Meet our experts: Harish Dass

Monday, October 03, 2011 | Posted by: Grant Thornton
Categories: India, Interviews | Tags: business, tax, Grant Thornton, entrepreneurs, HNWIs, UK, South Asia Group, tax planning, insight, interview, staff, Meet our experts, profile, Q&A, Harish Dass, High net worth individuals, Entrepreneurial Services Tax Team, entrepreneurial services

“Our relationship with a client is one of ‘the trusted adviser’,” says Tax Manager Harish Dass. Which means busy entrepreneurs can get on with their business without having to consult a whole team of advisers. Here Harish talks about his work with UK entrepreneurs, many of which are of South Asian origin, and why tax should be top of everyone’s’ agenda right now.

What is your job title?
Tax Manager in the Entrepreneurial Services Tax Team in London; also a key member of the South Asia Group, a team focusing on first and second-generation Asian businesses in the UK and abroad.

What does your job involve?
I provide holistic tax advice for entrepreneurs, high net worth individuals, businesses and families. In short, we provide a one-stop shop in terms of tax solutions. Entrepreneurs are extremely busy people and do not want several tax advisers in different specialisms but rather they need one or two key people who totally understand their business, the culture, the family and dynamics of the stakeholders to then be able to provide a complete tax solution.

How does this impact on the client relationship?
It’s not just about tax. Over time we develop excellent relationships with our clients – hence are seen as the ‘trusted adviser’. As a result, I have been involved in resolving family disputes, tax planning and educating clients on complex tax issues – even having discussions in Punjabi and Hindi at times!

Describe a typical working day…
I am the father of two young boys, aged six and three, and my wife is a teacher so it is always an early start and I begin my day with the school run.

During the day I review reports, attend internal and external meetings,  deal with telephone calls and e-mails and meet with intermediaries as well as potential clients. The work can be extremely varied, covering anything from income tax through to corporate tax and inheritance tax planning – you just never know what issue will come up next.

In the evening I often attend events with clients and contacts since, although tax is a technical specialism, our work is also about building key business relationships.

Which part of your business do you enjoy most?
I enjoy the variety of work we do and really making a difference to my clients. I like advising the key business decision-maker and get a buzz from seeing their eyes light up when they see what we can do for them in relation to tax. A recent example of this was when we provided Inheritance Tax (IHT) planning for an Asian business family and we were able to reduce their IHT exposure from £4 million to potentially nil – a very satisfied client.

What was your pivotal career moment?
Leaving a Big Four practice to join Grant Thornton, which is more focussed on dynamic privately held businesses and their owners. The company has an excellent brand both in the UK and overseas, great people and outstanding technical expertise. Grant Thornton is an excellent place to work.

What should clients and potential clients in your area be thinking about right now?
Following the financial crisis, the last few years have been extremely challenging. However, there are many opportunities out there for entrepreneurial and dynamic clients. Tax is at the forefront of every business decision and therefore at the top of everyone’s agenda. The key is to get the right advice up front.

If you would like to talk to Harish Dass, call +44 (0)20 7728 3098 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). To find out more about our Entrepreneurial Services Tax team or the SAG team visit the South Asia Group .

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