Eversheds Sutherland has welcomed new tax Partners, Chantal Presilli and Zoya Zalmai, further enhancing its broad global tax offering available to both its domestic Dutch and international client base.
Chantal and Zoya join the global law firm’s Amsterdam office from law firms Houthoff and Stibbe respectively.
Both are qualified tax lawyers and attorneys-at-law, and are admitted to the Dutch Bar – a notably unique combination which enables them to advise clients on formal tax law as well as litigate in tax proceedings.
Their experience extends to all areas of taxation including international and EU tax law, corporate income tax, dividend withholding tax, wage tax, employee benefits and procedural tax law.
Chantal and Zoya advise clients on complex tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring, finance, fund investments and international restructurings and have many years of experience in tax litigation. This enables them to operate a comprehensive, full service tax practice within Eversheds Sutherland, focusing on advisory, transactional and litigation work.
Chantal has an extensive skill set, regularly advising clients on the tax aspects of restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, fund investments, management participations, finance and real estate transactions. In addition, Chantal has a particular focus on tax litigation and procedural tax law including tax audits, exchange of information and tax collection matters. She frequently represents clients in tax proceedings and tax-related professional liability cases up to the Supreme Court.
Chantal began her career in PwC’s US tax practice in 2011. She later moved to Houthoff in 2014, where she was part of the multidisciplinary tax team. Chantal is also a deputy judge at the District Court of Noord-Holland and ranked for the last two years as a ‘Rising Star’ in the legal industry directory, Legal 500.
Zoya advises clients on a broad range of tax areas including the domestic and international tax aspects of M&A, restructurings and finance transactions. She has a strong focus in advising multinational and listed companies through every stage of technically complex tax issues as well as extensive experience in EU direct tax law. Zoya also advises clients on a wide range of EU tax-related matters such as State aid, EU Freedoms and EU directives by translating theory into practice and taking into account not only tax issues but also business and policy considerations.
After beginning her career at law firm DLA Piper in 2013, Zoya moved to PwC where she was part of the EU Direct Tax Group and the AEX-Midkap Group. She later joined Stibbe where she was part of the multidisciplinary tax team. Zoya is also a university lecturer at the University of Amsterdam and has co-authored several books and reports on international and European taxation.
Ben Jones, Partner and Co-Head of Global Tax, Eversheds Sutherland, said: “Zoya and Chantal add an exciting new strategic dynamic to our global tax offering – two significant appointments in a key European jurisdiction that again reaffirm our ongoing commitment to investing in our European tax capabilities, particularly in the Benelux region. Their arrival further enhances our ability as a team to deliver tax solutions for our clients on both a cross-border and domestic basis, and to provide both stand-alone tax advisory services to clients or an integrated tax and legal “one stop shop” offering alongside our full service legal capabilities.”
Tom van Wijngaarden, Partner and Head of Company Commercial (Netherlands), Eversheds Sutherland, said: “As both a thriving economy and a strategic hub for structuring investments into Europe, Dutch tax issues are of paramount importance to our domestic and international clients operating in the Netherlands. The combined experience and technical excellence that Zoya and Chantal bring will not only strengthen our advisory services but also elevate our capacity to navigate complex tax challenges. I am thrilled to welcome them.”
Chantal Presilli, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland, said: “The opportunity to join Eversheds Sutherland and become an integral part of its global tax offering couldn’t be more exciting. We are eager to work in a dynamic, international and innovative environment. The global presence of Eversheds Sutherland will offer numerous opportunities for the Dutch tax practice. The team has a clear and ambitious vision of what they want to achieve and I’m looking forward to applying my knowledge and experience in order to help them do that.”
Zoya Zalmai, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland, said: “Eversheds Sutherland has established a formidable reputation within the national and international tax space. Their collaborative approach and unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional results for their clients made them the obvious choice for me. I’m now looking forward to leveraging my experience to help navigate new challenges and ensure cohesive and effective solutions for our clients.”
This news story was originally published on the firm’s website.