“I'm Bhavna Daryanani, manager in the International Tax & Transaction Services team specializing in Transfer Pricing. I help organizations understand and manage the tax impact of their business decisions with critical thinking, clear analyses and practical, implementable advice.”

Bhavna says that she came into contact with EY via a referral, after which she started as a consultant in Amsterdam. “It immediately felt open, young and social: an environment where you learn together and can be yourself. International Tax contains both content and cooperation: we work across borders and present ourselves as one team to the customer. During my secondment in New York, I saw how quickly we connect, switch and answer questions worldwide with colleagues from all over the world.” That makes it extra fun, she says. The large international network, but also that no two days look the same. “No day is the same. I have internal and external calls, reviews throughout the day, and in between I mentor juniors. At the end of the day, we check tomorrow's progress and priorities. That variety, from customer contact to team coaching, keeps me sharp.”

Growth & Development: Learning, Leadership and Growth

“My ambition: to keep learning within International Tax and to grow into a leadership role. I do this by broadening my network internally and externally, collaborating a lot and supervising juniors. Their energy and questions also keep me young and alert.”

Freedom, trust and communication

Bhavna states that EY gives you the confidence to take on new challenges. Even if this means going outside your comfort zone. EY offers the right guidance in addition. “The practice is deadline-driven, but within that, there is flexibility in where and when you work. I use that, for example, to go to the gym at lunchtime, or to work remotely from Curaçao for a period of time around the holidays. Clear agreements and open communication make that freedom possible.”

“When it comes to 'tax', many people think of pure compliance. In reality, it's about critical thinking, problem solving and managing the tax consequences of strategic decisions. It's puzzle work and that's exactly what makes it fun,” she says. “Technology and AI are taking away some of the repetitive administrative tasks. That gives me and the team more time for the strategic components: what does this really mean for the business and what choices do you make? Everyone knows tools like ChatGPT by now, but customers are looking for the added value of an EY advisor: context, nuance and actionable advice.”

What makes EY special

“Global connectivity. Thanks to our international network, we can quickly switch with colleagues around the world and present ourselves to the customer as one tax team. I experienced that extra strongly during my secondment in New York.”

“EY Ripples is actually our Corporate Social Responsibility Program,” says Bhavna. It gives her work extra meaning. “I contribute to projects that touch lives. For example, the Women's Mentorship program, where I guided a mentee from Syria with integration, cultural navigation and career goals. Or a piece of health awareness, where I helped students in Turkey bring more attention to oral care.” So she concludes by saying that the beauty of these initiatives is that you inspire others, but you are also inspired yourself.