Mesac Speech And Debate

[Carol]

Legislativechanges are occurring at an unprecedented pace throughout the world, making it critically important for tax and legal executives to stay on top of the latest reforms and developments and understand how local country changes interplay with the global tax landscape. Grab your lunch, and join one of three regional legislative updates for Africa, Latin America and MESAC. Each session will focus on providing the most up-to-date legislative advancements that may impact your organization in the respective region. After the sessions, you will have time to network with the presenters before heading to the opening plenary.

This opening plenary session will look at the fall-out from trade wars, inflation, global conflicts, the pandemic, tax protectionism and the trend toward deglobalization. As supply chains and tax strategies are reshaped, how should those leading tax function manage such unprecedented developments?

During this plenary, Alex Kazan (the Chief Commercial Officer of Eurasia Group) will outline the new geopolitical reality, you will hear from Dr Florian Toncar (Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Finance) as to the impact of geopolitics closer to home and will debate the practical implications of tax issues arising from geopolitical change with an expert panel consisting of Sylvia Heckmeier (Head of Tax at Merck), Jeff Connell (Head of Corporate and UK Tax at Shell) and Asif Khokar (Head of Tax for Engie (AMEA)).

Each sector session will allow you to hear thought provoking insights, on the issues most relevant to you, from KPMG professionals and external speakers, while allowing you to build your network with peers with similar interests.

Technology is moving fast and tax teams are quickly evolving their skills to respond to the plethora of external demands. This session aims to show you some technologies that are being embraced by tax teams as well as emerging technologies that will likely benefit tax teams. The session will then explore the different ways tax functions have organized themselves and consider how technology is quickly changing the traditional setups.

Join us at Caf am Neuen See for an informal reception dinner, allowing for networking and reflection. The light-flooded barn offers a country house atmosphere in all seasons. The mix of wood, glass and stone in the middle of the Tiergarten makes you forget the hustle and bustle of Berlin. Spend special moments in this small oasis of calm and be enchanted by the wonderful view of the lake the perfect setting for a relaxing evening.

This second plenary session will consider some of the latest attempts to deliver global consensus and agreed international tax norms. Accepting that this goal is a way off it will explore ways of navigating the fragmented reality facing Heads of Tax across the world.

The session will include a keynote speech from David Bradbury (Deputy Director of the OECD) and a facilitated discussion with Logan Wort (Executive Secretary of the African Tax Administration Forum). We will also be joined by guest speakers including Kris Bodson (Senior Director EMEA Tax and Policy at Johnson & Johnson), Troopti Desai (Executive of Group Tax, MTN Group) and Thorsten Lang (Vice President, Global Head of Indirect Taxes and Supply Chain at HP) who will share their views on the current international tax system. This will be followed by second panel discussion exploring ways through the compliance, disputes, and data maze.

The final plenary session will look at the ways in which societal trends and pressures are shaping attitudes to multinationals and taxation. You will hear from a range of fantastic speakers who will consider societal shifts and growing inequality, how A.I. may reshape the world we operate in and consider how best tax professionals might influence future developments.

2023 KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprfungsgesellschaft, a corporation under German law and a member firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee. All rights reserved. For more detail about the structure of the KPMG global organization please visit

ABA Oman International School, based in Muscat, delivers a continuum of International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes, including the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP), having achieved authorization in 2002, 2004 and 1996 respectively. ABA Oman was recognized as the first international school in Muscat to offer the IB programmes, where the focus is on an academically challenging, global education for all. ABA is accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA).

Since its establishment in 1987, ABA has demonstrated its commitment to academic brilliance, embracing a holistic pedagogical approach that supports and develops the whole child. As the leading IB Continuum school in Oman, and a non-profit, ABA enrols over 960 students, representing 70 different nationalities from Kindergarten to Grade 12. To support students in their learning journey, we have a team of highly qualified teachers from around the world, who provide a nurturing environment for them to thrive.

ABA is a warm, welcoming, and diverse community of students, educators and parents, united in working together towards the school's mission to 'inspire and empower learners to explore their unique pathways to success.' The state-of-the-art facilities at ABA's new campus in Madinat Al Irfan, with indoor and outdoor purpose-built spaces, support student learning in all aspects. Alongside promoting academic excellence, ABA offers a wide range of after-school programmes that facilitate holistic growth and skill enhancement.

Our inquiry-based learning approach, which begins in the PYP years and continues through the MYP with a strong service as action component, provides students with opportunities for service learning and experiential learning beyond the classroom. Learners are immersed in real-life scenarios, engage in interdisciplinary themes and employ creative and critical thinking to solve problems, through the DP core components - Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS), Theory of Knowledge (TOK), as well as through participation in the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award.

At ABA, students are offered a plethora of incredible experiences and opportunities to explore their creative potential and prepare them for life beyond school. They are empowered to make a positive difference to the local community through various student voice groups such as Students Against Prejudice, Teens Giving Back, the Ecological Society, and more. In addition to academics, students are encouraged to represent the school in academic games, sports, arts, speech and debate, competing with other schools in the city and internationally through MESAC.

"As an IB Continuum School, we ensure that students engage in principled action, are internationally-minded and learn holistically through programmes that are distinguished not only by what our students learn, but by how they learn. That is the ABA difference!" - Craig Williamson, ABA Head of School.

3a8082e126