Vertex Exchange Europe 2009
May Fair Hotel | London | 15 September 2009
Simon Knightbridge - European Indirect Compliance Director,
Ford Motor Company
Simon Knightbridge has 13 years experience in Indirect tax, covering both VAT and customs duty. His career includes time with HM Customs & Excise, time as an adviser (including 18 months in the U.S.) and over six years in industry with Ford.
In his current role, Simon is responsible for all aspects of VAT compliance throughout Europe for Ford and its associated brands. This includes: management of the VAT registration and return process; VAT account reconciliation; ensuring compliant invoicing systems - tax decision process and invoice format; management of tax authority audits and internal SoX reporting. Simon also has responsibility for certain aspects of Ford's European Customs process, including strategic planning.
During his time as an adviser, he worked with a number of U.S. multinationals on a pan-European basis assisting them to reduce duty or operational costs. In particular, he helped multi-national corporations implement pan-European compliance procedures and systems-based solutions. This included the integration of these solutions with their ERP or legacy systems.