Speaker Bios:  (back to Event Summary)

Christian Runge has a master in Tax Law (LLM) from the Erasmus University Rotterdam. He worked for 7 years as an International Tax Manager at PWC and Deloitte. In 2005, he joined Shell. In those years he had the following roles:

- Tax Lead for the Netherlands

- Tax Director Upstream Joint Ventures and Integrated Gas, and

- Currently Global Head of Transfer Pricing and Tax Technology.

Lukasz has more than 20 years of international tax experience in consultancy and in-house. Today, he is a Head of Group Tax at PE owned European group and before he headed tax function of listed global Swiss MNE. He has vast experience in tax planning, driving digital transformation in finance, growing shared-service centers, concluding dozen of APAs and MAPs, executing buy/sell-side M&A deals, restructuring and refinancing highly leverage targets. He is a member of ACCA and SwissHoldings. He holds MA in Corporate Finance, postgraduate in tax law and is frequent speaker and university lecturer.

Nicole is a Tax Policy Adviser at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Centre for Tax Policy and Administration in Paris. Nicole joined the OECD as part of the tax certainty team, focusing on dispute prevention and resolution mechanisms. She is the programme lead for the International Compliance Assurance Programme (ICAP). In addition, Nicole works on the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project, primarily focused on Action 13 and providing capacity building to developing countries focused on implementing Country-by-Country Reporting.

Nicole is a Chartered Accountant (ACA), Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA), and holds an Advanced Diploma in International Tax (ADIT) from the UK Tax Institute (CIOT). Prior to joining the OECD, Nicole worked with EY in Ireland, advising Irish, European and US headquartered businesses in all areas of corporate and international tax and transfer pricing. Her experience focused predominantly on transfer pricing controversy and tax certainty, including MAP, APA and transfer pricing audits.

Giuseppe Abatista is a tax lawyer with further background as controller and a master's degree in corporate finance.

In 2023, after 12 years as Group Tax Director at Ferragamo, he became permanent consultant, advising the Group in all tax and customs affairs. He is a permanent consultant on tax and customs of the Brunello Cucinelli Group as well. He is Vice President of Banca Popolare di Puglia e Basilicata, a bank founded in the 19th century and present in 10 Italian regions.

Barbara Delputte has 25 years of tax, legal and finance experience in Brussels, London, and Copenhagen. She is currently a VP Strategic Tax and Customs at the LEGO Group.

Barbara Delputte brings experience from previous roles at BESTSELLER, Maersk Drilling and University of Tilburg, TiasNimbas Business School.

Jacco Bouman, based in Amsterdam, NH, NL, is currently a Tax Director Benelux and Tax Controversy at Unilever. Jacco Bouman brings experience from previous roles at Unilever and Anheuser-Busch InBev

Catherine has 25 years’ experience of advising on transfer pricing matters both in industry and in practice. She has been Head of Transfer Pricing at AstraZeneca since September 2017 where she has global responsibility for all aspects of AstraZeneca’s transfer pricing matters including planning, managing and defending their transfer pricing arrangements. Prior to this, Catherine was Head of Transfer Pricing for the RELX group for 10 years where she managed a multinational team and led negotiations with tax authorities on transfer pricing matters including APAs. Catherine is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor and has a Masters degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) from Oxford University.

Sarah Rigney currently serves as Associate Tax Director at Jazz Pharmaceuticals since February 2024. Prior to this role, Sarah held the position of Tax Director at RSM Ireland from June 2023 to December 2023 and was Senior Manager in International Tax at Twilio Inc. from June 2020 to May 2023. Sarah has substantial experience at Canada Life Reinsurance as Tax Manager for nearly a decade and initially worked as a Tax Consultant at Clancy & Associates. Earlier in Sarah's career, experience included a role as Investment & Expense Accountant at Canada Life Reinsurance. Sarah's educational background includes an Advanced Diploma in International Tax, a Certificate in Transfer Pricing, and a BA (Hons) in Accounting & Finance from Dublin Business School, complemented by qualifications from ACCA and the Institute of Accounting Technicians of Ireland.

With over 13 years of specialised experience in transfer pricing, Armine Markarian has worked on both sides of the table - advising multinational clients in the private sector and now shaping compliance from the public sector. She began her career at a Big Four firm, advising a diverse portfolio of multinational clients on complex transfer pricing strategies, documentation requirements, and cross-border tax issues. She currently serves as a coordinating transfer pricing specialist at the International Fiscal Affairs Team and the Coordination Group Transfer Pricing of the Dutch Tax Administration, where she specializes in Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) and tax audit processes. In this role, she works closely with taxpayers to evaluate intercompany pricing arrangements, ensure compliance with OECD guidelines, and promote transparency and fairness in tax administration.

Zofia Mika is a seasoned tax and transfer pricing professional with over 15 years of experience as both an external and in-house advisor, specializing in international corporate income tax and transfer pricing. Currently supporting LIPTON Teas and Infusions and Aroundtown with International Tax & Transfer Pricing matters. Zofia has held various senior roles, including Group Head of Tax at LIPTON Teas and Infusions and Global Transfer Pricing Director at Arcadis. Zofia's expertise encompasses the development and implementation of global transfer pricing strategies, providing ad-hoc tax advisory, and managing international tax projects. Zofia holds a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from Nyenrode Business University, alongside additional tax law studies at the University of Amsterdam.

Dr. Kunka Petkova, PhD, is an adviser at the German Federal Ministry of Finance. She is in charge of the OECD two-pillar solution addressing the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy. Moreover, she coordinates the tax-related topics for the G7 and G20 meetings. Kunka did her PhD in International Business Taxation at Vienna University of Economics and Business, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Her research focuses on topics in public economics and international business taxation.

Dalton Hirata (LL.M International cum laude - ITC Leiden 2017) has about 15 years of experience as a tax lawyer and currently heads the Corporate Tax department of RHI Magnesita. His experience includes consultancy as a tax advisor at Baker McKenzie and in-house roles, mainly dealing with complex topics in International Tax Law.

As the Group Head of Transfer Pricing at NXP Semiconductors, Ala focuses on streamlining intra-group transfer pricing transactions, from policy setting to systems implementation and compliance, leveraging the latest technologies. With over 12 years of experience at a BIG4 firm in Amsterdam, Ala has advised multinational enterprises on various transfer pricing matters, including business restructurings, operational model changes, treasury and financial transactions, and transfer pricing controversy. At NXP, Ala aims to enhance the impact, strategic focus and effectiveness of transfer pricing on group’s overall business.

Rezan Ökten is a partner and head of Transfer Pricing at Dentons' Amsterdam office. He advises clients on business restructurings, intellectual property, headquarters cost allocation models, financial transactions and valuations, as well as assisting in dispute management and resolution. His deep and significant experience includes advance pricing agreements, tax audits, mutual agreement procedures and court proceedings.

Starting his career at a Big Four firm, Rezan went on to head the transfer pricing practice of an Amsterdam law firm. His experience also includes working as a global in-house transfer pricing specialist of leading telecommunications and technology companies. His exceptional blend of knowledge and experience, gained on both sides of the table, allows Rezan to provide a 360-degree perspective. This is at the heart of how he advises clients. With a clear vision and technically sound approach, he knows when to go the extra mile or be pragmatic to get the buy-in from stakeholders.

Sebastian is a managing counsel and head of Valuation Services in the Amsterdam Transfer Pricing practice. He specializes in economic (valuation) services for widespread tax and transfer-pricing purposes.

He supports clients with in-depth tax/transfer pricing valuation services, ranging from equity and (intangible) asset valuations to value-based management and financial/tax modelling services. In addition, he focuses on economic and financial analyses relating to profit allocation issues, business restructurings, financing transactions, supply-chain structuring and other transfer-pricing matters. By leveraging from extensive financial experience and broad industry knowledge, he assists clients navigating through complex strategic and financial challenges. Sebastian is a certified business valuator (RV), certified patent valuation analyst (CPVA) and a member of the Netherlands Institute for Business Valuators (NiRV).

Chun Ying has more than a decade of experience advising and representing multinational corporations and individuals on a broad range of cross-border tax issues, as well as tax disputes. Chun Ying's practice covers all aspects of Singapore taxes including income tax, stamp duty, goods and services tax, transfer pricing and the new minimum tax regime. She is also well-versed in regional and global tax issues, having worked on many multijurisdictional tax matters.

Her corporate clients are in industry sectors including technology, manufacturing, retail, shipping, real estate, financial services and others. Her non-contentious experience includes corporate restructuring, IP restructuring, M&A, tax incentives, fund structuring, employment tax matters and many others. On the contentious side, Chun Ying has represented many taxpayers in audits, objections and appeals. Controversy issues she has handled include tax incentive disputes, IP writing-down allowances, taxation of revenue/capital gains, sourcing of income, deduction of R&D expenses, tax residency, payment characterisation issues, foreign tax credit claims, transfer pricing, GST registration obligations and many others.

Jurjen Bevers is a Tax partner in the Amsterdam office and Co-Head of the European Tax practice. He specializes in Dutch corporate tax law and international tax law.

Jurjen provides strategic tax advice for mainly multinational companies. He focuses on group restructuring, M&A, investment and financial structuring, tax treaty interpretation and transfer pricing. His clients consist primarily of companies in the oil & gas, construction and shipbuilding business. 

Renata Ardous is the Head of Global Transfer Pricing at Chanel. She has been with Chanel since 2021 and is based in London. Prior to joining Chanel, Renata started her career in tax consulting where she has held senior tax positions and Global Head of Financial Services (“FS”) Insurance Tax at Mazars. Within this role, her responsibilities include determining the strategic direction of the service offering, developing a shared vision for those involved with FS Insurance Tax and driving marketplace growth alongside global FS tax experts. She is very passionate about her work and feel inspired and motivated by Chanel leadership and her colleagues. She was awarded with the Worshipful Company of Tax Advisers Medal by the Chartered Institute of Taxation in 2013. She also has a LL.M in International, TP and EU tax and a second LL.M in Banking and Finance at Queen Mary University of London. She is very passionate about supporting successful female talents and breaking the glass ceiling for the next generation of leaders.

Tim is the Senior Director, International Tax at Electronic Arts (EA), based in Geneva, overseeing EA’s European and Asian tax operations. With 25 years of international tax experience, Tim has held roles in both practice and in-house across Germany, Luxembourg, the UK, and Switzerland.

At EA, a global leader in interactive entertainment, Tim combines his deep expertise in international tax with a strong interest in technology and operational efficiency. He is particularly focused on tax risk management and process improvement, continuously striving to align tax strategy with EA’s dynamic and fast-evolving business.

Before joining EA, Tim was a Senior Tax Manager at Omnicom, a global advertising and marketing communications firm. There, he was responsible for developing and implementing tax planning strategies, managing tax audits, and ensuring compliance with local transfer pricing rules. Tim holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Mannheim and is a certified German tax advisor.

Aline Berbari is a member of the Quebec Bar Association. She graduated in Taxation (D.Fisc.) from the University of Sherbrooke (Canada). In 2017, after settling in Spain, she completed a Master's in international taxation at the Centro de Estudios Garrigues. Aline began her professional career in Canada where, for more than 15 years, she specialized in tax advisory specifically in international VAT, in major multinational companies in Canada and in Spain. Currently, in her role as global international tax manager for Joseph Ribkoff group, a leader in women´s apparel and fashion from Montreal, she takes charge of international VAT and Transfer Pricing management.

Originally, Lennart is an International Tax Manager specialised in Dutch and international taxation. Lennart gained consulting experience at Big 4 (Deloitte, PwC) and in-house experience at IKEA. In 2015, Lennart founded TP Tuned with a mission to make transfer pricing documentation easier for multinationals. TP Tuned provides global transfer pricing services and software. TP Tuned has developed the leading transfer pricing documentation solution, Reptune, which is used by multinationals to automate their global transfer pricing documentation.

Remco is currently responsible for running globally the Tax Operations within Blue dot. Blue dot is offering different AI driven Tax and audit solutions running on their online platform. The most known is the VATBox VAT recovery Solution, but Blue dot also offers solutions to analyse data for Employee Benefits (wage tax), Corporate Income Tax and Policy Audit on Employee expenses.

Before joining Blue dot, Remco worked as the EMEA VAT lead at PPG Industries and before that worked as a tax lawyer at Baker & McKenzie.  Remco is registered as a certified tax advisor in the Netherlands.

Karine has been an in-house tax practitioner for more than 25 years, advising multinationals in all areas of international taxation. She has most recently joined Booking Holdings as their Group Head of Tax. She is also a frequent speaker at international conferences and a former lecturer to master students at the University of Paris-Dauphine. She currently lives in the Netherlands

At MAN Energy Solutions, Lina is supporting the Tax Team in the development and implementation of a Tax technology strategy and roadmap, as a fundamental enabler of the Group Tax strategy.  She previously worked at Align Technology and EY including other companies.

My passions are tax and teaching. I love reading and understanding treaties, laws and directives; seeing how they are shaped in case law and then explaining all that in clear, simple terms with references to real life practical examples. I also work as an interim in-house tax specialist during several months of the year. Assignments differ, but are usually focussed on transfer pricing, sometimes in connection with tax audits.

Ralf has had a long career at Citco with roles including involving Transfer Pricing / Tax Risk, Head of Tax Banking and Custody Division, and Tax Lawyer. He was previously a Tax Lawywer at Baker & McKenzie and Deloitte Nederland.

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