EMEA Tax Lead, Direct Taxes

NASDAQ Entertainment | Amsterdam, Netherlands

Company Background

Our client is a market leader in the global streaming industry, transforming how audiences access and enjoy content. With a vast library of movies, TV shows, and acclaimed original programming, it serves over 190 countries, providing tailored content to a diverse audience. The company’s subscription-only model, free from advertising, reshapes the entertainment landscape by prioritising uninterrupted viewing.

With annual revenues exceeding $30 billion, it has evolved from a DVD rental service into a dominant force in digital entertainment. Employing around 12,000 professionals, the company focuses on regional content adaptation and delivering an exceptional user experience. Publicly traded on the NASDAQ, it is a key player in the tech and entertainment sectors, often ranked alongside Silicon Valley’s leading companies.

Brief

The company sought an EMEA Director of Direct Tax to report to the Senior Director of Tax, EMEA. Based in Amsterdam, the role required extensive experience across business support, tax planning, tax controversy management, strategic tax advice, and overseeing tax compliance, accounting, and reporting within the EMEA region.

The brief presented several challenges. The position demanded an experienced tax leader with proven leadership experience, given the high-performance nature of the team. In addition, the role required a solid understanding of tax accounting and the ability to manage specialists in this area. Strong stakeholder management experience was essential, given the role’s visibility within the finance leadership team. The ideal candidate needed to align with the company culture, which values resilience, adaptability in a fast-paced environment, and consistently high performance.

Focus

Candidates were considered from companies of significant size and complexity, regardless of organisational type (e.g., US Inbound, HQ, or Private Equity-owned). Given the role’s challenges, particularly the need for tax accounting oversight, we focused on individuals holding either a regional lead or group head of tax position. Specific companies were targeted to understand better how their talent aligned with the company’s fast-paced, high-performance culture. While geography was not a limiting factor, we prioritised candidates already based in the Netherlands to reduce relocation risk. Following this, we explored talent across select markets: Ireland, Belgium, the UK, Switzerland, and Luxembourg.

After completing the research phase, we conducted interviews to assess candidates’ technical expertise and leadership abilities. Once the process was finalised, we presented a shortlist of candidates to the Senior EMEA Tax Director and EMEA Talent Lead for review.