Nathalie is a passionate tax leader, collaborating with clients and internal teams globally to run multi-geography, multi-year tax transformation projects. Read how she connects people, subject matter expertise, and technology to champion Deloitte US Tax Operate services.
Briefly, explain what you do at Deloitte.
I lead Tax Operate client projects and teams who are focused on driving more standardized and coordinated tax compliance operations for our clients globally. I am also co-leader of Deloitte’s Global Tax Center Americas, where I provide pursuit and pricing support for Tax Operate projects within America. It’s a lot of connecting people—Deloitte specialists, teams, and clients—to deliver a holistic suite of services.
How would you explain what you do to someone who knows nothing about Operate services?
Through Operate services, we are constantly striving to make improvements and transform how our clients can do better work more efficiently. Within Tax Operate specifically, the key is understanding and staying on top of a variety of global and local regulations to provide leading-edge client services. Our clients are often spread over multiple jurisdictions, so it’s important to understand the tax spheres within which they operate to address their concerns and innovate ways to work better.
Tell us about an Operate services project you're most proud of working on in your career.
We recently worked with a major global organization to help them streamline and digitize their tax compliance operations using Intela, Deloitte’s global tax platform for process automation and intelligence. We are now able to communicate seamlessly with the client and to help them as they manage their ongoing tax operations. We’ve been there since the beginning, first analyzing their existing processes to identify roadblocks, and then finding and applying innovative ways to drive more efficient operations as part of an end-to-end Tax Operate service, and the client has been very receptive.
What does a typical day of work look like for you?
We work with many clients, so there are always activities and new challenges I need to tackle. This could include confirming our Deloitte teams have the information they need to respond to requests for information from a client, coordinating resources within local countries that can help manage country specific tax authority requirements, and preparing and reviewing weekly or monthly reports for our clients.
How did you end up in Operate services?
I am a Venezuelan Certified Public Account. I worked at Deloitte Venezuela for several years and was then lucky enough to move to the US, and started at Deloitte US 9 years ago, where my career has flourished in Tax Operate services. My accounting background helped me become familiar with the initial years in Operate services as I learned about different country-specific regulations and gained the knowledge I needed to support clients with global tax operations. The evolution of my career at Deloitte has felt natural and I feel like I’ve found a home in this space.
What excites you most about your role? Why do you do what you do?
I love the connections I have made with clients and with my colleagues around the world, even though I work mostly remotely. In any one day I could be collaborating with clients and colleagues in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, and the US. It has been amazing learning not only about different cultures and ways of working, but also local regulations and standards.
What's the most challenging part of your job?
The most challenging moments can be trying to explain to our clients that there has been a roadblock or a situation that led to a tax return being rectified or corrected. But, we build strong client relationships and our teams always come together to troubleshoot. In the end, we’re able to get over the hurdles, reassure our clients, and maintain the trust and support we always strive to offer.
What advice would you give your younger self about working in Operate services?
If you choose a career in Operate it’s important to stay connected with multiple teams, be proactive, think innovatively, keep learning, and be open to adapting to the often fast-paced and multi-tasked environment. Every day is different and can be approached with new ideas and solutions.
What do you like to do outside of work? And why is it so special to you?
I enjoy spending the weekends with my family and getting together with friends. I love music and dancing, especially Latin styles. I also like to spend quality time at the beach.
Note: The services and experiences described herein are intended to demonstrate Deloitte's experience and capabilities in these areas, however, due to independence restrictions that apply to audit clients (including affiliates), Deloitte is unable to provide certain services based on individual facts and circumstances. Therefore, the experiences and descriptions would not apply to services to audit clients.