, Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg
Degree in Economics
Chartered Tax Adviser
KPMG Tax Advisory
Various roles in industry
Global Head of Tax, Infineon Technologies AG since August 2025
Frauke Heiligenstadt
Member of the Bundestag, Spokesperson on Fiscal Policy (SPD), Northeim
Dr. Carsten Heinz
Tax advisor/partner, Noerr PartGmbB, MunichDr. Carsten Heinz is co-head of Noerr's Tax & Private Clients practice group. His practice focuses on transaction tax law, advising on national and cross-border group reorganizations as well as special tax issues for family offices and family businesses. He is a lecturer at the Free University of Berlin and a member of the FORUM Transactions in Tax Law.
Dr. Marcus Helios
Partner, Grant Thornton AG WirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaftDr. Marcus Helios has been a partner in the Financial Service Tax department for more than 13 years. In addition to providing income tax advice to banks (corporate level, product level), his expertise also includes providing tax advice to insurance companies and asset managers. Independent market observers (Juve, Handelsblatt) rank Dr. Helios among the leading advisors in the field of financial taxes.
Expertise: Corporate tax law, tax law and accounting aspects of financial instruments and investments, investigations into dividend arbitrage transactions Professional work/memberships: Haisch/Helios, Rechtshandbuch Finanzinstrumente; numerous publications in the areas of corporate tax, tax accounting law and investment tax law; Deutsche Steuerjuristische Gesellschaft e.V.; editor of the journal "Recht der Finanzinstrumente".
André Hengst
Tax Technology Leader, EYAndré Hengst heads the high-performance Indirect Tax team. He works closely with EY experts in Europe and worldwide.
His main areas of activity include the implementation of SAP-integrated functionality for the management of transactional taxes. Solutions for continuous monitoring as part of tax control systems and tax reporting can also be found there
Dr. Rer. Pol. Yves Hervé
Senior Managing Director, Nera Economic Consulting GmbH, Frankfurt am MainDr. Yves Hervé is Head of Transfer Pricing at NERA Economic Consulting in Germany. He was previously an accounting partner at KPMG and PWC. He mainly advises international groups on international tax disputes and on planning and structuring issues relating to intangible assets. He publishes extensively nationally and internationally on hot transfer pricing topics, in particular with a focus on intangibles, DEMPE contributions and profit splits.
Prof. Dr. Johanna Hey
Director of the Institute for Tax Law, University of Cologne
Johanna Hey has been Director of the Institute for Tax Law at the University of Cologne since 2006. She has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Federal Ministry of Finance since 2006 and has been Chairwoman of the Berliner Steuergespräche e.V. and Chairwoman of the Deutsche Steuerjuristische Gesellschaft since 2023. She is also the editor in charge of the Herrmann/Heuer/Raupach commentary on the EStG/KStG and managing editor of the journal Steuer und Wirtschaft.
Dr. Mathias Hildebrandt
Head of Group Tax, Enpal B.V, Berlin
Mathias Hildebrandt has been heading up the tax department at Enpal, a provider of renewable energy solutions, since September 2023. Prior to this, he was Head of Tax at the Bauer Media Group (Hamburg) and the ProSiebenSat1 Group (Unterföhring). Before that, he spent over four years setting up the central tax department of the Zalando Group in Berlin. He began his career in tax as a consultant in Berlin and subsequently worked for six years as an in-house expert in the tax department of British American Tobacco in Hamburg.
Prof. Dr. Pascal Hinny
Partner, Lenz & StaehlinProf. Dr. iur., lawyer and certified tax expert, has been a partner at Lenz & Staehelin Attorneys at Law in Zurich since 2007 and is a full professor of tax law at the University of Fribourg i.Ü.
Prof. Dr. Daniela Hohenwarter-Mayr
University Professor University of Vienna Institute of Business Law
Daniela Hohenwarter-Mayr has been Professor of Financial Law since 2020 and Head of the Institute of Business Law at the University of Vienna since 2024. There she also heads the LL.M. course "Tax Law and Accounting". Her publications and research focus on international and European corporate tax law.
Martina Hötker
Head of Tax Domestic, Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Stuttgart
Martina Hötker has been Head of Tax Domestic at Mercedes-Benz Group AG since 2025. In this role, she is responsible for income tax, payroll tax and M&A tax for the German companies within the Mercedes-Benz Group. She is also responsible for the Group’s external tax reporting. Prior to this, she spent several years as Head of the Group Tax Department at HUGO BOSS AG and worked for over 10 years in various roles with different areas of specialisation at consultancy firms. She is actively involved in tax policy and association work, and speaks at tax conferences.
Dr. Michael Hölzl
Siemens Energy, MunichDr. Michael Hölzl, business graduate and tax consultant, has been Global Head of Tax & Customs at SIEMENS ENERGY AG since 2019. From 2011 to 2019, he was responsible for the global tax function at OSRAM. He played a key role in the IPOs of both companies. Prior to that, he worked for SIEMENS AG for many years, most recently as Head of Strategic Tax Planning. He is the author of numerous publications in the tax field and is well known for his many lectures. Michael Hölzl is a member of the tax working group of the Schmalenbach Society, the executive committee of the Bavarian IFA section and the board of the BDI tax committee.
Franz Hruschka
Senior Government Director, Munich Tax OfficeSenior Government Director Franz Hruschka has headed the tax audit department at the Munich Tax Office since 2010. He is the author and editor of various works on international tax law and corporate tax law as well as co-author of a DTA commentary. He is also a regular speaker on these topics in Germany and abroad. He is also a member of the executive committee of the Bavarian IFA, scientific editor of the specialist journal DStR and a permanent contributor to the specialist journal IStR.
Prof. Dr. David Hummel
Speaker, EU Court of Justice, LuxembourgProf. Dr. David Hummel, holder of the venia legendi for "Public Law, in particular Tax Law and Public Commercial Law" at the University of Leipzig, received his doctorate in 2009 from Prof. Dr. Holger Stadie on a VAT law topic. After his habilitation in 2013 under Prof. Dr. Marc Desens with a focus on "Legal form neutrality in public law", he obtained the venia legendi. Since October 2016, he has been working as a consultant at the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg, where he focuses on tax law and state aid law proceedings, in the cabinet of the German Advocate General Prof. Dr. Juliane Kokott. He is also active as an author in various major commentaries on national tax law and in a commentary on the German Basic Law (Sachs, GG, Beck Verlag).
Dr. Christian Hundeshagen
Partner, Tax Law, Frankfurt, Linklaters LLP
Dr Christian Hundeshagen is a partner at Linklaters LLP in Frankfurt and specialises in national and international corporate taxation. He advises on domestic and cross-border M&A, private equity and restructuring transactions, as well as on the tax implications of conversions and reorganisations, and in the areas of transfer pricing and the allocation of profits to permanent establishments.
He is Global Lead for Tax & Criminal Tax Law Investigations, a member of Linklaters’ cross-practice Crisis Management & Compliance Team, and has extensive expertise in tax crisis management and advising on criminal tax investigations.
Since March 2025, Christian Hundeshagen has been a member of the Expert Advisory Board for International Tax Law at the Association of International Banks in Germany (VIB). He is also a permanent lecturer in corporate taxation at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. Christian Hundeshagen is recommended by JUVE for transaction and corporate tax.
Dr. Armin Ilka
Head of Tax Germany, Heimstaden, Berlin
Armin Ilka is a chartered tax adviser and holds degrees in business administration and industrial engineering. He has been Head of Tax Germany at the Heimstaden Group since 2025, where he is responsible for the tax aspects of the entire German property portfolio. He has more than 15 years’ experience in property and construction taxation and is the author of various publications.
Prof. Dr. Roland Ismer
Universitätsprofessor, Universität Potsdam
Prof. Roland Ismer has held the Chair of Public Law and Tax Law at the University of Potsdam since 2024. Prior to that, he held the Chair of Tax Law and Public Law at the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). He studied law and economics at the Universities of Konstanz, Geneva, and Munich, as well as at the London School of Economics. After completing his doctorate in tax law, he initially worked as a lawyer and tax advisor at a large American law firm in Munich before obtaining his habilitation at LMU Munich with a thesis on “Climate protection as a legal problem.”
His research focuses on international and European tax law and the intersection between (tax law) and economics. He is the editor of the Vogel-Lehner DBA Commentary.
Prof. Dr. Roland Ismer ist seit 2024 Inhaber des Lehrstuhls für öffentliches Recht und Steuerrecht an der Universität Potsdam. Zuvor hatte er den Lehrstuhl für Steuerrecht und Öffentliches Recht an der Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) inne. Er studierte Rechtswissenschaften und Volkswirtschaftslehre an den Universitäten Konstanz, Genf und München sowie an der London School of Economics. Nach steuerrechtlicher Promotion war er zunächst als Rechtsanwalt und Steuerberater in einer amerikanischen Großkanzlei in München tätig, bevor er sich an der LMU München mit einer Arbeit zum Thema „Klimaschutz als Rechtsproblem“ habilitierte.
Seine Forschungsschwerpunkte liegen auf dem internationalen und europäischen Steuerrecht sowie dem Schnittfeld zwischen (Steuerrecht) und Ökonomik. Er ist Herausgeber des Vogel-Lehner-DBA-Kommentars.
Prof. Dr. Monika Jachmann-Michel
Presiding Judge at the Federal Fiscal Court, Federal Fiscal Court, MunichAfter starting her career at the Bavarian State Ministry of Finance, habilitation at the Faculty of Law at the University of Regensburg (1996, venia legendi for constitutional and administrative law, tax law and philosophy of law), followed by professorships at the Universities of Heidelberg and Jena, Director of the Seminar for Finance and Tax Law at the University of Hamburg; since 2005 Judge at the Federal Fiscal Court and since 2006 Honorary Professor at the LMU Munich; since April 2016 Chair of the VIII Senate responsible for capital assets. Senate responsible for capital assets. (Co-)editor of and contributor to several tax law journals/works.
Prof. Dr. Juliane Kokott, honorary doctorate
Advocate General at the Court of Justice
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Kraft
Chartered Accountant/Tax Adviser, University Professor, University of Halle
A-levels in 1978; vocational training, compulsory military service and university studies (1978–1986); research assistant at the Chair of Public Law and Tax Law at the University of Mannheim (1986–1990); awarded a Dr. iur. (1990); Appointed as a tax adviser (1991) and chartered accountant (1995); employee and International Tax Partner at a Big Six firm (1992–1998); university professor at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (1998 to present); spent several years abroad in various countries; editor of various specialist commentaries and author of numerous specialist publications.
Karlheinz Konrad
Ministerialrat, Bavarian State Ministry of Finance and Home Affairs, MunichMr. Konrad studied law in Munich and Oxford. He has worked at the Bavarian State Ministry of Finance and Home Affairs since 2001. At the same time, he has been a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Augsburg since 2010.
Dr. Kaido Künnapas
Sorainen Law Firm / TalTech Law School, Partner at Sorainen Law Firm, senior lecturer at TalTKaido is a tax partner and regional co-head of the tax department at Sorainen Law Firm. He is also a senior lecturer in tax law at TalTech Law School and a guest lecturer in tax law at the University of Tartu. As a board member of IFA Estonia, Kaido is responsible for organizing discussion events on tax topics attended by Estonian tax advisors, judges, government officials and other professionals.
Prof. Dr. Philipp Lamprecht
Goethe University, Frankfurt am MainBorn in Berlin in 1970, he studied law and economics in Bayreuth and law in Freiburg im Breisgau. After passing his first state examination in law in 1995, he completed his legal clerkship at Freiburg Regional Court. He obtained his doctorate in 2000 and habilitated in 2010 under Prof. Dr. Uwe Blaurock at the University of Freiburg. Following a management position at the Senate Department for Finance, Berlin, he has held a university professorship for tax law and civil law at Goethe University Frankfurt since 2016, focusing his research on partnership law and German and international tax law.
Wladimir Leonhard
Senior Manager, Universal Investment, Frankfurt am Main
Wladimir Leonhard is a solicitor, tax adviser, specialist in tax law and a Ukrainian-qualified lawyer. He is a Senior Manager at Universal-Investment-Gesellschaft mbH and is responsible for the tax affairs of German infrastructure funds and ELTIFs throughout their entire life cycle (formation, investment process, holding period and exit). He brings extensive expertise in German and international tax law, as well as fund-specific knowledge of US and Luxembourg tax law.
Julia Leopold
Senior Tax Advisor, DZ BANK AG, Frankfurt am Main
Solicitor and tax adviser. Has worked at DZ BANK AG since October 2016 as an in-house tax adviser, responsible for tax transaction advice and land transfer tax. Previously worked as a solicitor and tax adviser at PwC in the M&A Tax division.
Scott Levine
Partner Tax, Baker & McKenzie LLP
Scott Levine is a U.S. tax partner with Baker & McKenzie LLP. He has nearly 30 years of experience advising multinational companies on both global tax policy and the tax aspects of corporate transactions, including cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs and other divestitures, restructurings, financings, and joint ventures. Prior to joining Baker & McKenzie in 2025, Mr. Levine most recently served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary (International Tax Affairs) in the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he led the Office of Tax Policy’s work on international affairs, including international tax regulations, treaties, and the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS negotiations on Pillar 1 and Pillar 2.
Scott has been an adjunct professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC, and the International Tax Center at Leiden University in the Netherlands for many years. He has frequently lectured and participated as a panelist at programs for the American Bar Association, DC Bar, Practising Law Institute, International Fiscal Association, Tax Executives Institute, and other organizations on a wide range of topics and policies. Scott is an active member of the ABA's Tax Section, where he currently serves as a Council member and has previously served as a Nominating Committee member and Chair of the Corporate Tax Committee. He is a former two-term member of the DC Bar Tax Section’s Steering Committee, Chair of the Section’s Corporate Tax Committee, founder and long-time chair of the annual DC Bar Tax Conference, and an inaugural recipient of the DC Bar Trailblazer Award.
Dr. Alexander Linn
Partner, Deloitte, MunichDr. Alexander Linn is Business Tax/International Tax Partner at Deloitte with a focus on international tax law, treaty law, European law and Pillar 2. He heads Deloitte's German Tax Technical Team, is editor of IStR, member of the executive committee of the Bavarian section of IfA as well as member of the tax committee and chairman of the working group on foreign tax law of IDW.
Sławomir Łuczak
Partner, attorney-at-law, Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak
His expertise covers tax, customs and foreign exchange law. Has extensive experience in international tax law. Represents clients in tax and customs cases before the authorities, and in proceedings before administrative courts. Advises on tax matters in restructuring and consolidation projects. A member of the International Fiscal Association (IFA), and the Association Europénne d'Etudes Juridiques et Fiscales (AEEJF). He is involved in the work of the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA) in Tax Law Commission.
Kevin Lüking
Head of Transfer Pricing, Continental AG, Hannover
Kevin Lüking is the Head of Transfer Pricing at Continental AG in Hanover. He has extensive expertise in a wide range of transfer pricing topics across the industry. Before joining Continental AG, he spent several years working at the headquarters of Volkswagen AG and as an advisor at PwC, also focusing on transfer pricing matters.
Prof. Guglielmo Maisto
Partner Founder, Maisto E AssociatiGuglielmo Maisto founded the law firm Maisto e Associati in 1991 and is Professor of International and Comparative Tax Law at the Università Cattolica di Piacenza. He is Global President of the International Fiscal Association (IFA) and a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (IBFD) in Amsterdam. He is also a member of the Practice Council of the International Tax Program of New York University (NYU) Law and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy. As a representative of the Italian Confederation of Industry (Confindustria), he participates in the Business Industry Advisory Committee of the OECD in Paris. He has also acted as an advisor to the Ministry for European Community Affairs and was a member of the EU Joint Transfer Pricing Forum. In 2023, he was appointed by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance to the Technical Committee for the implementation of the Italian tax reform. He is also one of the independent experts considered as members of the Advisory Commission under the EU Directive on tax dispute resolution mechanisms in the European Union. He is a member of several legal associations and the editorial board of various Italian and foreign tax law journals. He is also a regular speaker at various annual tax conferences.
Dr. Alexander Mann
Senior Ministerial Adviser, Hessian Ministry of Finance
Dr. Alexander Mann leitet das Referat für Körperschaftsteuer, Gewerbesteuer, Umwandlungssteuer,
Gemeinnützigkeit sowie Internationales und Europäisches Steuerrecht im Hessischen Ministerium der Finanzen. Zuvor u.a. Tätigkeiten als Sachgebietsleiter für Betriebsprüfung Banken/Investmentfonds mit
Sonderzuständigkeit für die Aufarbeitung von Cum/Ex- und Cum/Cum-Gestaltungen, Referent für Grundsatzfragen und Steuerreform sowie als Rechtsanwalt. Schwerpunkte seiner Tätigkeit sind Fragen des Unternehmens- und Internationalen Steuerrechts.
Herr Dr. Mann ist Mitglied verschiedener wissenschaftlicher Beiräte und Herausgeber von KommeDr Alexander Mann heads the Division for Corporation Tax, Trade Tax, Reorganisation Tax,
Charitable Status and International and European Tax Law at the Hessian Ministry of Finance. Previously, his roles included Head of the Banks and Investment Funds Audit Unit with
special responsibility for investigating Cum/Ex and Cum/Cum arrangements, as an adviser on policy issues and tax reform, and as a solicitor. His work focuses on issues relating to corporate and international tax law.
Dr Mann is a member of various academic advisory boards and the editor of commentaries on the German Foreign Investment Tax Act (AStG) and the German Investment Income Tax Act (InvStG).ntaren zum AStG und InvStG.
Dr. Markus Märtens
Judge at the Federal Fiscal Court, Federal Fiscal Court, MunichDr. Markus Märtens has been a judge in the First Senate of the Federal Fiscal Court, which is responsible for corporate and international tax law, among other things, since August 2006. He previously worked as a lawyer and then (since 1996) in various positions in the civil justice system, from 1998 to 2001 as a research assistant at the Federal Court of Justice. He is the author of Gosch's commentary on the KStG, among others.
Parsa Marvi
SPD Member of the Bundestag, SPD parliamentary group
Parsa Marvi (born February 6, 1982) is an SPD Member of the Bundestag for the Karlsruhe-Stadt constituency. He has been Chairman of the Karlsruhe-Stadt SPD district association since 2012 and first entered the Bundestag in 2021. Marvi sits on the Finance Committee and the Committee for Digital Affairs for the SPD parliamentary group. His main policy areas are artificial intelligence (AI), digital currencies and digital payments, corporate taxes, global minimum taxation, double taxation agreements, digital infrastructure and mobile communications. Parsa Marvi is married and has two children.
Aurelio Massimiano
Partner, Maisto e Associati
Aurelio Massimiano was admitted to the Association of Chartered Accountants in 2002. He obtained an LL.M. Degree in International Tax Law at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. He joined Maisto e Associati in 2005 after having worked with the International Tax Office of the Italian Revenue Agency. He has become partner since 2014.
He often speaks at tax conferences and lectures on international tax matters for specialization courses at university level and for various other organizations. He is a member of the board of the Italian Branch of the International Fiscal Association (IFA).
His areas of expertise are international taxation and transfer pricing.
Prof. Dr. Gunter Mayr
Head of the Tax Department, Federal Ministry of Finance, ViennaProf. Dr. Gunter Mayr has been Head of the Tax Department (Tax Policy and Tax Law) at the Federal Ministry of Finance/Vienna since 2012 and is a professor at the University of Vienna (Juridicum). He was chairman of the Austrian Tax Reform Commission 2014, editor of the EStG commentary Doralt/Kirchmayr/Mayr/Zorn and the specialist journal "Recht der Wirtschaft - RdW", as well as editor of Doralt/Ruppe, Steuerrecht (Körperschaftsteuer, Umgründungen).
Dr. Aistė Medelienė
Attorney at Law, Tax Lawyer, Vilnius
Dr. Aiste Medeliene is leading tax expert in Lithuania. She has over 20 years of experience in tax advising, compliance, litigation, customs law and private wealth. Before moving to private practice and starting her activity as attorney-at-law, she was a Commissioner at the Commission on Tax Disputes under the Government of Lithuania, hearing tax disputes in a pre-trial stage. Her vast experience as both an arbiter and litigator, combined with a deep understanding of tax legislation and administration processes adds unique value for clients. Aiste in 2022 was re-appointed as the chair of Committee on Advocates' Activities Tax Environment at Lithuanian Bar Association. She is also a member of Tax Committee in the Lithuanian Business Confederation and a member of the Lithuanian Customs Practitioners Association. She was elected by the Government of Lithuania as one of the independent persons form Lithuania for the resolution of pan-EU disputes on double taxation.
Prof. Dr. Carsten Meinert
University professor and part-time judge at the Cologne Finance Court, University of Potsdam
Prof. Dr Carsten Meinert has held the Chair of Civil Law, Corporate Law and Tax Law at the University of Potsdam since 2023, whilst also serving as a part-time judge at the Cologne Finance Court. Following his second state examination, he initially worked as a judge at the Cologne Finance Court. As part of a secondment to the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, he obtained his habilitation in 2022. His research focuses on accounting and corporate tax law, as well as company law and civil law. Prof. Dr Carsten Meinert has held the Chair of Civil Law, Corporate and Tax Law at the University of Potsdam since 2023 and serves as a judge at the Cologne Finance Court in a secondary capacity. After passing his second state examination, he initially worked as a judge at the Cologne Finance Court. He obtained his habilitation in 2022 whilst on secondment to the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. His research focuses on accounting law and corporate tax law, as well as company law and civil law.
Koen Morbėe
Partner, Attorney at Law, Tiberghien, Brussels
Volker Nickel
Head of Group Tax, DZ BANK AG, Frankfurt am MainVolker Nickel is a tax consultant and heads the Group Tax department at DZ BANK AG. He is also active in various associations and commissions and as a speaker.
Harold Nyssens
Head of Unit DG COMP H-5 (Fiscal aid and aggressive tax planning), European Commission
Mr. Nyssens has extensive experience in European competition policy. Since 2021, he has been serving as the Head of Unit overseeing enforcement and policy development related to fiscal state aid and aggressive tax planning. Previously he held different management positions relating to state aid policy and human resources. From 2011 to 2014 Mr. Nyssens was a member of the cabinet of EU Commissioner Damanaki, in charge of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. Before joining the EU Commission, he worked for five years as a référendaire (legal clerk) at the EU Court of Justice. He started his career as a lawyer with law firm Loeff Claeys Verbeke (now A&O Shearman).
Mr. Nyssens studied law at the universities of St. Louis (Brussels), Leuven, Edinburgh and Saarbrücken. In addition to his work at the European Commission, Mr. Nyssens was also a lecturer in European Competition Policy in various universities and master programmes such as MERNI (Bonn University, Master in Energy law), MEEL (Environment & Energy LLM programme, Leuven University) and the MBA Programme at the Saarbrücken University. Mr. Nyssens is fluent in French, English, German, Dutch and Italian.
Dr. Eva Oertel
Bavarian State Ministry of Finance and Home Affairs, MunichDr. Oertel currently works in the area of international tax law at the Bavarian State Ministry of Finance and Home Affairs. From 2019 to 2020, she was seconded to the Federal Ministry of Finance in Berlin with a focus on international tax policy. Prior to that, she held various positions at Bavarian tax offices, the Bavarian State Tax Office and the Bavarian State Ministry of Finance and Home Affairs since joining the Bavarian tax authorities in 2009. She is co-editor of the specialist journal IWB and co-host of the podcast "TaxQuartett". She is also a lecturer at the University of Heidelberg and a member of the German Tax Law Society.
Prof. Dr. Christine Osterloh-Konrad
University Professor, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenChristine Osterloh-Konrad has held the Chair of Civil Law, Commercial and Corporate Law, Tax Law and Philosophy of Law at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen since 2018. She was previously a research assistant at the Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance in Munich. She is active in various national and international committees, including as Germany's representative on the Academic Committee of the European Association of Tax Law Professors
Helen Pahapill
Tax Policy Adviser, Ministry of Finance, TallinnHelen Pahapill (LLM, Leiden University) works for the Estonian Ministry of Finance as a Tax Policy Adviser. She has held several positions in the Tax Policy Department over the years and is now responsible for Estonian international and EU direct tax policy. She has been an Estonian tax treaty negotiator since 2001. She is also the Estonian delegate to the OECD CFA/IF and Working Party 1 on Tax Conventions and Related Questions as well as the EU High Level Working Party for Tax Questions.
Prof. Dr. Pasquale Pistone
Vienna University of Economomics, Wien
Annette Pogodda-Grünwald
Partner, BDO AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
Annette is Head of the German Indirect Tax Centre of Excellence and the Real Estate Industry Centre in Germany. She is also a member of the Indirect Tax Centre of Excellence Committee within the international BDO network and is responsible for the Tax Technology division.
For more than 30 years, she has been advising companies of all sizes and legal forms.
Her main focus is on value added tax, with her expertise covering both national and international matters.
Annette is also responsible for planning and delivering in-house workshops. She gives numerous presentations, primarily on current value added tax topics.
In addition, she coordinates tax compliance activities and due diligence reviews, is actively involved in several specialist committees, publishes regularly in the relevant specialist literature, and is a regular contributor to the journal *Mehrwertsteuerrecht*.
Alongside her work at BDO, she is Chair of the VAT Working Group at the IDW (Institute of Public Auditors in Germany) and a member of the Executive Board of the VAT Forum.
Tim Power
Director, Business and International Tax, HM Treasury, HM Treasury
"Tim is Director for Business and International Tax in His Majesty's Treasury.
His directorate has responsibility for a broad range of domestic and international tax policy matters including transfer pricing, treaties, transparency, and the taxation of financial services.
Tim has been Chair of the OECD's Committee of Fiscal Affairs, and Co-Chair of the OECD Inclusive Framework, since Dec 2023, having previously chaired the OECD's Task Force for the Digital Economy."
Dr. Achim Pross
Deputy Director, OECD, ParisAchim Pross is Deputy Director within the OECD's Centre for Tax Policy and Administration (CTPA). In this role, he has overall responsibility for a number of key outputs including the Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information in Tax Matters (Common Reporting Standard or CRS), the OECD's work to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalization of the economy, many of the BEPS actions, as well as the work on tax administration and tax certainty and on countering tax crimes and other financial crimes.
Isabelle Rauh
Head of Tax Germany, Geographies, Sanofi
Isabelle Rauh is a chartered tax adviser and has headed Sanofi’s German tax department since 2021. She has over 20 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. She is also a member of the tax committees of the VCI and the BDI, and acts as a speaker.
Dr. Gabriele Rautenstrauch
Partner, WTS Tax AG
Since 2018: WTS, Partner, International Tax, Munich; Head of the national and international Pillar Two Knowledge Group
2002–2018: KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, Frankfurt and Munich
2006–2008: Secondment to DG TAXUD, European Commission, Brussels
Key areas of expertise:
Advising globally active German groups and US inbound groups; sectors: automotive, energy,
Numerous projects in the area of Pillar Two, in the field of international tax law (permanent establishments, withholding taxes, AStG, BEPS), and in relation to international restructurings
Head of the Tax Working Group at the DRSC
Numerous speaking engagements (Handelsblatt/RuW conferences, Beck seminars, Federal Finance Academy, universities, IFA) and publications on topics relating to international tax law
Dr. Florian Regli
Area Tax Director, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AGDr. iur. HSG Florian Regli, Area Tax Director/Head of International Trade Affairs, Customs Regulations and Indirect Tax at F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG (since 20014) as well as Vice Director/Senior Research Fellow and lecturer at the Institute of Law & Economics (ILE) and the University of St.Gallen (since 2000). Before joining Roche, he worked at Bär & Karrer AG and obtained the title of Certified Tax Expert in Switzerland in 2013. From 2009 to 2012, Florian Regli worked as a research assistant to Prof. Dr. Waldburger at the Institute of Finance, Tax Law and Law and Economics (IFF; now ILE) and received his doctorate from the University of St.Gallen in 2013. He originally holds a Master's degree in Accounting and Finance (MAccFin) and a Master's degree in Law (MLaw), both from the University of St.Gallen.
Prof. Dr. Ekkehart Reimer
Director of the Institute for Financial and Tax Law, University of HeidelbergAfter studying law in Heidelberg, Munich and Speyer, Prof. Dr. Ekkehart Reimer passed his state law examinations in 1996/98, obtained his doctorate in 2002 and habilitated at the LMU Munich in 2005. He has been Director of the Institute for Financial and Tax Law at the University of Heidelberg since 2006. Between 2009 and 2013, he was also a judge at the Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg. His expertise is reflected in numerous publications on German, European and international tax law and the financial constitution.
André Reislhuber
Head of Group Corporate Governance, Vorwerk SE & Co. KG, WuppertalAndré Reislhuber, lawyer and tax consultant, is Head of Group Corporate Governance at Vorwerk SE & Co. KG. In this role, he is responsible for legal affairs, taxes, data protection, internal auditing and information security. Previously, he worked in consulting, the financial industry and the real economy with a focus on audit, law and tax. As a representative of the business community, he is a regular auditor at the joint audit office of the chambers of tax consultants and the author of numerous specialist articles and lectures on national and international group tax law issues.
Bettina Rodenberg
CVP Tax & Trade, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, DüsseldorfBettina Rodenberg heads the tax and customs department of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA. She has more than 20 years of experience as a lawyer and tax consultant. She is a board member of the Institute for Sustainability, Corporate Law and Reporting (INUR e.V.) and IFA West. She is also a member of the tax committee of the VCI and the BDI.
Christoph Rummel
Director, AXA Konzern AG, Cologne
Christoph L. Rummel, Dipl.-Kfm., Dipl.-Finw., M.A. and tax consultant, has been responsible for AXA's TAX division in Germany for many years. He is a member of the tax committee of the German Insurance Association and heads the commission on VAT, insurance tax and payroll tax.
Dr. Thomas Schänzle
Partner, Member of the Executive Management Board, WTS, Frankfurt
Dr. Thomas Schänzle is a business graduate, tax advisor and holds a doctorate in international tax law from the European Business School. He is a partner and member of the Executive Management Board at WTS and advises on complex issues of national and international tax law in restructuring, transaction-related tax structuring, sustainable strategic tax planning and tax audit defense.
Nancy Schanda
Managing Director, Head of Group Tax, Deutsche Börse AG
In-house solicitor, qualified business lawyer, in-house tax adviser
Bruno Santiago
Lawyer, Morais Leitao
Law degree (University of Coimbra). LLM in Taxation (LSE)
Co-heads the tax department of Morais Leitão, one of the principal law firms acting in Portugal.
Over 20 years of experience. Regular presence in the tax courts in litigation cases related to income taxes, VAT, property taxes and stamp duty. Advises clients in various industries, with an important focus on private clients.
Dr. Matthias Scheifele
Partner, Hengeler Mueller, MunichDr. Matthias Scheifele is a lawyer and tax advisor. He advises on tax law primarily in M&A transactions, corporate restructurings and financing transactions. He has extensive experience in advising companies on tax law in crisis situations. He also specializes in tax compliance, tax audits and tax litigation.
Heike Schmidt
Head of Tax, UniCredit Bank GmbH, MunichHeike Schmidt is a qualified banker (Deutsche Bank AG, Frankfurt/M.), lawyer (law studies in Würzburg and Barcelona) and tax consultant. She initially worked for 12 years in consulting firms (KPMG and PwC) in the area of Tax Financial Services before switching to the corporate side in 2012. From 2012 to 2018 she was Head of Tax at Bayerische Landesbank and since 2018 she has been Head of Tax at Unicredit Bank GmbH (Hypovereinsbank).
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Wolfgang Schön
Managing Director, Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public FinanceProf. Dr. Dr. h. c. Wolfgang Schön is Director at the Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance and Honorary Professor at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. He was Chairman of the Academic Advisory Board of the DStJG, Chairman of the European Association of Tax Law Professors and Vice-Chairman of the Permanent Scientific Committee of the International Fiscal Association. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the IBFD and an International Research Fellow at the Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation.
Matthias Schubert
GSAP, Global Head of TaxMatthias Schubert has been Global Head of Tax at SAP since September 2024. Previously, he was Global Head of Tax at Infineon Technologies since 2015. He began his professional career as a consultant in the areas of international tax law and M&A. He is a lawyer and tax advisor.
Tanja Schumacher
Senior Vice President Tax Brenntag Group, Brenntag SE
Tanja Schumacher has been employed at Brenntag SE in Essen since 2014. For the first six years, she was responsible for the VAT and excise duty division. In 2020, she took over as head of the Corporate Tax division and, since 2021, has been Senior Vice President in charge of the global Brenntag Tax Group. As a graduate in business administration and a chartered tax adviser, she has 15 years’ professional experience in both consultancy and industry. In 2020, she also obtained the qualification of ‘Specialist Adviser for Customs and Excise Duties’ from the Düsseldorf Chamber of Tax Advisers. Furthermore, she has been a member of the Tax Committee of the German Chemical Industry Association since 2023 and has served on the Executive Board of IFA Rhein Ruhr since 2024.
Prof. Dr. Roman Seer
University Professor, Ruhr University Bochum
After training in tax administration (Dipl.-Finanzwirt), studies, state examinations, doctorate and habilitation at the University of Cologne (Institute for Tax Law), Roman Seer has held the Bochum Chair of Tax Law since 1996 and has been Director of the Bochum Institute for Tax Law and Tax Enforcement (IStuS) since 2009. From 2006 to 2014, he was a member of the board of the German Tax Law Society (DStJG), including 5 years as its chairman. He has held guest professorships at foreign universities on European tax law and is Chairman of the Academic Committee and Board Member of the European Association of Tax Law Professors (EATLP). From 2012 to 2023, he was Chairman of the Berliner Steuergespräche e.V. Since 2012, he has chaired the Academic Working Group "Tax Law" of the German Academic Institute of Tax Consultants (DWS Institute).
Gunther Sennlaub
Head of Division, BZSt
From 2015 initially employed as a consultant in the tax departments of the Federal Central Tax Office in Bonn and since November 2022 Head of Division responsible for relief from German capital gains tax, in particular on the basis of Section 50c EStG.
James Somerville
A&L Goodbody, PartnerJames Somerville is a partner in the tax department of A&L Goodbody LLP in Dublin. He advises on all areas of tax law, with a particular focus on financial services and real estate related tax. This includes structured finance transactions, capital markets issues, investment funds, mergers and acquisitions, group restructurings and real estate acquisition and management structures.
He is admitted as a Solicitor in both Ireland and England and Wales and is also a Chartered Tax Advisor.
He currently chairs TALC, the central body for exchanges between Irish tax advisers and the Irish Revenue Commissioners. He has previously chaired the Irish Law Society's Taxation Committee and the Foreign Lawyers Forum of the Taxation Section of the American Bar Association.
He regularly publishes articles in legal and tax law journals and speaks at conferences and seminars on Irish and international tax law.
Dr. Henrik Sundheimer
Partner, Grant Thornton AG
Dr Henrik Sundheimer is a partner in the Tax practice and specialises in providing national and international tax advice to domestic and foreign companies of various legal forms. His sector focus is on the property sector. In this area, he advises companies in the retail, residential, office and hospitality asset classes throughout all stages of a property’s life cycle.
Werner Stuffer
Vice President / Head of Corporate Tax, ZF Friedrichshafen AG
He has headed the Corporate Tax department at ZF Friedrichshafen since 2015. After training with the Bavarian. After training with the Bavarian tax authorities, tax auditor, lecturer at the Bavarian Civil Service University, he held management positions at Siemens in Germany/USA and as a big4 partner in Munich/São Paulo. He is Vice Chair of the BIAC Tax Committee, Deputy Chairman of the VDA and a member of the Board of the BDI Tax Committee.
Markus Taubel
Head of Tax, DekaBank, Frankfurt am MainMarkus Taubel - Dipl.-Kfm., Dipl.-Jur. and StB - has been Head of Tax at DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale AöR, Frankfurt am Main, since 2005 and is responsible for all tax matters relating to the companies of the Deka Group. He is also involved in various associations, including since 2018 as Deputy Chairman of the Tax Committee at BSW (Bundesverband für strukturierte Wertpapiere, formerly DDV - Deutscher Derivate Verband) and since 2020 also as Chairman of the Tax Law Commission of VÖB (Bundesverband öffentlicher Banken Deutschlands).
Werner Thumbs
Management Company, tax consultantWerner Thumbs has headed the tax department of an asset management company since April 2013. In this role, he deals in particular with tax issues for partnerships and their shareholders, who are also affected by operational group issues. He holds a degree in business administration and tax consultancy and has worked in auditing, an industry association and industry with a strong international focus. He is active in various associations, including as a member of the tax committee of the DIHK, the BDI and the Familienunternehmern. He is also chairman of the AWV working group on transfer pricing
Andreas Trost
Partner, Cuatrecasas Barcelona
Andreas Trost is a solicitor and partner at Cuatrecasas, where he has been practising Spanish tax law since 1995, with a particular focus on international and EU law issues. He specialises in advising investment companies and private equity funds, assisting them with transactions as well as structuring and remuneration issues and withholding tax matters. A large proportion of his clients come from German-speaking countries.
Dr. Joost van Helvoirt
Partner, Loyens & Loeff
He focuses on cross-border investments and business activities between Germany and the Netherlands. He advises many Dutch and German (listed) corporates and has a focus on tax incentives for innovation and limitations on interest deduction. Joost also heads the Region Team Germany; from 2006 through 2008 he worked at Loyens & Loeff's Frankfurt office.
Anette Wagner
Director-General, Head of the Tax Department, Federal Ministry of Finance
Since July 2025, Anette Wagner has headed the Tax Department at the Federal Ministry of Finance and also holds positions on various executive and advisory boards. Prior to this, she was Head of the Tax Department at the Ministry of Finance of the State of Brandenburg from 2015 to 2025 and Chair of the Examination Board for the Tax Adviser Examination from 2014 to 2025. Before that, from 2006 to 2015, she headed the Tax Policy and Policy Issues Unit and held a teaching post at the University of Potsdam. She began her career in the Brandenburg tax administration following her law degree and legal training.
Dr. Christoph Wäger
Board of Directors, RiBFH
Stefan Werner
IT auditor, Stefan Werner
Dipl.-FinWirt (FH) Stefan Werner works in the central large and group audit department of the state of Brandenburg. He is an IT auditor with a focus on data analysis and visualization of electronic mass data. He is also a lecturer for tax auditors and department heads in the state for data access, summary risk assessment, data analysis and data visualization of financial accounting and upstream systems with the programs IDEA, Microsoft Excel and Power BI. He also works as a guest lecturer in other federal states and at the Federal Finance Academy.
Christian Wimpissinger
Partner, Binder Grösswang
Christian Wimpissinger is a partner in Binder Grösswang's tax team and has more than 20 years of experience in advising on cross-border acquisitions and restructurings as well as international tax and accounting law.
He began his career at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York before joining Binder Grösswang in 2007. He received his doctorate from the University of Vienna in 2006 and his postgraduate degree from NYU in 2001. Christian is admitted to the bar in Austria and New York.
Dr. Daniel Zöller
Partner, RSM Ebner Stolz, StuttgartDr. Daniel Zöller, tax advisor, is a partner at RSM Ebner Stolz in Stuttgart. His practice focuses on advising medium-sized companies with cross-border operations and their shareholders, in particular in the areas of structuring advice, global minimum tax (Pillar II) and support during challenging tax audits. Previously, he worked for several years in the policy department of a Big4 company. He is the author of numerous specialist publications and is a regular speaker at events.