Georgiana Head Recruitment

Georgiana Head interviews the great and good of the tax world and asks all those things you have ever wanted to know.

Anthony Lister is the UK tax director at Sodexho, a French owned global food services and facilities management provider. He grew up in Cheshire and went to university in Sheffield before returning to Manchester to start his career. After undertaking a graduate trainee programme and qualifying as a chartered accountant (ACA) he worked for six years in PricewaterhouseCoopers' tax department. He then moved in-house joining Nalco for four years as their European tax manager and in 2001 he joined Sodexho. He lives in Cheshire and has two children.

What was your first job?

I trained as a chartered accountant within the audit department of Touche Ross in Manchester, but my first real job while a student was working in the foreign exchange bureau of a bank in my summer holidays. It was a great nine to five holiday job in a very nice office environment.

If you weren't in your current job what would you like to be?

Realistically, probably a property developer. I've always been fascinated by property and am forever looking at properties with a view as to how they could be improved.

More imaginatively I'd like to be a film director – I love the drama of cinema and the impact that good films can have on emotions is tremendous. I wish I was able to create something in that way.

What achievement are you most proud of?

On a personal level - my two children. On a professional level I'm still proud of the fact that I passed my ACA exams at the first attempt – I can still recall how difficult they were and the feeling of relief and satisfaction on the Saturday morning that I got the results.

What's the best advice that anyone has ever given you?

Don't worry about money – it will never make you happy.

What's the best thing about your job?

I would have to say that it is the fact that it changes all the time and you always need to keep up to date and learn new things so it is intellectually challenging.

What is your favourite place in the world?

Home is always the place I most want to be. However, further afield I've always been fascinated by the history and culture of China and I love the natural beauty, space and relaxed atmosphere of Australia.

If you had the opportunity to meet someone from any era, who would it be?

Neil Armstrong (the astronaut)

And what question would you ask them?

How it felt to step out of the space craft 230,000 miles from earth and be the first human ever to set foot on the moon?

If you were the Chancellor what one change would you make to the tax regime?

Remove the distinction between exempt and zero rated sales. VAT is a consumer tax and if the aim is for the consumer not to suffer VAT on certain goods or services, there should be no restriction on input recovery since ultimately that additional cost to the supplier will eventually be passed on to the consumer through the price.