Professional services firm EY was awarded Asia Tax Firm of the Year, with KPMG crowned as Asia's Transfer Pricing and Disputes and Litigation Firm of the Year.
A total of 18 jurisdictions were celebrated in ITR's national, regional and leader awards at a three-course gala dinner at the Marina Mandarin in Singapore on Thursday, May 9 2019.
While professional services firms dominated the awards, law firm Baker McKenzie emerged as a challenger to tax advisory and litigation work in Asia, and was crowned International Tax Law Firm of the Year in Asia.
Shortlisted firms were assessed according to three primary metrics: transactional value, complexity, and innovation for matters completed between January 1 2018 to December 31 2018.
A full list of the winners are listed below.
National awards
Australia Tax Firm of the Year
KPMG
> Baker McKenzie
> Deloitte
> DLA Piper
> EY
> Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills and Herbert Smith Freehills
> MinterEllison
Australia Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
MinterEllison
> KPMG
> Transfer Pricing Solutions Australia
Australia Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills and Herbert Smith Freehills
> Ashurst
> KPMG
> MinterEllison
China Tax Firm of the Year
EY
> Baker McKenzie
> Deloitte
> DLA Piper
> KPMG
China Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
KPMG
> Baker McKenzie
> EY
China Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
EY
> Baker McKenzie
> KPMG
Cambodia Tax Firm of the Year
DFDL
> Deloitte
> VDB Loi
Cambodia Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
DFDL
> Deloitte
> VDB Loi
Hong Kong Tax Firm of the Year
KPMG
> Baker McKenzie
> Deloitte
> DLA Piper
> EY
Hong Kong Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
KPMG
> Baker McKenzie
> Deloitte
> EY
Hong Kong Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
KPMG
> Baker McKenzie
> EY
India Tax Firm of the Year
Dhruva Advisors
> Advaita Legal
> Ashok Maheshwary & Associates
> BDO India
> Deloitte
> ELP Law
> EY
> KPMG
India Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Deloitte
> Advaita Legal
> Ashok Maheshwary & Associates
> ELP Law
> EY
> KPMG
> Nangia Advisors
> SKP
India Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
Advaita Legal
> Ashok Maheshwary & Associates
> Deloitte
> Dhruva Advisors
> EY
> KPMG
> Nangia Advisors
> SKP
Indonesia Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Deloitte
> Baker McKenzie
> KPMG
>TaxPrime
Indonesia Tax Firm of the Year
Deloitte
> KPMG
> TaxPrime
Indonesia Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
Baker McKenzie
> Deloitte
> EY
> KPMG
Japan Tax Firm of the Year
EY
> Baker McKenzie
> DLA Piper
> KPMG
> Nagashima Ohn & Tsunematsu
> Withers Worldwide
Japan Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Baker McKenzie
> Deloitte
> DLA Piper
Japan Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
KPMG
> Baker McKenzie
> DLA Piper
Malaysia Tax Firm of the Year
Deloitte
> PwC
> EY
> KPMG
> Shearn Delamore & Co
Malaysia Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
EY
> Deloitte
> KPMG
> Wong & Partners
Malaysia Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
KPMG
> Deloitte
> EY
> Shearn Delamore & Co
Myanmar Tax Firm of the Year
VDB Loi
> DFDL
> EY
> KPMG
New Zealand Tax Firm of the Year
Russell McVeagh
> Chapman Tripp
> Deloitte
> EY
> KPMG
New Zealand Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
KPMG
> Deloitte
> EY
> Russell McVeagh
New Zealand Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
Russell McVeagh
> Ben Gully
> Deloitte
> EY Law
> KPMG
Philippines Tax Firm of the Year
Quisumbing Torres (Baker McKenzie)
> KPMG RGM&Co
> Navarro Amper & Co (Deloitte)
Philippines Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co (EY)
> KPMG RGM&Co
> Navarro Amper & Co (Deloitte)
Philippines Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
ZGLaw
> BDB Law
> KPMG RGM&Co
> Navarro Amper & Co (Deloitte)
> SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co (EY)
Pakistan Tax Firm of the Year
KPMG
Singapore Tax Firm of the Year
Deloitte
> Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow
> Dentons Rodyk & Davidson
> EY
> KPMG
Singapore Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
KPMG
> EY
> Grant Thornton
> Transfer Pricing Solutions
Singapore Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow
> Deloitte
> EY
> KPMG
South Korea Tax Firm of the Year
Yoon & Yang
> Deloitte
> Kim & Chang
> KPMG
> Yulchon
South Korea Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Yoon & Yang
> Deloitte
> Kim & Chang
> KPMG
> Yulchon
South Korea Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
Kim & Chang
> Deloitte
> KPMG
> Yoon & Yang
> Yulchon
Sri Lanka Tax Firm of the Year
KPMG
Taiwan Tax Firm of the Year
EY
> Deloitte
> KPMG
Taiwan Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
EY
> Deloitte
> KPMG
Taiwan Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
Deloitte
> EY
> KPMG
Thailand Tax Firm of the Year
KPMG
> Deloitte
> DFDL
Thailand Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Deloitte
> Baker McKenzie
> KPMG
Thailand Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
Deloitte
> KPMG
Vietnam Tax Firm of the Year
KPMG
> Baker McKenzie
> Deloitte
> DFDL
Vietnam Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
PwC
> Deloitte
> DFDL
> EY
> KPMG
Vietnam Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
Baker McKenzie
> Deloitte
> EY
> KPMG
> PwC
Regional awards
Asia Tax Transactions Firm of the Year
EY
> Ashok Maheshwary & Associates
> Baker McKenzie
> Deloitte
> Dentons Rodyk
> Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills and Herbert Smith Freehills
> KPMG
> PwC
Asia Tax Policy Firm of the Year
EY
> Baker McKenzie
> Deloitte
> Dhruva Advisors
> KPMG
> PwC
> Yulchon
> Yoon & Yang
Asia Tax Compliance & Reporting Firm of the Year
KPMG
> Baker McKenzie
> Deloitte
> EY
> PwC
> Russel McVeagh
Asia Tax Technology Firm of the Year
KPMG
> BDO
> Deloitte
> EY
Asia Tax Innovator of the Year
KPMG
> Deloitte
> EY
> PwC
> Yoon & Yang
Global Executive Mobility Tax Team of the Year
Minter Ellison
> Deloitte
> EY
> KPMG
US Corporate Tax Team of the Year in Asia
Baker McKenzie
> EY
> KPMG
Asia Best Newcomer of the Year
Transfer Pricing Solutions
> Transaction Square (India)
> Shah V G & Co (India)
Withholding Tax Team of the Year
KPMG
> Baker McKenzie
> Dhruva Advisors
> Deloitte
> EY
Asia Indirect Tax Firm of the Year
KPMG
> Advaita Legal
> Deloitte
> EY
> GNV
> Grant Thornton
> MinterEllison
> Yulchon
Asia Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
KPMG
> Deloitte
> EY
> MinterEllison
> PwC
International Tax Law Firm of the Year
Baker McKenzie
> Ashurst
> DLA Piper
> Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills and Herbert Smith Freehills
Asia Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
KPMG
> Baker McKenzie
> Deloitte
> EY
> Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills and Herbert Smith Freehills
> Kim & Chang
> PwC
> Yulchon
Asia Tax Firm of the Year
EY
> Baker McKenzie
> Deloitte
> Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills and Herbert Smith Freehills
> KPMG
In-house awards
In-house Transfer Pricing Team of the Year
Tencent Holdings
> DBS Bank
> Discovery Communications India
> Infosys
In-house Tax Team of the Year
Infosys
> Discovery Communications India
> DBS Bank
> GNV Consulting Services
> Walmart India
In-house Tax Director of the Year
Ben Choy, Tencent Holdings
> Ivan Budiarnawan, PT Astra International
> Umang Dhingra, Discovery Communications India
> Sunil Kumar Dhareshwar, Infosys
> Mukhlis Ishak, PT Freeport Indonesia
Leaders awards
Asia Tax Disputes & Litigation Practice Leader of the Year
Angela Wood, KPMG Australia
> Yun Heui Cho, Yulchon
> Leung Yew Kwong, KPMG Singapore
> Ji Soo Lee, Kim & Chang
> Carmen McElwain, MinterEllison
> Ponti Partogi, Baker McKenzie
> Steven Sieker, Baker McKenzie
> Tori Sullivan, EY Law Ltd
Asia Transfer Pricing Practice Leader of the Year
Luis Coronado, EY
> Yong Whan Choi, Yulchon
> Kaoru Fukazawa, Deloitte Tohmatsu
> Hitesh Gajaria, KPMG India
> Charles Oetomo, GNV Consulting Services
> Shannon Smit, Transfer Pricing Solutions
> Geoffrey Soh, KPMG Singapore
> Masaki Yamada, Deloitte Tohmatsu
Asia Tax Practice Leader of the Year
Edmund Leow, Dentons Rodyk & Davidson
> Woo Hyun Baik, Kim & Chang
> Carlo Franchina, KPMG Australia
> Dinesh Kanabar, Dhruva Advisors
> Brendan Kelly, Baker McKenzie
> Kyu Dong Kim, Yulchon
> Edmund Leow, Dentons Rodyk & Davidson
> Khoon Ming, KPMG China
> Jack Sheehan, DFDL
Regional Impact Cases of the Year
> Substantial GAAR panel challenge win for taxpayer: KPMG Australia
> Completion of one of the largest and longest tax litigation disputes in Australia: Ashurst Australia
> Indonesian mine tax reassessment: Baker McKenzie Indonesia
> Landmark application of product sharing contract transfer tax on cross border M&A transactions in the oil & gas industry: Deloitte Indonesia
> Tax exemption criteria clarification and defence for major cryptocurrency platform: Yoon & Yang South Korea
> Tax clarification on pension funds investing overseas: KPMG Japan
> Requirements for qualified spin-offs in South Korea, resulting in largest tax assessment in Korean history: Kim & Chang
> Secured no WHT treatment for global software company in Japan: EY Japan
> Tax policy development for Labuan International Insurance Association Malaysia: Deloitte Malaysia
> Tax avoidance and interest deductions in Frucor Suntory New Zealand v CIR: Bell Gully
Regional Impact Deals of the Year
> Takeda acquisition of Shire: Ashurst; Linklaters; Davis Polk & Wardwell; Slaughter and May
> Walmart acquisition of Flipkart: Allen & Gledhill; Dentons Rodyk & Davidson; Gibson Dunn & Crutcher; Gunderson Dettmer; Hogan Lovells; Khaitan & Co; Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co
> Hitachi acquisition of ABB’s power grids business: Baker McKenzie; Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
> Unilever acquisition of Horlicks nutrition business: Baker McKenzie; Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas
> Unibail acquisition of Westfield: Allens; Clifford Chance; Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier; Debevoise & Plimpton; Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills and Herbert Smith Freehills; King & Wood Mallesons; Lacourte Raquin Tatar; Loyens & Loeff; NautaDutilh; Shearman & Sterling; Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom
> Coles demerger from Wesfarmers: Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills and Herbert Smith Freehills
> Renesas acquisition of Integrated Device Technology: Covington & Burling; Latham & Watkins; Morrison & Foerster; Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu
> Merger of Vodafone India with Idea Cellular: DMD Advocats; EY; Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas; Slaughter and May; S&R Associates; Vaish Associates
> China Tower IPO: Clifford Chance; Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
> Global Logistics Properties IPO: Allen & Overy
> Vinhomes IPO: Allen & Overy; Latham & Watkins; VILAF
