At WDS, we take pride in fostering the growth of our team members, and we are thrilled to spotlight Josh Shackleton on his recent appointment as Assistant Tax Advisor. Josh has been an integral part of WDS since May 2022, and his transition into tax advisory marks an exciting step in his career.
We caught up with Josh to learn more about his journey and aspirations in his new role.
Q: Congratulations on your new appointment! Can you tell us a bit about your journey at WDS and how you got to this point?
Thank you! I joined in May 2022 and worked my way through ACA study to become a chartered accountant. I had previously completed ATT before joining WDS and had an interest in tax, so when Terry asked me if I wanted to join the team I accepted!
Q: What inspired you to move from an accountant role into tax advisory?
As I say I had an interest in tax already, and I wanted to have more of a role in helping clients set up their businesses to work best for them in future, which can sometimes be difficult as an accountant. Often it can feel like we are looking back and assessing what has happened when preparing the accounts, whereas this is more about looking into the future to help people and their businesses achieve future goals.
Q: How does this new role differ from your previous position? What excites you the most about it?
I think what excites me most is the variety of the work. There will be lots of clients, businesses and individuals with their unique set of needs and it’s up to us to help them achieve those.
Q: What challenges do you anticipate in your new role, and how are you preparing for them?
I think the biggest challenge is going from a role that I have done for a few years and I understand to one that is brand new with no experience. I think to best way to prepare is to experience the job, so I am going out to meetings with Terry to meet clients and then run through the processes with him, so I can understand not just what we do, but how and why we do it.
Q: How do you see your work impacting WDS clients?
I think that having an accounting background will help provide a different element to the team and to clients because I understand the effects of implementing our advice from an accounting perspective, not just a tax perspective, so hopefully this can help give clients a wider view of how our advice can really affect change in their business.
Q: What are you looking forward to achieving in your new role?
I think I am just looking forward to building good relationships with clients so that they can trust that I will do the best job for them.
Q: Do you have any long-term career aspirations in tax advisory?
I think my ambition is to achieve CTA status in the next couple of years and see where we go from there!
Q: How do you stay up to date with tax regulations and industry changes?
Lots of webinars!
Looking Ahead
Josh’s transition into tax advisory is a testament to his dedication and passion for helping clients plan for their future success. With a strong foundation in accounting and a keen interest in tax, he is set to make a meaningful impact at WDS. We are excited to see him grow in his new role and wish him every success in his journey ahead.
Congratulations, Josh!
