John Connors

• (Voluntary) Council Member providing independent advice and oversight of the University's Executive governance arrangements.
• Working in a collegial fashion to help set, monitor and shape the University's strategic direction, whilst observing the highest standards of honesty, integrity and objectivity.
• Chair of the University's Audit and Risk Committee advising Council on the University's internal and external audit arrangements and seeking continuous assurance from the Executive on the mechanisms and process for financial probity, accounting and value for money in a very challenging environment.

• Voluntary role reviewing aspects of the operation of tax law in the UK, focussing in particular on whether aspects of the tax system are working in a satisfactory and efficient manner.
• Contributing to the production of well respected reports on a broad range of reports.

• Chair of a global ICC committee of business experts with particular regard to international tax developments at the United Nations and at the OECD. Drawing inputs from members from geographically and culturally diverse business community including the US, Far East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Europe.
• Providing written inputs and oral interventions to consultations and UN assembly meetings in New York and Geneva. Hosting webinars and briefings to the global ICC memberships and contributing to in-country committee discussions, e.g. in the UK, Mexico and India.

• Part-time role mentoring and advising successor in role as Group Tax Director, with retained responsibilities for a few remaining international legacy issues.

• Responsible for Vodafone's tax strategy, compliance, transfer pricing and controversy management (including tax aspects of international arbitration between the Netherlands and India), VAT, transactional (M&A) tax structuring and agreements, and any tax issues across the Group.
• Chair and Financial responsible Officer of Vodafone Group Services Ltd in the UK. Chair of Vodafone Spain's local Audit and Risk Committee and Member of the Supervisory Board of Vodafone's international holding companies in the Netherlands.
• Instigated the publication of Vodafone's annual ‘Total tax and economic contribution' report, which now includes a copy of the company's OECD standard country by country tax report.
• Represented Vodafone on the 100 Group tax committee and wider business interests at HMRC's Business Tax Forum and chairs the B team's Responsible Tax working group.

• Established HMRC's Large Business & Employers Customer Unit to foster better commercial understanding between big business and the tax authority.
• Led and delivered the 2006 HMRC Review of Links with Large Business, introducing a compliance risk assessment framework, a new consultative committee and framework, improved guidance, and extension of clearance and rulings processes.

• Seconded to HM Treasury as head of the newly formed International corporate tax unit.
• Represented the UK at the European Commission Code of Conduct working group

Seconded to DG Taxud. Focus on establishment of EU Code of Conduct Group (business taxation) and technical analysis of harmful tax practices.

• Fully trained and qualified Tax Inspector
• International Tax - Offshore Trusts, Specialist Investigations, Double Tax Convention negotiations
• Personal tax - Residence, Domicile, Self-assessment, PAYE
• Corporate income tax - Compliance and Investigations