Tomas Balco
international taxation specialist, Ministry of Finance, Czech Republic
Tomas initially studied international law. While he was studying he completed work placements at the Czech Embassy in the US, and the Czech Mission to the United Nations in New York. Tomas explains how his career took off from this point: 'During my time in the US, I met my future boss who was a partner at Deloitte in Prague. He gave me the opportunity to gain practical experience and following that he offered me a permanent position.'
After working in the audit department at Deloitte for over two years, Tomas decided to expand into taxation and started a postgraduate programme in international tax law in Vienna. It was also at this point that he completed his ACCA exams.
'Becoming an ACCA member allowed me to network with other members practising in different industries and countries. It also made me aware that I am responsible for my own continuing professional development,' says Tomas.
After qualification, Tomas started an internship at the European Commission in Brussels, focusing on the harmonisation of direct taxation in Europe. His work at the Commission opened the door to more international travel and Tomas moved to Chile to work on a project on international taxation at the Ministry of Finance in Santiago. Following this he returned to the Czech Republic to work for the Ministry of Finance in Prague, and as a freelance tutor teaching ACCA students.
'My international work experience has enriched my professional and personal life and I still look back fondly at my time spent in Chile. In the future I hope to deepen my professional knowledge and personal skills, which in turn, I also intend to use to motivate and contribute to the success of others,' says Tomas who is due to start teaching European taxation at the University of Economics in Prague from Autumn 2004.
He continues: 'I would like to see growth in public interest in corporate governance, ethics and social responsibility in the future. I firmly believe that an increasing public demand for non-financial reporting methods will help society to flourish in a more sustainable manner.''My international work experience has enriched my professional and personal life and I still look back fondly at my time spent in Chile. In the future I hope to deepen my professional knowledge and personal skills, which in turn, I also intend to use to motivate and contribute to the success of others.'