Baker Tilly brings in TCN Swamy to lead Middle East tax offerings

Baker Tilly has strengthened its leadership team in the Middle East with TCN Swamy, who has been appointed a Partner and Head of Taxes.

Based in Dubai, Swamy will lead the firm’s tax offerings across the region. With around 50 offices in the Middle East and North Africa, Baker Tilly ranks as one of the ten largest accountancy-heritage professional services firms in the region.

Swamy arrives from Baker Tilly in India, where he spent the past year as a partner at member firm Desai Haribhakti & Co. in its Bangalore office, in charge of tax and regulatory services.

Prior to joining Baker Tilly at the start of last year, Swamy spent over a decade at Big Four firm PwC across two spells, and in between served mid-term network Grant Thornton. His track record spans working with clients of all sizes – from corporates to entrepreneurs across sectors – on topics including international tax, transfer pricing, M&A, GST and other indirect taxes.

Commenting on the appointment, Baker Tilly’s Head of Middle East Mago Singh said that Swamy’s arrival comes at an exciting time for the firm. “The tax landscape in the Middle East (and globally) is getting an overhaul, proving companies with a range of new challenges as well as opportunities to optimise their tax structures.”

Swamy added: “Middle Eastern countries are members of OECD’s inclusive framework, so organisations in the region will need to comply with global guidance. Meanwhile, local legislation is also bringing rise to new ways of accounting and compliance.” 

“Need of the hour is to handhold our clients in the region along with building local teams that listens, understands, shares experiences of the jurisdictions which have developed tax systems and provides pragmatic solutions to their tax challenges within the framework of the new laws. I'm fortunate and privileged to be at the cusp of taxation evolution, and look forward to my new role.”