The ITR is delighted to announce the winners of the 11th annual ITR Asia-Pacific Tax Awards.
Deloitte has been awarded as the region wide Tax Firm of the Year, achieving widespread national and regional success. EY and KPMG were crowned as the region wide Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year and Tax Litigation and Disputes Firm of the Year, respectively. These two firms also won a string of awards across the Asia-Pacific region in quite a few categories.
GlaxoSmithKline, Infosys, and Lupin took home awards for our in-house categories.
Baker McKenzie and Kim & Chang were among the firms who won both regional and jurisdictional awards for their excellence.
Given the continued travel restrictions and environment due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, and our list of multi-national winners are located throughout the region, we are unable to host an all-inclusive awards ceremony this year to recognise the work highlighted below. However, we remain passionate about supporting the impactful and innovative tax and transfer pricing accomplishments and are excited to be able to present this year’s winners to you.
We are keen to fulfill any promotions that firms would like to undertake on the back of their success and request that you contact ITR's senior business development manager, Raquel Ipo, with any queries.
We aim to mention all firms that took part in each of our Impact Cases and Impact Deals.If your firm has been omitted or you have questions about the research, please contact ITR’s awards researcher John Harrison.
A full list of shortlisted firms for the ITR Asia-Pacific Tax Awards 2021 was released in July 2021.
Jurisdiction Awards
Australia Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills
Ashurst Australia
Baker McKenzie
Deloitte
King & Wood Mallesons
KPMG
MinterEllison
Australia Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: Deloitte
DLA Piper
EY
Johnson Winter & Slattery
KPMG
MinterEllison
Australia Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: Herbert Smith Freehills and Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills
Ashurst Australia
Baker McKenzie
EY
King & Wood Mallesons
KPMG
MinterEllison
Cambodia Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: VDB Loi
Baker Tilly
Deloitte
DFDL
China Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: KPMG
Baker McKenzie FengXun
Deloitte
DLA Piper
EY
JunHe
Zhong Lun
China Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: KPMG
Baker McKenzie FengXun
Deloitte
DLA Piper
EY
WTS China - WTS Global
Zhong Lun
China Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: KPMG
Baker McKenzie FengXun
Deloitte
DLA Piper
EY
Jingtian & Gongcheng
Zhong Lun
Hong Kong SAR Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: Deloitte
Baker McKenzie
DLA Piper
EY
KPMG
Hong Kong SAR Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: Deloitte
Baker McKenzie
Duff & Phelps, A Kroll Business
EY
KPMG
Hong Kong SAR Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: KPMG
Baker McKenzie
Deloitte
DLA Piper
EY
India Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: Dhruva Advisors
Deloitte
Economic Laws Practice
EY
Grant Thornton
KPMG
Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan
India Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: EY
AKM Global
BDO
Dhruva Advisors
Deloitte
KPMG
Nexdigm (SKP)
India Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan
BMR Legal
Deloitte
Economic Laws Practice
EY
KPMG
Trilegal
Indonesia Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: Deloitte
DDTC
GNV Consulting Services, Moore Global
HHP Law Firm
KPMG
SF Consulting
Indonesia Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: DDTC
Deloitte
GNV Consulting, Moore Global
KPMG
MUC Consulting Group
SF Consulting
TaxPrime
Indonesia Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: HHP Law Firm
DDTC
Deloitte
GNV Consulting Services
KPMG
SF Consulting
TaxPrime
Japan Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: Deloitte
Baker McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise)
DLA Piper
EY
KPMG
Mori Hamada & Matsumoto
Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, Taxand Japan
Nishimura & Asahi
Japan Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: EY
Baker McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise)
Deloitte
DLA Piper
KPMG
Mori Hamada & Matsumoto
Nishimura & Asahi
Japan Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, Taxand Japan
Anderson Mori & Tomotsune
Baker McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise)
Nishimura & Asahi
Withers Japan Zeirishi Houjin
Malaysia Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: Deloitte
EY
KPMG
Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership
Shearn Delamore & Co
Malaysia Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: Deloitte
Duff & Phelps, A Kroll Business
EY
KPMG
Wong & Partners
Malaysia Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: Shearn Delamore & Co
Deloitte
Raja Darryl & Loh
Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership
Skrine
New Zealand Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: Deloitte
Bell Gully
Buddle Findlay
Chapman Tripp
Russell McVeagh
New Zealand Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: EY
Deloitte
KPMG
Russell McVeagh
New Zealand Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: Bell Gully
Chapman Tripp
EY Law
KPMG
Russell McVeagh
Philippines Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: SyCipLaw
Du-Baladad and Associates – WTS Global
Quisumbing Torres
SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co - EY
Zambrano Gruba Caganda & Advincula
Philippines Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: Navarro / Deloitte
Du-Baladad and Associates – WTS Global
Gorriceta Africa Cauton & Saavedra
R G Manabat & Co (KPMG)
SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co - EY
Philippines Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: Zambrano Gruba Caganda & Advincula
Du-Baladad and Associates – WTS Global
Quisumbing Torres
SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co - EY
SyCipLaw
Singapore Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow
Allen & Gledhill
BDO
Deloitte
Drew & Napier
KPMG
Withers
Singapore Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: EY
Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow
BDO
Deloitte
KPMG
WTS Taxise - WTS Global
Singapore Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: KPMG
Deloitte
Drew & Napier
Rajah & Tann
WongPartnership
WTS Taxise - WTS Global
South Korea Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: Kim & Chang
Deloitte Anjin
Lee & Ko
Samjong KPMG
Yulchon
South Korea Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: Yulchon
Deloitte Anjin
Kim & Chang
Lee & Ko
Samjong KPMG
South Korea Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: Kim & Chang
Deloitte Anjin
Lee & Ko
Samjong KPMG
Yulchon
Taiwan Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: Deloitte
Baker McKenzie
EY
KPMG
Lee & Li
Taiwan Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: EY
Deloitte
Grant Thornton
KPMG
Taiwan Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: KPMG
Deloitte
EY
Tsar & Tsai Law Firm
Thailand Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: Baker McKenzie
DFDL
KPMG
LawAlliance
Tilleke & Gibbins
Thailand Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: KPMG
Baker McKenzie
Deloitte
HLB
Kudun & Partners
Thailand Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: R&T Asia (Thailand), Rajah & Tann
Baker McKenzie
Deloitte
KPMG
Tilleke & Gibbins
Vietnam Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: Deloitte
Baker McKenzie
DFDL
Grant Thornton
KPMG
Vietnam Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: KPMG
Deloitte
DFDL
Duff & Phelps, A Kroll Business
WTS Tax Vietnam
Vietnam Tax Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: DFDL
Baker McKenzie
Deloitte
KPMG
LNT & Partners
Individual Awards
Tax Practice Leader of the Year
Winner: Lewis Lu – KPMG
Dinesh Kanabar – Dhruva Advisors
Edwin Whatley – Baker McKenzie
Eric Roose – Withers Japan Zeirishi Jimusho
Nishant Shah – Economic Laws Practice
Sim Kwang Gek – Deloitte
Woo-Hyun Baik – Kim & Chang
Transfer Pricing Practice Leader of the Year
Winner: Luis Coronado – EY
Craig Silverwood – MinterEllison
Geoffrey Soh – Baker McKenzie
Maulik Doshi – Nexdigm (SKP)
Theresa Goh – Deloitte
Wahyu Nuryanto – MUC Consulting
Xiaoyue Wang – KPMG
Tax Litigation and Disputes Practice Leader of the Year
Winner: Tori Sullivan – EY
Ahdianto – GNV Consulting Services
Byung-Moon Jung – Kim & Chang
Carmen McElwain - MinterEllison
Irwin C Nidea Jr – Du-Baladad and Associates
Soh Lian Seng – KPMG
Yusuf Wangko Ngantung – DDTC
Indirect Tax Practice Leader of the Year
Winner: Simone Bridges – Baker McKenzie
Deborah – DDTC
Harsh Shah – Economic Laws Practice
Jeklira Tampubolon – GNV Consulting Services
Kevin Zhou - EY
Saket Patawari – Nexdigm (SKP)
Senthuran Elalingam – Deloitte
In-house Awards
In-house Tax Team of the Year
Winner: Infosys
Aboitiz Equity Ventures
GlaxoSmithKline Asia
Lupin
SEEK
Oravel Stays Private
Walt Disney Company
In-house Transfer Pricing Team of the Year
Winner: Lupin
Infosys
Oravel Stays Privated
Tata Consultancy Services
In-house Indirect Tax Team of the Year
Winner: Lupin
GlaxoSmithKline Asia
Infosys
JP Morgan
Siemens
Tata Consultancy Services
In-house Compliance and Reporting Team of the Year
Winner: Infosys
GlaxoSmithKline Asia
JP Morgan
Lupin Limited
Oravel Stays Private
Prudential
Tata Consultancy Services
In-house Tax Technology Team of the Year
Winner: GlaxoSmithKline Asia
Infosys
JP Morgan
Lupin
Oravel Stays Private
Tata Consultancy Services
In-house Tax Director of the Year
Winner: Sunil Kumar Dhareshwar – Infosys
David Fitzgerald - Gojek
Kevin Witts – HSBC
Makung Heryassin - Tokopedia
Patrick Donovan – UBS
Ramesh Khaitan – Lupin
Sarah Ng – AbbVie
Umang Dhingra – GlaxoSmithKline Asia
In-house Transfer Pricing Director of the Year
Winner: Ramesh Khaitan – Lupin
Arthur Begetis – ResMed
Patrick Thompson – Morgan Stanley
Renu Narvekar – Tata Consultancy Services
Sunil Kumar Dhareshwar – Infosys
In-house Indirect Tax Director of the Year
Winner: Mohan Nusetti – Lupin
Dinesh Mittal – formerly of Walmart
Matthew Campbell – JP Morgan
Sunil Kumar Dhareshwar – Infosys
Umang Dhingra – GlaxoSmithKline Asia
Vikas Garg – Siemens
Tax Official of the Year
Winner: Sanjeev Sharma – Indian Income Tax Department
Deals and Cases
Impact Deals of the Year
Asahi acquisition of Carlton and United Breweries: Allen & Overy, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Carlton and United Breweries, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Gilbert + Tobin, Johnson Winter & Slattery, PwC
Bain Capital acquisition of Virgin Australia: Akin Gump, Clayton Utz, Deloitte, Herbert Smith Freehills, Paul Weiss, PwC
Bitauto take-private: Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Maples Group, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, Zhong Lun Law Firm
Hindustan Unilever India acquisition of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare: AZB & Partners, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, GlaxoSmithKline, Hindustan Unilever, KPMG, Unilever
KB Financial acquisition of Prudential Life Insurance Korea: Debevoise & Plimpton, Prudential Life, Yulchon
Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets acquisition of AirTrunk: Baker McKenzie, DLA Piper, Hogan Lovells, King & Wood Mallesons, KPMG, Macquarie Group, Norton Rose Fulbright, PwC
NorthConnex: Allens, King & Wood Mallesons, PwC, White & Case
Resolution acquisition of AMP Life: AMP Life, Bell Gully, Chapman Tripp, King & Wood Mallesons, KPMG
Impact Cases of the Year
AWF Prop Co 2 Pty Ltd v Ararat Rural City Council [2020] VSC 853: Herbert Smith Freehills
Cairn Energy PLC and Cairn UK Holdings Limited v The Republic of India, PCA Case No. 2016-07: Arna Law, Arvind Datar SA, Dr Laurent Lévy, Essex Court Chambers, Gourab Banerji SA, Keating Chambers, Platinum Partners, Quinn Emanuel Urqhart & Sullivan, S&R Associates, Shepherd and Wedderburn, Stanimir A Alexandrov
Commissioner of Taxation v Glencore Investment Pty Ltd [2020] FCAFC 187: Australian Government Solicitors, King & Wood Mallesons, List A Barristers, Sixth Floor Selborne and Wentworth Chambers
G.R. No. 2257049 Commissioner of Internal Revenue v Bank of the Philippine Islands: Du-Baladad and Associates
Majil Daerah Hulu Selangor v United Plantations Berhad: Shearn Delamore & Co
Peter Greensil Family Co Pty Ltd AFT Peter Greensil Family Trust v Commissioner of Taxation [2020] FCA 559: EY, Norton Rose Fulbright
South Korea Supreme Court Decision 2017Du36908: Kim & Chang
Vodafone International Holdings BV v Government of India, PCA Case No. 2016-37: DMD Advocates, Essex Court Chambers, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom
Regional Awards
Best Newcomer of the Year
Winner: Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership
Consulthink – WTS Global
Gorriceta Africa Cauton & Saavedra
TMSL
WTS Taxise - WTS Global
Diversity and Inclusion Firm of the Year
Winner: Deloitte
Economic Laws Practice
Eiger
EY
KPMG
Nishimura & Asahi
Pro bono Firm of the Year
Winner: Nishimura & Asahi
DDTC
Deloitte
KPMG
PwC
Regional Tax Law Firm of the Year
Winner: Kim & Chang
Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills
King & Wood Mallesons
Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, Taxand Japan
Nishimura & Asahi
Yulchon
Zhong Lun
International Tax Law Firm of the Year
Winner: Baker McKenzie
Ashurst
Cuatrecasas
Dentons
DLA Piper
Norton Rose Fulbright
Withers
Global Executive Mobility Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: MinterEllison
AKM Global
Economic Laws Practice
Eiger
KPMG
Tax Compliance and Reporting Firm of the Year
Winner: KPMG
AKM Global
AMRG & Associates
Deloitte
Economic Laws Practice
Nexdigm (SKP)
WTS China - WTS Global
Tax Innovator of the Year
Winner: BDO India
DDTC
Deloitte
Du-Baladad and Associates - WTS Global
Economic Laws Practice
KPMG
Tax Policy Firm of the Year
Winner: Deloitte
DDTC
Du-Baladad and Associates – WTS Global
Economic Laws Practice
WTS Taxise - WTS Global
Tax Technology Firm of the Year
Winner: Deloitte
BDO India
DDTC
Economic Laws Practice
KPMG
Nexdigm (SKP)
Tax Transactions Firm of the Year
Winner: KPMG
Ashurst
Baker McKenzie
Deloitte
Dhruva Advisors - WTS Global
Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills
Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, Taxand Japan
Zhong Lun
US Corporate Tax Team of the Year
Winner: EY
Baker McKenzie
Deloitte
DLA Piper
KPMG
Withholding Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: KPMG
AKM Global
Dhruva Advisors - WTS Global
Economic Laws Practice
Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, Taxand Japan
Indirect Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: EY
Baker McKenzie
Deloitte
Dhruva Advisors - WTS Global
Economic Laws Practice
KPMG
MInterEllison
Tax Litigation and Disputes Firm of the Year
Winner: KPMG
Baker McKenzie
Deloitte
EY
Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills
Kim & Chang
Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, Taxand Japan
Nishimura & Asahi
Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
Winner: EY
Baker McKenzie
BDO
DDTC
Deloitte
DLA Piper
KPMG
Tax Firm of the Year
Winner: Deloitte
Baker McKenzie
BDO
Deloitte
DLA Piper
EY
KPMG
